Attractions of Transcarpathian region

The exposition of the Khust Museum of Local Lore is housed in six halls of a modern building in the city center.

2.5 thousand exhibits tell about the history of the region. There are departments of nature and general history, a picture gallery. Also original is the symbolic map of Europe during the First World War, on which the countries of the world are depicted in the form of animals.

Of particular interest is the exposition on the history of Carpathian Ukraine, the capital of which was the city of Khust for some time.

Museum employees conduct tours of the city and its surroundings.

Photo museum cafe "OttoFoto" was opened in Uzhhorod in 2023 by the wife of the famous Uzhhorod collector Attila Runyanin Kseniya. The collection was formed and replenished for about 7 years and now includes more than half a thousand different cameras and more.

About three hundred cameras, two motorcycles and about one hundred rarities are presented in the cafe-photo museum "OttoFoto". The exposition of the cafe mainly consists of cameras of Soviet, European and American production since 1920. There are also other old things here: a gramophone, a Soviet radio, a landline telephone that was used in the last century, various antiques.

Photo exhibitions, workshops and creative meetings can be held in the coffee shop.

"OttoFoto" is located in the central part of the city, not far from Koryatovycha Square.

The wooden church of the Ascension of the Lord in Yasinia is called the Strukivska church after the legendary founder of the village, the shepherd Ivan Struk.

According to legend, in the 16th century, a shepherd built a chapel at this place to thank God for the miraculous salvation of his flock.

The current Ascension Church was built in 1824. It is considered one of the most perfect wooden temples of the Hutsul region. A good ratio of the central dome and four gable roofs was found in the Strukivska Church. The two-story bell tower is not inferior to it in its architectural and artistic qualities.

The interior of the temple is particularly cozy and at the same time not devoid of solemnity. Several icons from the 17th century have been preserved in the church.

Included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in the category "Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Region of Ukraine".

The largest rehabilitation center for brown bears in Ukraine was established in 2011 on the territory of the "Synevyr" National Nature Park in Transcarpathia. Bears that have suffered injuries due to cruel treatment or being kept in improper conditions in captivity are rehabilitated here.

In the rehabilitation center, more than 30 bears live in semi-free conditions on an area of 12 hectares in the middle of the Carpathian forest. In its upper part, there are 6 cages and 2 sections for keeping groups and single animals of different ages and health conditions, 24 artificial dens, several artificial ponds. There are natural plantations of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, which are loved by animals. The entire territory is fenced with an electric fence.

The center is open to tourists, you can learn more about the history of each pet at special stands. Each animal has its own diet, an individual diet is developed for them.

Safety rules should be followed when visiting the rehabilitation center. It is forbidden to feed the bears.

The Cross and Exaltation Greek-Catholic Cathedral has long been the main Christian temple of Uzhhorod.

The initiator of its creation in 1640 was Count Yanosh X Druhet, who invited Jesuit monks for this purpose. Construction was carried out for 6 years. After the liquidation of the Jesuit order in 1773, the Cross and Exaltation Cathedral was transferred to the Greek Catholic diocese. In 1779, Bishop Andriy Bachynsky rebuilt it in the Baroque style according to the Eastern rite. The church acquired its current forms, combining classicism and neo-baroque, after the reconstruction in 1878.

Rococo-style interiors are painted by Transcarpathian artists. Many religious figures are buried in the crypts, including Bishop Teodor Romzha, who was killed by the Soviet special services.

In 1991, the Cross and Exaltation Cathedral was returned to the Greek Catholics.

Nearby is the former episcopal residence, in which the first Transcarpathian higher education institution - the Jesuit college - was opened. Until recently, the library of the Uzhhorod State University was located here, but now the building has been returned to the church. Restoration is in progress, the opening of the diocesan museum is planned.

The geographic center of continental Europe was calculated and marked in the village of Dilove, in the Rahiv district, by Hungarian surveyors in 1887.

A two-meter concrete geodesic sign in the form of a truncated four-sided pyramid was installed here. On the rectangular pedestal is carved in Latin: "Permanent, exact, eternal place. Very precisely, with the help of a special device made in Austria-Hungary, according to the scale of meridians and parallels, the Center of Europe is determined here. 1887."

Subsequently, the calculations of Hungarian surveyors were repeatedly denied by scientists from other countries, but they remain generally recognized.

In Soviet times, a new 7.2-meter-high stele was installed nearby. In 2005, the Alley of European Flags appeared next to the stele, emphasizing the symbolism of this place. The hut-museum presents a collection of authentic Hutsul household items.

In 2010, an ecological and educational center with a museum of nature and culture of the Carpathians was opened, for which a two-story wooden house in the Hutsul style was built. The ecological and cultural recreation complex "Center of Europe" is a branch of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve.

The mineral water geyser in Vuchkove is located on the bank of a mountain stream in the Petrovets tract at the entrance to Mizhhirya from the Khust side.

The water in the spring is salty, with a high content of iron, which is visible from the red-yellow-hot color of the surrounding stones.

Previously, the geyser beat upwards with a free 7-meter fountain with a constant frequency 4 times a day. In Soviet times, when the sanatorium was founded, it was enclosed in a pipe, the main flow was diverted to the river.

Currently, the geyser is again erupting vertically upward with a fountain 5-7 meters high. The periodicity of eruptions can vary from 20 minutes to several hours (on average every two hours). The duration of the eruption is about 10 minutes.

On the other side of the river there is a spring with delicious iron mineral water - "kvas".

At the entrance to the tract is a bee farm, on the territory of which the only bee monument in Europe is installed. It was here in the 1960s that the frost-resistant species of the Carpathian bee was bred.

The wooden church of the Holy Spirit was built in Kolochava by master Ferents Tekka in 1795 on the site of an old church founded in the 17th century.

The church is high, two-log, covered with shingles. The slender tower is finished with a Baroque pinnacle.

In Soviet times, the temple was turned into a museum of atheism, thanks to which it was well preserved (restored in 1969).

Currently, the Church of the Holy Spirit does not function, but it is available for tourists to visit. A unique icon of the 18th century "Jesus Christ the vinedresser" is kept here.

There are several Czech graves and the burial of a Hungarian postman on the territory of the Holy Spirit Church-Museum. At the entrance, a sculptural composition has been installed in honor of a local monument of sacred literature - the manuscript of the Kolochava deacon Ivan Luhosh "The Pearl of Great Price".

The excursion must be arranged in advance by phone.

The Horyanska Rotunda (Church of Saint Anna) in Uzhhorod is the oldest temple in Transcarpathia, a unique monument of Romano-Byzantine architecture, in which experts see features of Great Moravian architecture.

The most probable time of construction is considered to be the 13th century, but there are also earlier datings - up to the 10th century. The rotunda temple in Horyany is made in the shape of a hexagon with powerful walls 2-2.5 meters thick and narrow windows, made of bricks similar to the ancient Rus plinth. Probably, the church of Saint  Anna was the chapel of the fortified castle and performed defensive functions.

According to legend, the Horyanska Rotunda was built by Princess Gragissa, who owned the Horyansky Castle in the 13th century. When the castle was captured by the tycoon Matush Chuck Trenchynsky, escaping from dishonor, Gragissa went forever to the castle dungeons, where her soul still awaits release.

In the 15th century, the nave of the Nicholas Church was attached to the rotunda.

The frescoes created in 1360-1370 by Italian masters of the Giotto school have been preserved inside the Horyanska Rotunda. On the eastern wall of the nave there are paintings of the 15th century, executed in the "sal secco" technique in the manner of the Tyrolean and Czech schools of painting.

The ruins of the medieval Khust Castle can be seen on the Castle Hill near the center of Khust.

The castle was built in the 11th-12th centuries to control the "salt road" from Solotvyno. The legend connects the name with a voivode named Khust. The castle on the top of a 150-meter mountain stood out for its power, which was provided by 14-meter walls, high towers and a siege well.

In 1378, the Hungarian king presented the Khust castle to cousins Balko and Drago from the Moldavian family of Drahosh. Legend connects them with the Wallachian lord Vlad III Tsepesh (Drakula), who became the prototype of the hero of Bram Stoker's popular novel.

After 1526, the Khust Castle passed to the Principality of Transylvania, and was one of the strongholds of the rebels during the Hungarian War of Independence. It existed until 1776, when a powder cellar exploded due to a lightning strike. Since then, it has not recovered.

Access is free.

The cobbled pedestrian street Korzo in the center of Uzhhorod connects Koryatovycha Square with Avhustyna Voloshyna Street.

Translated from Italian, "corso" means "place for walks". The name given to the street by the Druhets, the former owners of the city, is justified even now. This is a favorite place for walks of the citizens and guests of Uzhhorod - there are many cafes and shops, the facades of the old buildings have been restored, and the city services carefully maintain cleanliness.

The Krutylo waterfall on the small mountain river Turytsya is located in the Kychera tract about 2 kilometers upstream from the village of Lumshory, near the "Vodospad" camping site.

Along the river, you can see many small waterfalls up to 1 meter high. Krutylo is one of the largest, higher than 3 meters. Its powerful jet washed out a deep space in the rocks, which is well suited for swimming.

The first monument to wage earners (migrant workers, guest workers) in Ukraine was erected in 2011 in the Transcarpathian village of Kolochava.

Against the background of a tiny hut of a poor peasant, a scene of farewell to the family of the head of the family, who is forced to leave his homeland in an attempt to ensure a normal future for his children, is filmed. The figures of the wage earner and his family members are depicted in clothes of the beginning of the 20th century, because it was in those years that almost half of the male population of the village went to earn money. Many of them never returned - their names are engraved on the memorial plaque.

The composition stands in the center of the village, at the bus stop - where even now the people of Kolochava see off their loved ones to a foreign land.

The "Arpad Line" museum complex was created in Kolochava on the basis of four bunkers preserved from the Second World War.

The 600-kilometer defense line, which consisted of a chain of individual defense nodes, was built in 1943-1944 by Hungarian troops against the advance of the Soviet army.

There were about thirty "Arpad Line" bunkers in the Kolochava area, one of which was near the bridge on the bank of the Tereblya River. To counter the movement of military equipment, rows of concrete pyramids were placed on the roads and in the riverbeds, many of which have survived to this day. Due to the fact that the Soviet troops struck the main blow in a different direction, the "Arpad Line" were left by the retreating Hungarian troops without a fight.

The Kolochava military museum "Arpad Line" includes four bunkers, the interiors of which have been restored: "Command", "Defense", "Hospital", "Boiler station". The exposition presents weapons, equipment, tools, household items of the garrisons.

The duration of the tour of all objects of the complex is about two hours. In addition, you can order a field lunch and a trip to the BRDM.

The Mini-Statue of Freedom in Uzhhorod, which is also the smallest functioning lighthouse in Ukraine, was made by sculptor Mykhailo Kolodko in the style of Fernando Botero and installed in 2011 in honor of the Uzhhorod River Regatta.

The 17-centimeter-tall figure holds a lamp with a flashing LED. Little Freedom Lighthouse (Svobodka lighthouse) is installed on the railing of the bridge over the Uzh River.