Castles of Transcarpathia. Castles, palaces and fortresses of Western Ukraine Castles of Transcarpathia

All the castles of Transcarpathia were once built as guardian fortresses of this land. Each of them for centuries of existence - even non-existence! - overgrown with legends. And no matter how successful historical science has been, many of these myths still cannot be substantiated or refuted ...

Immured virgins and underground groans, bloody traces of the Dracul family and the mountain of torment - all the legends of Transcarpathia cannot be listed. Moreover, the history of all countries and authorities that have been here, the myths of castles-palaces, the secrets of fortifications that disappeared in antiquity, were added to the castle passions. So over the centuries, dozens (if not hundreds) of mystical tales have been formed, which still haunt the imagination of contemporaries.


Uzhgorod castle, Uzhgorod
The legend about the Uzhgorod castle tells about the cruelty of Count Druget towards his daughter. The girl was immured alive in the castle walls for unconscious treason - the issuance of castle secrets to her beloved, who turned out to be an enemy governor. According to another version - because she did not want to become the wife of a prince, but gave her heart to a simple guy. And the worst thing is that in the 17th century, when the Drugets ruled and when the Poles attacked Uzhgorod, there really was a custom to wall up people in the fortress walls. Allegedly in order to increase the defense capability of the structure ...

Nevitsky castle, Nevitskoe
The castle in Nevitsky is shrouded in legends about the insufferable filthy girl and daughters-in-law, whom he allegedly protected. The rotten girl, as folk legends say, was called the Turkish princess, who ruled in the castle. She ordered that eggs and milk be added to the defensive walls for strength. The walls were fortified, but hunger began among the people ... Another story tells about the Nevichanskaya maiden, the young mistress of the castle. Running away from a forced marriage, she threw herself into the abyss right here.

Templar Castle, Middle
Monks-knights Templars, monks of the Order of St. Paul, feudal lords, Uzhgorod magnates... The Serednyansky castle could not resist all its owners and those historical collisions that over seven centuries fell on its fate. The ruins of the fortress could tell us, for example, about a beautiful and cunning young lady: they say she once lived here. But even cunning did not save the girl from the murderer-father, who walled up people in the castle dungeons. By the way, Transcarpathians still say that some underground passages connected as many as four castles of Transcarpathia - Uzhgorod, Nevitsky, Serednyansky and Mukachevo.

Palanok Castle, Mukachevo
Mukachevo Castle, like a living fairy tale, rises on a large lonely volcano that has long since fallen asleep forever. Nevertheless, they still talk about him as a "mountain of torment" poured by the hard work of the peasants. Another story about torment says that people suffered during construction because of the steep mountain, on which stones had to be pulled. There are also many legends about the castle well, where, they say, the devil himself found water in order to later destroy Prince Koryatovich.

St. Miklos Castle, Chinadievo
About the castle of Saint Miklos they say that a walled human skeleton was found within its walls. It seems that in the Middle Ages, people thought that a person immured in the castle walls becomes the patron-keeper of the fortress and did not consider this case to be murder. But a more romantic history of the castle is connected with lovers - Count Imre Tekeli and Princess Ilona Zrini. It was here that they first met and fell in love... At least, that's what the legends say, thanks to which the fortress was dubbed the "castle of love." Now the fortress is being actively revived and receives guests.

Khust Castle, Khust
The most interesting legend about the Khust castle has certain historical roots. It is connected with the family in which the notorious Count Dracula was born. Dracula's mother - Vlad Tepes - really comes from these lands, which are now divided between Ukraine and Romania, and were once called Maramorosh. And Dracula's grandfather, Bogdan from the Sas family, the Maramorosh governor, could well live in the castle. But is it true that his grandson then hid his treasures here and did evil deeds? It is unlikely, although the version is intriguing.


An attempt at graphic reproduction of the castle.

Kankov Castle, Vynohradiv
The Vinogradov fortress is now just a fascinating memory, little of it remains. The ruins and the cross stand alone on the Black Mountain, but you still want to touch them. Vinogradov legends say that the castle was built during the time of the glorious Hungarian king, whom we know as St. Stephen. But over time, this castle became only an object of struggle and wars - and then it fell into decay.

Nyalab Castle, Korolevo
The royal castle also did not know the mercy of history. Its powerful walls did not even retain their outlines. But the legend about him is among the most romantic, because it is about King Vladislav and the beautiful Caroline. It is surprising that the legend is not tragic - a meeting, love, marriage and kids follow one after another in it. It is only unknown what happened to the royal family next - the tragedy befell them during one of the Tatar invasions. They say that the noble couple with the princes somewhere under the castle walls fell asleep forever.

Vyshkovsky Castle, Vyshkovo
This defunct castle in Vyshkovo (a village not far from Khust, famous for its unique architectural monument - a wooden reformed church) had a certain common feature with the fortresses of Khust, Vinogradov and Korolev. It was also a "salt" castle - designed to protect salt mining in Transcarpathia. Castle legends are associated with twelve robbers who once occupied the mountain where the Vishkovskaya fortress stood. The robbers mocked the peasants, and a daughter was stolen from one owner and brought to the castle. She cursed, and prayed, and asked ... And suddenly such a storm covered the castle that it destroyed it. Only ruins remained of the fortress.


Recreation of the castle, by Shoosh Elemer.


Castle Minta, Kvasovo
To see the remains of Minta Castle in Kvasovo over the Borzhava River, you should hurry. A few more years and there might be nothing left of him at all. People say that once there lived one unfortunate rich man. Dying, he cursed his good. And no one could either get it or capture the castle ... So the stronghold disappeared for centuries.

Borzhava Castle, Vary
The remains of the Borzhava castle in the village of Vary are located a 25-minute drive from the town of Beregovo, famous for its healing thermal waters. It is almost on the border with Hungary. According to legend, Batu Khan destroyed the castle in 1241. legends tell tragic story unhappy marriage of the Borzhavsky prince Chernogor and the Galician princess Milota. The unfortunate princess loved another - and in a tragic combination of circumstances, she died during the Hungarian attack precisely at the hands of her beloved.

Bronetsky castle, Bronka
The castle in Bronka (28 km from Irshava) has almost not been preserved at all, only barely noticeable ruins of walls and foundations have remained from it. Nobody knows the time of its appearance. It could also be the period of the ancient state of Dacia, which later became part of the Roman Empire. The treasures of the Bronetsky castle are shrouded in tragic legends, its fate and death, even about why the fortress fell, only its ruins know for sure. Not without tragic love: the knight-robber Brinda allegedly died here, cheating on his beloved with another. The unfortunate girl took revenge by denouncing him to the authorities. Together with Brinda, the secret of the treasures he stole, which the Transcarpathian Robin Hood hid somewhere in the armored dungeons, perished.


Reconstruction of the Bronetsky castle Sh. Elemer.

Belkovsky Castle
The remains of a Slavic settlement (8th–9th centuries) on the outskirts of the village of Belki, Irshavsky district (this is one of the largest villages in Ukraine with rich history, located 10 km from Irshava), only a folk legend remained. The peasants built a castle on the mountain to escape their enemies. They called that mountain Gorodishche. When a powerful attack of the Tatar horde took place on the village, women with children dug under the castle underground passage while the men held the line. So everyone was saved - but the castle, they say, fell into the ground, now even traces of it are no longer visible.

In addition to the classic fortresses of Transcarpathia, well-known similar architectural structures, but of a different type - in particular, the Dolzhansky castle-palace and the hunting castle-palace in the Beregvar tract (Schoenborn Castle).
Countless legends have been preserved about the disappeared and mythical fortresses of Transcarpathia. These are, for example, the mysterious Cat's Castle near Chernecha Mountain (Mukacheve region) and the Owl's Castle in the village of Antalovtsi near Uzhgorod. There are legends among the people about the Castle of the Gentile on Mount Stremtura near Irshava, the Beylev Castle (Beylovar) in the village of Belovartsy, Tyachevsky District. They also talk about the Galaborsky kashtel (that is, the castle-palace) in the village of Galabor near Berehove and other settlements, castles and fortifications in Ardanov, Malaya Kopan, Vyshkov, Dedovo, Velikiye Beregy ... Transcarpathia is shrouded in legends, as if in a cradle - and it is they were and are an indispensable feature of this mysterious land with a magical unique charm.

Castles in the Carpathians are a separate issue. There are quite a lot of castles in Ukraine, especially in the Ternopil region. This was due to the border position of the area at the time. The magnates were allocated land with a mandatory condition for the construction of a defensive castle. But our site is about the Carpathians, therefore, we will first of all talk about castles located in the mountains. Or, at least, in the foothills of the Carpathians.

Castle in Mukachevo, in the foothills of the Carpathians

Perhaps the only more or less surviving castle in the region is located on high mountain in the city of Mukachevo. The object belongs to the Carpathians with a big stretch, since the city of Mukachevo is already on the plain in Transcarpathia, but given the small distance from the mountains, it deserves to be visited on one of the trips to the Carpathians.

At a distance of only 12 km from the center of Transcarpathia - Uzhgorod - at the exit from the Uzhanskaya valley, on a ledge of a mountain towering above the river Uzh, the ruins of the ancient Nevitsky castle rise, to which a steep stone road leads in a serpentine.

In ancient times, this castle occupied an important strategic position. From its walls it was possible to control the exit from the Uzhanskaya valley, along which the trade route from Hungary passed through the Uzhotsky pass to the Galicia-Volyn principality and Poland. Archaeologists date the appearance of the castle to the end of the 12th century and associate it with the Galician policy of the Hungarian kings - the castle arose due to growing tensions between the two neighboring states.

Templar castle in Average in Transcarpathia

The fact that it was built by one of the most mysterious Christian military orders - the Order of the Knights Templar and, according to one legend, it was in this castle that they hid the Holy Grail, makes the history of the Srednyansky castle especially exotic. The members of this order, founded in 1096, played a leading role in many battles of the Crusades.

Built in the XII century, the castle in the village. Srednee is the only castle in Transcarpathia that retains features of the Romanesque style.

The hallmark of the city are the ruins of the Khust castle-fortress, sung in legends - a monument of architecture and urban planning of the 12th-15th centuries. Around Castle Hill and the city was formed. The basis of the ancient scheme of Khust streets was the trade routes that led to Galich, Lviv, Kamenetz-Podolsky, Mukachevo, Hungary, Transylvania.

Getting to the castle is easy - it is not too far from the railway station, and any local will show the way. To do this, you will have to overcome a long but not steep climb. The hill offers an amazing view of the city, the surroundings, and in the distance, covered with haze, you can see the mountains, under which the river flows.

Many people wonder why the Transcarpathians are so different from other residents of Ukraine? Why is Transcarpathia so unique? Everything will be explained by the history of the region, full of vicissitudes and unexpected twists of fate. The Kingdom of Hungary, Transylvania, the Austrian Empire of the Habsburgs, the Czechoslovak Republic - and this is far from complete list states, which included the lands of Transcarpathia. Throughout history, the region belonged to 22 state formations, each of which left its mark on Transcarpathia, giving it a unique look and peculiar mentality.

You will discover the real Transylvania, free from the stereotypes of the vampire Count Dracula. Few people know that the lands of Transcarpathia were part of the Transylvanian Principality, which, having existed for only 165 years, was in many ways ahead of its time, becoming a harbinger of European freedom.

Passing through the village of Seredne, located in the middle between Uzhgorod and Mukachevo, you will learn about the oldest castle of Transcarpathia, which in the old days was the easternmost outpost, one of the most mysterious organizations of mankind - the Order of the Knights Templar. Who knows, maybe it is here that the mysterious Grail is hidden, haunting human minds for millennia.

But not only the Templar castle is famous for the Middle. In the 16th century, the owner of these lands was Istvan Dobo, the famous captain of the garrison of the Hungarian fortress of Eger. Thanks to the talent of the commander, in 1552, the 2,000-strong garrison of the Eger Castle withstood the siege of a 120,000-strong Turkish army, disrupting the Ottoman conquest. Knight Istvan Dobo drew the right conclusions from the war and created unique impregnable fortifications! Captured Turks carved underground shelters in the rocks about five kilometers long. These shelters later became the world-famous Serednya wine cellars.

An unforgettable experience will be given to you by visiting the Mukachevo castle "Palanok", which is rightfully considered one of the seven architectural marvels Ukraine. Throughout its history, since its foundation in the IX century. and until the end of the 18th century, the castle played a prominent role in the military and political life of Europe, giving descendants a grandiose historical heritage. Ilona Zrini, Imre Tekeli, Ferenc Rakoczy and many other heroes of their time have become for us, descendants, an example to follow.

Having passed through the centuries, Palanok Castle still impresses with its grandiose grandeur and perfection, rightfully being one of the most interesting monuments Transcarpathia. After all, it is no coincidence that the Palanok castle in Mukachevo ranks second in Ukraine in terms of the number of visitors, after the Kamemnets-Podolsk fortress.

A tour of the historical center of the city of Mukachevo will give you the charm of a European town frozen in time. Majestic churches, cathedrals and old houses built from the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will not leave anyone indifferent. And, of course, the unusual Transcarpathian flavor will complement vivid impressions from acquaintance with the Silver Land.

In addition to walking around the center, you will have a delicious lunch. And then, along the old trade route to the Veretsky Pass, we will proceed to the village of Chinadievo, where the amazing castle of St. Miklos (XV century) is located.

A fascinating tour of the ancient castle, where great love was born, awaits you. In the light of past events, this ancient castle is rightfully called the "Castle of Love", the walls of which have witnessed a history that all of Europe followed with bated breath.

By visiting the castle, you will also become a witness to the story of love for your homeland, for your land. The tenant of the castle, Josip Bartosz, in a short time from the ruins littered with rubbish, on bare enthusiasm, recreated the historical heritage of our country. Castle "St. Miklos" has become a real pearl of Transcarpathia.

On the territory of the sanatorium "Karpaty" you will discover the palace of Count Shenborn, where grandeur, beauty and romance are intertwined. After all, it is not for nothing that this creation of a genius architect is recognized as one of the best hunting castles of the European aristocracy. The palace was built in the style of the time of the "king of the sun" - Louis IV, and today it enchants and surprises many sophisticated visitors. An excellent addition to the tour will be a walk along the alleys of the old castle park with more than a hundred years of history. The paths of the park will lead us to the Spring of Youth. Tradition says that the one who washes his face three times spring water, will definitely get younger. Don't believe? Try it!

On the way back to Uzhgorod, you will learn a lot of interesting and funny things about your favorite childhood films. After all, it was in Transcarpathia that episodes of such beloved and recognized by the world films such as "17 Moments of Spring", "Waterloo", "Gold of the Carpathians", "The camp goes to the sky" and many others.

Part 9. Castles and palaces of Transcarpathia

I have already written more than once that Transcarpathia is a unique region. Here, different kingdoms, empires and cultures collided, were born and died, often leaving behind the same cultural heritage, which still carries the memory and spirit of the times almost a thousand years ago. Castles, palaces, fortresses, fortifications - all this is in abundance here, in different states - from almost destroyed, to sparkling spiers and brightly painted walls. During the two days that we devoted to the castles of Transcarpathia, you can see a lot or almost nothing, however, in any case, you can get an idea. So go ahead :)

Mukachevo castle or Palanok castle.

An unconditional pearl, one of the five castles in Europe preserved in this form. Very beautiful and powerful, giving a lot vivid images artists and writers.

According to one of the legends, the castle stands on a hill, poured by hand by residents sheltered at the bottom of the town of Mukachevo. From there came the name of the city "Mukachevo", with the root of the word "flour", because the labor of people was hard labor, and turned into flour. The next photo is not mine, but I consider it necessary to insert it for a complete understanding of the grandiosity of the ancient fortress.

The reality turned out to be much less tragic, but no less surprising. The castle was built on an incomprehensible rock (rock outcrop), right in the middle of the Transcarpathian plain, and of volcanic origin.

The citadel has many tragic and heroic pages of its history. Exact time buildings are not known, but the castle was first mentioned in documents at the beginning of the 11th century, that is, a thousand (!!!) years ago ... The realization of this and yourself standing in the middle of the castle courtyard, touching the stones of the walls, plunges you into some very distant worlds and the atmosphere of this giant portal to the past. Fiction!!!

With your permission, I will deliberately not cite any historical references limited only by personal experience.

I also remembered .... under the sonorous laughter of my wife, I refused to go down to the dungeon for a tour ... vdrun vampires ...)))) who watched Twilight will understand))))

Saint Miklos Castle.

Built on the border of the 14th and 15th centuries, the castle has a very beautiful legend. The years have carried the memory that a kind ghost lives in the castle, helping to find his soul mate - his love. And oddly enough, but in the castle there were many meetings that became the beginning of great love.

Shenborn hunting castle.

This place is either a castle or a palace. Being next to him, as if you find yourself in Europe of the 18-19th century. Or a piece of Europe itself turned out to be here by chance ... In any case, everything is not so. Owners of these lands in the 19th century, the Shenborn family was very fond of hunting. According to their instructions, in 1840 a wooden hunting lodge was built here.

Already 50 years later, on the site of a wooden structure, a palace grew up, which can be seen now, which has become one of the architectural gems of Transcarpathia.

One of the remarkable pages in the history of the castle was the interest during the Second World War from Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering to the castle. There were even negotiations between fascist Germany, the owners of the castle and the government of Carpathian Ukraine on the purchase. However, the deal did not take place.

In the post-war period, a giant sanatorium "Karpaty" was organized here. And here, by palace parks it was no longer the nobles who began to walk, but simple resting workers ...

Castle of the Knights Templar.

Famous order of chivalry. The sacraments of monks and the valor of knights, red crosses on white cloaks and holy relics ... all this Western Europe, isn't it... isn't it. The movement of knights also reached the western borders of modern Ukraine, having founded their castle - a stronghold at the end of the 12th century.

In the Middle Ages, Transcarpathia was an arena in the battle for the Hungarian crown of local feudal lords. And the castle also changed hands quite often.

Today, the state of the castle is depressing and, frankly, I don’t think it will improve. It's a pity. Beautiful place!

Uzhgorod castle.

One of the main attractions of Uzhgorod. The castle was already known in the 10th century, and all modern technologies and knowledge were used in its construction. Now it is a city museum where you can learn a lot of interesting things about the past of the city and the fortress.

The fortress is beautiful, but I remember the torture chamber in the castle dungeon the most!

The whole exposure is very natural and causes very noticeable goosebumps on the skin :)))

For dessert, I left the castle that I liked the most...

Nevitsky castle.

Many legends surround this colorful and scary place. In the Middle Ages, a lot of horrors, miracles and savages happened. And everything seems natural for those distant times. Mentions of the Nevitsky castle date back to the 12th century.

One of the legends tells about a woman - the mistress of the castle, who, in order to strengthen the mortar that fastened the walls, ordered the addition of eggs and milk, including breast milk of nursing women. Babies began to die of hunger, crying and moaning were heard everywhere. But this seemed not enough, and the order was given to add human blood...

Another legend tells of a certain noblewoman who lived in this castle. Who loved to bathe in the blood of young girls. In one of the sources, I found a mention that this woman was even interested in and visited (???) Count Vlad Dracula.

There is a lot of fiction in this, of course. However, I'm sure no one will argue - the times were old, wild, and very interesting.

That's all for today.
Let's go to the mountains in the next episode!

Castles of Transcarpathia - incredible beauty and significant historical value architectural monuments. They were built at different times, by different rulers and even masters of different nations. This is their value and attractiveness. There are more than a dozen castles in Transcarpathia. Some of them survived, alas, only in the form of ruins. And individual castles are still impressive and set in a romantic mood.

Shenborn Castle

Where: the village of Karpaty, Mukachevo district, Transcarpathian region
The Palace of the Counts of Shenborn - also called Beregvar - served as the residence and hunting house for this noble family. It is built in the neo-romantic style, with a combination of Gothic and Romanesque architecture, and looks like it has stepped out of the pages of an adventure-romantic saga of princesses, heroes and dragons.

Shenborn Castle (photo by Oleg Zhariy)
In 1946, a sanatorium was made from the Schönborn Palace. Since then, it has been no less famous in Ukraine and the world as a mineral resort. In addition, during the Soviet era, the castle of Count Shenborn was often used as a scenery for filming movies: The Snow Queen and Seventeen Moments of Spring were filmed here.
It is interesting that the Shenborn castle building was created according to the astronomical principle: each element of the structure, except for the practical one, has a symbolic meaning: the number of windows is 365 - according to the number of days of the year. Another bricked up window in case of a leap year. Chimneys in the palace - 52 (how many weeks in a year). There are 12 entrances - according to the number of months, and 4 towers at the corners of Schönburn Castle correspond to 4 seasons.

Top view of the castle of the counts of Schönborn (photo by Romawa Revival-After-Murder)
Schönborn Castle has its own romantic and scary legends. One of them tells that the once very jealous earl-owner of the estate forced his wife to prove his loyalty in a strange way - to descend from the Sokolova rock, a steep stone wall opposite the palace. The woman did this without injury and thus proving her honesty. But then she left the count for such a dismissive attitude towards her life. And after death, she returned to the palace in the form of a ghost - a woman in black.
But on the territory of Schönborn Castle there are other interesting things: in particular, the "Source of Beauty" - a pump room with healing mineral water.
The easiest way to get to the castle of the counts of Shenborn is by car or by rail.

Mukachevo castle "Palanok"

Where: the city of Mukachevo, Transcarpathian region, st. Pidzamkova
Palanok Castle, or as it is also called - Mukachevo Castle - is one of the most valuable historical and military-architectural monuments of Transcarpathia of the XIV-XVII centuries. The first mention of the castle in documents dates back to the 11th century.
At different times, Palanok Castle belonged to famous historical figures: Prince Fyodor Koryatovich II, Count Nikolai Esterhazy, the princes of Rakoczi.

Palanok castle (photo Wikipedia)
The most famous and most mysterious object of the Mukachevo castle is an 85-meter well. The legend says that when during one of the sieges of the castle (and Palanok saw a lot of them in his lifetime), it became necessary to dig a well - the workers could not get to the water for a very long time. The devil came before Prince Koryatovich and offered to fill the well with water in exchange for a bag of gold. And since the prince did not have not only a bag, but even a bag of gold, the guilty subjects of the count advised: the devil did not specify what the bag should be. Therefore, the last two gold coins were thrown into the bag and given to the unclean. But the devil was offended by such a machination, and with the words “Don’t drink water anyway,” he jumped into the well. And until that time, every evening there is a terrible howl of resentment.

The deepest well in Transcarpathia is in the Palanok castle (photo mukachevo.net)
Now on the territory of the Mukachevo castle is a state historical and architectural reserve. Large groups of tourists walk here every day, and especially on weekends. So if you want to explore Palanok more or less alone - come early on a weekday.

Uzhgorod castle

Where: the city of Uzhgorod, Transcarpathian region, st. Kapitulna
Uzhgorod Castle is also a majestic landmark among fortifications. The first mention of it in the documents of the IX century. Then it was a wooden building. And at the turn of the X-XI centuries, a stone fortress was already erected.

Uzhgorod castle from a bird's eye view (photo from the website of the Transcarpathian Museum of Local Lore)
Uzhgorod Castle is the most outstanding exhibit of the Transcarpathian Museum of Local Lore. At the same time, it is the most ancient and most valuable historical and architectural structure of the city of Uzhgorod. At the end of the 16th century, the castle finally acquired modern look. On three sides, the fortress is surrounded by a dry moat carved into the rock, 15-20 meters wide and 5-10 meters deep, and from the east - a steep cliff. The fortress has an area of ​​two and a half hectares. The palace itself stands on the edge of the steep northern slope of the Castle Hill. It is a massive two-storey Renaissance building. And in the palace there are over 40 rooms.

On the territory of the Uzhgorod castle, knightly tournaments are held - during the "Day of Museums" (photo from the website of the Transcarpathian Museum of Local Lore)