Attractions of Uzhhorod

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 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 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 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 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.

A monument to the Transcarpathian artist Ihnatiy Roshkovych in Uzhhorod is located on the embankment, which used to bear his name, next to the pedestrian bridge.

At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Roshkovych became famous for his sacred paintings of many churches in Europe, in particular. St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest and the Transfiguration Church in Uzhhorod.

Sculptor Mykhaylo Kolodko depicted the artist at work on the cityscape of Uzhhorod with the embankment and the bridge over the river. Moreover, the bridge in the picture looks as it was during Roshkoviych's time.

A similar monument will be erected in Budapest.

"Mustard Seed" Lane (Mustard Lane) in Uzhhorod is a reconstructed corner of the old town.

The colorful shopping arcade in the center of Uzhhorod was created in 2010 for family recreation. A 70-meter pedestrian lane connects Koryatovych Square and Oleksandra Fedynetsa Street.

The architectural solution of Mustard Seed, designed by Mykhailo Kolodko, is made in the unique old style characteristic of Uzhhorod in the 1930s. Along the passage, there are cafes and pastry shops, small shops, a children's hairdresser, as well as a coffee museum with a coffee map of Uzhhorod. There is a place for the stage.

A particularly romantic atmosphere prevails here in the evenings, when the warm lights of retro-style lanterns are lit.

The oldest sakura alley in Uzhhorod stretches along Brashchaykiv Street from Pushkina Square on Nezalezhnosti Embankment to the intersection with Ferentsa Rakotsi Street. This is the most popular tourist location in the city during the cherry blossoms in the second half of April.

Sakura is recognized as a tourist card of Uzhhorod. The ornamental Japanese cherry was brought here in 1923 from Vienna, and now it grows all over the city. But the first sakura alley was planted along Braschaykiv Street and on the adjacent streets - in the so-called Czech quarters, which were built in the 1920s in the style of interwar modernism. In the spring, hundreds of sakura trees bloom here in an incredibly lush pink and white color. This fascinating sight attracts thousands of tourists to Uzhhorod every year.

New sakura alleys in Uzhhorod were planted in 2009-2011 on the opposite bank of the Uzh River, on the Slovyanska, Kyivska and Pravoslavna embankments.

Almost at the same time as cherry blossoms, magnolias bloom, flowers of Japanese quince and Nedzvetskyi, Florida and Chinese apple trees bloom.

Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life is a stylized ethnic village in the center of Uzhhorod, where samples of wooden architecture are collected, typical for representatives of different peoples of Transcarpathia: Dolynyans, Lemkis, Boykis, Hutsuls, Hungarians, Romanians.

The pearl of the Uzhhorod open-air museum is considered to be the Lemko wooden Saint Michael's Church (1777), brought from the village of Shelestove, Khust district. In the interiors you can see a carved iconostasis and icons of the XVIII century.

The Hutsul estate-citizen from the village of Stebny in the Rakhiv region, which combines residential, economic and defense functions, also deserves special attention.

An interesting design of a water mill of the XIX century. from the village of Kolochava in the Mizhhirya region, which provides a room for a mill mechanism and a sludge room.

Hungarian folk architecture is represented by the house of a wealthy peasant of the XIX century. from the village of Vyshkovo, Khust district.

Uzhhorod Castle is one of the best preserved medieval fortifications in Ukraine.

The emergence of a fortified settlement of the Slavic tribe of white Croats on the Castle Hill above the river. Researchers date it to the VII century, but it was first mentioned in Hungarian chronicles in the IX century.

In its current form, Uzhhorod Castle was rebuilt after 1322, when the city passed into the possession of the Italian Druget family. The Count's Palace-Citadel was surrounded by strong walls with five bastions and a wide moat. According to legend, during the construction, the daughter of Count Druget was walled up for treason.

The fortress was turned into a luxurious residence in the XVII century by Count Miklosh Bercheni. In 1704, Uzhhorod Castle briefly came under the control of the Hungarian rebels Ferents II Rakotsi, and after the return of Austrian rule, a seminary was opened on the territory.

Currently, the premises of the Uzhhorod castle house the expositions of the Transcarpathian regional museum of Local Lore named after Tyvodar Lehotsky: folk art, spiritual culture, ethnography, firearms, and others.

In the yard - a 36-meter siege well and two sculptures of the XIX century: "Hercules, who kills the Lerneian Hydra" and "Hermes, who is resting." In the basement there is an exposition "Torture Room", which presents exhibits reproduced from drawings, medieval sketches, engravings and photographs.

The Uzhhorod Castle restaurant with a summer playground above the defensive moat has been opened in the castle guard room, and a Transcarpathian wine tasting room is open.

The Uzhhorod Orthodox Synagogue is the temple of the Transcarpathian community of Ashkenazi Jews.

The synagogue in Uzhhorod was built in 1904 in the neo-Moorish style according to the project of architects Dyula Papp and Ferents Sabolch.

Currently, the building houses the Transcarpathian Regional Philharmonic.

The Chardonnay wine tasting hall was opened in 2007 in the old center of Uzhhorod by Oleksandr Kovach, a private winemaker from the village of Kontsovo.

A 19th century wine press is installed at the entrance.

The tasting room can accommodate 60 visitors at the same time. At the beginning, visitors are shown a film about Transcarpathian winemaking "The Divine Gift of Bacchus". At the tasting, the best products of the most famous wineries of Transcarpathia are presented: ”Skilur”, ”Kotnar”, ”Bobovyshchansky”, ”Leanka”, ”Zakarpatsky sad”.

Visitors can taste such famous Transcarpathian wines as "Troyanda Zakarpattya" in 1986, "Kahor", Serednyanske”, ”Shardone”, ”Spokusnytsya”, ”Starovynnyy zamok”, as well as "Zakarpatsky" cognac.

Cheeses from Selyska's private cheese factory are offered as snacks.

The museum of the Transcarpathian artist Andriy Kotska was opened in the Uzhhorod house where he had lived since 1945.

The exposition is based on materials collected by the artist's sister Anna. In his studio some of Kotska's works are presented - portraits and landscapes of the post-war period.

Other works of the master can be found in the memorial part of the museum, where the living conditions of the house are preserved.

The garden around the house grows fruit trees and shrubs, as well as rare ornamental species of European and local flora.

Andriy Kotska Memorial House-Museum is a branch of the Transcarpathian Regional Art Museum named after Yosyp Bokshay.

The Archaeological Museum named after Professor Eduard Balahuri is located on the first floor of the rectorate building of the Uzhhorod National University.

It was founded in 2004 on the basis of the archaeological laboratory of the History Faculty of UzhNU. It bears the name of historian, archaeologist, professor of Uzhhorod University Eduard Balahuri, on whose initiative the first museum was opened at the university in 1984, which became the predecessor of the current one.

The exhibition presents historical and cultural values from the Paleolithic to the late Middle Ages, which were collected by the archeological expedition of UzhNU during the decades.

The most interesting exhibits come from the excavations of the Dacian hillfort near the village of Mala Kopania, the model of which can be seen in the exposition. Among them are samples of Dacian pottery, tools, weapons, jewelry, coins, as well as cult objects, including a ritual ram vessel and a Dacian burial urn.

The Museum of History of the Uzhhorod National University is located in a separate exhibition hall, which presents the achievements of higher education in Transcarpathia, from the founding of the Jesuit collegium in the 17th century to the modern achievements of UzhNU.

The Botanical Garden of the Uzhhorod National University was created in 1946, occupies 4.5 hectares of area.

The boat garden is a monument of garden and park architecture of state importance. Maintains relations with 155 botanical gardens of the world.

The park is spread over three levels: one third of it is located on the first and second terraces above the river, and two thirds descends into a part of the valley. The height difference is 22 meters. Volcanic parent rocks covered with a coarse layer of loamy cultured soil. Landings are placed according to the geographical principle. The following areas of exotic plants are located here: American, Caucasian, Central Asian, Chinese, Far Eastern.

About 3,800 species of plants are collected in the garden. The flora of Transcarpathia is represented by 400 species of plants, including: Hungarian lilac, Carpathian cornflower. There are about 800 species of trees and shrubs in the arboretum. 130 species of conifers grow: yew, swamp cypress and others. The alpine slide represents the flora of the mountains separately. 150 species of plants grow here, including the wonderful edelweiss. Decorative floriculture is represented by 1200 species of plants, including: 120 species of roses, 50 species of gladiolus, 25 species of chrysanthemums, 20 species of lilies.

Tropical and subtropical plants grow in the greenhouse of the Uzhhorod Botanical Garden: banana, mimosa, laurel, eucalyptus, papaya, 10 types of palm trees, 250 types of cacti.