Attractions of Transcarpathian region

The central manor of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve is located on the southern outskirts of Rakhiv.

Under the protection of the reserve are 2.5% of the territory of the Carpathian region (58 thousand hectares), the ecosystems of which are characterized by the greatest biological diversity in Europe and are considered among the most valuable on the planet.

The first forests of the Carpathians were taken under protection in 1955, and soon the Carpathian Nature Reserve was created on an area of 12 thousand hectares. Since 1992, it has been part of the international network of UNESCO biosphere reserves. There are six separate massifs on the territory of several districts of Transcarpathia. The most famous is the Narcissus Valley, where the rare narrow-leaved narcissus grows. The Svydovetsky reserve covers the highest part of Svydovets with the legendary peaks of Blyznyuky - Edelweiss trees grow here. The business card of the Chornohorsky massif is the highest peak of Ukraine - Mount Hoverla (2061 meters above sea level).

The Museum of Mountain Ecology and History of Nature Use in the Ukrainian Carpathians operates at the central estate.

The Mukachevo Literary and Art Museum opened in 2021 on the first floor of the Oleksandr Dukhnovych Central City Library in the center of Mukachevo.

The museum was created at the expense of the public at the initiative of writers Viktor Dvornychenko and Tetyana Rybar.

The exposition presents ancient and modern examples of literature, visual and theatrical arts, music, and sculpture. You can see old typewriters, music records, theater posters, works of decorative and applied art.

The only European Museum of forest and rafting is a part of the Synevyr National Nature Park. It is located in the Sokolovets tract on the Chorna River, 3 kilometers from the road leading from the village of Synevyr to Synevyrska Polyana.

The museum was created on the Chorna River – in the place where a dam with a gate was built to release water in the middle of the 19th century. It was a complex of wooden structures, technical units and mechanisms 80 meters long and 5.5 meters wide. Wood from the mountains was floated from here to the valley and then delivered to Hungary. The dam functioned until 1960.

In 1976, the unique hydrotechnical structure was restored, and a wood-rafting museum was created on its basis. Here you could familiarize yourself with the technology of timber rafting, visit technical and residential premises, see the tools of loggers and woodcutters-bokorashs.

In 1998, due to excessive rainfall, the water level in the river rose sharply, the museum was partially destroyed, and the dam was damaged. Another flood in 2001 finally destroyed the dam.

Currently, part of the Museum of forest and rafting exposition can be viewed in the Synevyr NNP Visitor Center, where it is temporarily located. The rest of the exposition is presented in one of the restored premises of the museum. The old bokorash hut has been repaired, the rafts that were used to bring down the wood have been built, and a real bokor (raft) is on display.

Restoration of the dam on the Chorna River is underway. There is a mini-hotel on the territory. The ecological trail to the Wild Lake starts from the museum.

The Internationalist Soldiers Memorial Museum is dedicated to the residents of the village of Kolochava who participated in the Soviet-Afghan War of 1979-1989.

The memorial complex consists of a stone and metal bunker, above which a Soviet BRDM is installed, and a figure of a serviceman nearby. The rooms inside the bunker are decorated with camouflage nets and large panoramic photos with scenes from the Afghan war, a parachute is stretched under the ceiling.

The exposition presents samples of Soviet weapons of the second half of the 20th century, binoculars, a periscope, a field telephone, a military uniform and elements of soldier's equipment.

The only museum of lekvar (plum jam) in Ukraine was opened in 2012 in the Transcarpathian border village of Botar by local farmer Pavlo Tyzesh.

There are many types of Transcarpathian lekvar, as well as various jams from 28 countries of the world. All types of lekvar are produced by hand - without preservatives, dyes and flavorings.

There is a tasting hall at the museum, where, in addition to jam, you can also taste smoked meat from the unique local Mangalica breed of pork, ecologically clean juices, traditional dishes of Hungarian cuisine, and more.

In front of the museum, there is a monument to the Mangalitsa pig, as well as a monument to the lekvar.

The working forge-museum "Hamora" is a unique monument of the blacksmith's craft.

It was built in Lysychovo at the beginning of the 19th century, when a dam was built on the Lysychanka River. The water was directed through the water channel on the blades of the wheels, which set in motion heavy blacksmith's hammers weighing up to 125 kilograms. Under their blows, metal blanks turned into blanks for agricultural tools: shovels, hoes, plow parts, etc. Four hammers were serviced by 16 craftsmen. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 5 water wheels with a capacity of 8 horsepower each.

The forge operated until 1998, when the dam was destroyed by a flood. Soon it was reconstructed and turned into a museum. Four blacksmiths are constantly working here, and they are still making various tools for the villagers.

Free entrance. Excursions are held by prior arrangement.

The wine house of Mykhaylo Polychko's family is located on the outskirts of Vynohradiv, on the southwestern slope of Black Mountain, the forest massif of which is a state reserve, and orchards and vineyards grow on the lower slopes.

According to the classical technology with aging in the wine cellar, wines of several varieties are produced here, the best of which is considered to be the ordinary dry Cabernet Sauvignon. On the territory of the House of Wine, a collection vineyard has been established and is bearing fruit, in which more than 250 varieties of table and technical grapes are collected from all over the world.

In the tasting room with a covered terrace, you can taste several types of wines. Excursions and hotel rooms are also offered.

The luxurious wooden Church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin was built in Pylypets, probably in 1759-1762.

The date "1841" indicated on the plaque located on the south wall probably refers to the reconstruction. The iconostasis of the 18th century has been preserved. A monumental two-story wooden bell tower, built in 1758, rises nearby.

You can get inside the church only during the service - on Sundays or holidays.

The Novoselytsia Village Museum Complex was created in 1989 on the initiative of residents of the Transcarpathian village of Novoselytsia.

The complex includes the wooden Assumption Church of 1669, which houses the Museum of Folk Wooden Architecture and Painting, and the Museum of Ethnography, located in the building opposite.

The Ethnographic Museum has four departments: "Weaving and Embroidery", "Work Tools", "Household Items", "Svitlytsia". In particular, the ancient wedding, festive and everyday clothes of Transcarpathians are presented. You can also see a loom, spinning wheels, spindles and other tools.

The ruins of the royal castle Nyalab (Nyolab) can be found on top of a high hill in the center of Korolevo village.

There is a legend about the warrior knight Nyalab, who tried to marry the beautiful Ilka, the daughter of the Bereh district governor Andriy Dobosh, by force. Overtaken by Ilka's lover, the knight Valentyn, Nyalab killed the bride he had stolen in front of the groom and himself rushed to the Vyrka River.

The exact date of foundation of the castle is unknown. It was probably built in the 13th century by the Hungarian king Istvan V (or his son Laslo IV), first mentioned in 1279.

Nyalab Castle was the summer residence of the Hungarian kings who came with their entourage to hunt in the surrounding forests. In addition, the castle controlled the flow of salt along the Tysa River. In 1378, the king presented Nyalab to the Romanian voivode Drage, and in 1405 the castle passed into the possession of the Pereni baron family. In 1661, Nyalab withstood an unsuccessful Turkish siege. In 1672, the castle was destroyed by order of King Leopold, who was afraid of its influential owners.

Only some fragments of walls and towers have survived. The highest part of the hill offers a wonderful view of the Tysa valley.

The private wine-making enterprise of the famous Transcarpathian winemaker Oleksandr Kovach in the village of Kontsovo.

Oleksandr Kovach, head of the Association of Private Grape Growers and Winemakers of Transcarpathia, is a multiple winner of wine competitions and festivals in the region. His farm produces wines of several varieties: Pinot Noir (red dry), Red Bay (red dry blended), Cabernet Sauvignon (red dry), Ca-Mer (red dry blended), " Rosalin" (pink semi-sweet blend), "Chardonnay" (white dry), "Italian Riesling" (white dry), "Royal Leanka" (white semi-sweet).

Tastings are held.

The ostrich farm in Khust was opened in 2002 on the northern outskirts of the city, near the district road.

Entrepreneur Vasyl Perets bought his first ostriches in neighboring Slovakia. Currently, the population is 40 birds. Birds are bred for sale, but they also conduct tours for tourists.

An ostrich hatches about 60 eggs per year, each one weighs about 1.5-2 kilograms (one ostrich egg replaces 36 chicken eggs). The taste of ostrich eggs is identical to chicken, and the meat is similar to veal.

You can buy ostrich eggs and feathers at the farm. Since the birds are omnivorous, you can bring any food with you, including bread, apples and cabbage.

The People's Ethnographic Museum "Kalyna" was created in 2005 by Transcarpathian local historian and collector Yuriy Kutsyn in his own yard in the village of Kalyny.

During his lifetime, he collected more than 4,000 exhibits, some of which are 300-400 years old. The exposition presents ancient embroidered shirts and towels, traditional Hutsul clothing for holidays and everyday life, women's jewelry, painted ceramic dishes, kerosene lamps, musical instruments.

The greatest values of the collector are the chair in which the president of Carpathian Ukraine Auhustyn Voloshyn sat, and the sword of the Steyer squire of 1810.

In front of the entrance to the museum, there are several wooden sculptures, among them the bust of Pintio Khrushch.

On the territory there is an active model of a mill, an authentic Transcarpathian house of the 18th century and a small botanical garden where bananas, lemons, and coffee trees grow.

At the end of the tour, guests are treated to home-made mountain herb tea with mountain honey from their own apiary and home-made wine.

The host offers services for the organization of green tourism, excursions in the surroundings, hiking in the mountains. There is a sauna with a swimming pool.

The Local Lore Museum museum of the city of Perechyn opened in 2019 in the century-old building of the gendarmerie from the times of Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

Some original interior elements have been preserved in the room: wooden windows and doors, a tiled stove, tiles on the floor.

The exposition reproduces the history of the city of Perechyn through the prism of times and nationalities that lived here. In particular, the daily life of Ukrainians, Italians, Germans, Hungarians, and Austrians is presented.

Also, in the museum, you can learn about the history of the central street of Perechyn and its industrial districts Yaslyshche and Potashnya, about the first pharmacy of the city, about the history of education in the region, and about prominent locals.

Workshops on pottery and vechernika are held with the participation of the "Karichka" team.

Mount Pikuy is the highest peak of the Verkhovyna watershed ridge, the highest geographical point of the Lviv region (1408 meters).

It is located on the border of Lviv and Transcarpathian regions. The slopes of Pikuy are covered with beech forests. Most of the route to the top passes through the forest.

From the top of Mount Pikuy, a wonderful panoramic view of several famous Carpathian peaks opens: Polonina Runa (1482 meters), Hostra (1405 meters), Styi (1677 meters). A reinforced concrete stele with a height of about 5 meters is installed on the top.

The easiest and gentlest route to Mount Pikuy starts in Bilasovytsia, an alternative route is from the Transcarpathian villages of Zhdeniievo and Shcherbovets.