Excursion Virtual Tour Transcarpathia

Carpathian Mountains.

Formed some 50 million years ago the Carpathian Mountains have served as a natural barrier characterizing the region locally known as Transcarpathia {Закарпаття; Zakarpattia), and have always provided a refuge from conquest from invading forces such as the Mongols, Poland, Lithuania, Austria-Hungary and even the Soviets.  A Western Ukraine popular destination especially in Winter extreme sports enthusiasts is the Carpathian National Nature Park which includes Mount Hoverla [2061 m] and the Bukovel ski resort.

Transcarpathia.

The Ukrainian Carpathians are part of the Transcarpathian Oblast or Zakarpattia (Ukrainian: Закарпаття), commonly called Transcarpathia or historically Subcarpathian Rus’. It is the only part of the Carpathians that borders on four countries: Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. The Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians, part of which are located within Zakarpattia Oblast, were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.  Transcarpathia is a spectacular place, where slant-roofed wooden churches dot hillsides, horse-drawn carts plod over potholed roads, babas tend their gardens while shooing away geese, and marshrutka passengers share Paskas on the way home from the markets.

Hutsulshchyna.

The crescent-shaped Carpathians have been the cradle of the Hutsulshchyna or Hutsul civilisation, an ethnic group spanning parts of Western Ukraine and Romania whom have always regarded themselves as part of a broader Rusyn ethnicity, alongside two other groups from the cross-border region of Transcarpathia: the Boykos and Lemkos. The origin of the name Hutsul is uncertain. The most common derivations are from the Romanian word for “outlaw” ( hoț–”thief”, hoțul–”the thief”), and the Slavic kochul (“nomad“) which is a reference to the semi-nomadic shepherd lifestyle or the inhabitants who fled into the mountains after the Mongol invasion in the 13th Century.

Places Of Interest.

Mount Hoverla.

Mount Hoverla at 2,061 meters (6,762 ft), is the highest mountain in Ukraine and part of the Ukrainian Carpathians located in the Eastern Beskids. The slopes are covered with beech and spruce forests, above which there is a belt of sub-alpine meadows called polonyna in Ukrainian and its Eastern slope is the main spring of the Prut River. The name “hoverla” is of Hungarian origin meaning “snow fortress”. In the late 19th century, the mountain became a notable tourist attraction, especially among hiking enthusiasts from the nearby cities of Galicia. In the 20th century, the mountain increasingly gained popularity as an extreme sports site.

Hoverla is not a difficult mountain to climb. By far the most popular route is from the east – a 6 km climb one way from a trailhead at 1100 m above sea level. The summit of Hoverla offers excellent views in all directions on rare sunny days and is surrounded by other mountains above 1800 m. Patches of snow often remain through August.

Museum of Folk Architecture and Life – Uzhhorod.  

An open-air museum located in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, the museum features over 30 traditional structures collected from villages across Zakarpattia Oblast of which Uzhgorod is the capital. According to Michael Benanav of The New York Times, “the museum’s centerpiece is 16th-century St. Michael’s Church, with a roof and onion-domed steeple covered in wooden shingles.”

Palanok Castle.

The Palanok Castle or Mukachevo Castle (Ukrainian: Замок “Паланок”) is an historic castle in the city of Mukacheve in the western Ukrainian oblast of Zakarpattia. Archaeological research shows that the area was already inhabited in the Neolithic era, and that in the Bronze and Iron Ages there was a fortress on the site of today’s castle. One legend has it that the name of the city and its castle – Munkács – an Hungarian term for “worker” – relates to how hard it was to traverse the mountainous area to just access the stronghold. The name Palanok comes from an oak fence that once surrounded the castle moat.

During modern times the castle became an Austrian prison, and during the Soviet era a military barracks. Today, the restored castle features a museum of local lore and an art gallery, with plans for a proposed tourist center and hotel.

Be sure to check out our Carpathian Mountains Day Trip to the Skole region of Lviv Oblast.