Excursion: Forgotten Castles of Zakarpattia

Excursion: Curious to learn the secrets of the forgotten castles of Zakarpattia?!

Today, the territory of Zakarpattia holds the buildings and ruins of 12 medieval castles, whose construction spans the period from the 10th to the 16th century.
For those who care about fascinating history and legends, seekers of mystery and facts, and everyone eager to learn something new, we offer the excursion: Forgotten Castles of Zakarpattia.

Excursion programme: Forgotten Castles of Zakarpattia

- 08:00 - Departure from Uzhhorod, 08:40 - from Mukachevo
- Comfort stop / coffee stop at the café-restaurant of a tourist complex on the outskirts of Mukachevo.

- Khust Castle: what secrets does the former defensive fortress hide among its ruins? Today, in the mysterious ruins on Castle Hill, it is hard to recognise the once vast and mighty structure that once served as a defensive fortress. The castle was built on the mountain top as a fortress meant to protect not only the salt route from Solotvyno, but also the Khust gates and the border districts. Its construction was organised on a grand scale and lasted 101 years!, resulting in a stronghold that was once truly impregnable.

- Kankiv Castle in Vynohradiv - a medieval landmark shrouded in fascinating history. At one time, Franciscan monks converted it into a monastery. People began to call the castle-monastery «Kankiv», because back then the monks wore an outer woollen garment made of a special fabric - «kanko». Today this medieval landmark is heavily ruined. Much of the stone from the structure has been used in our own times to build terraces and supports for vineyards. But despite this, the ruins of Kankiv Castle remain to this day one of the most visited places for both tourists and filmmakers.

- Lunch

- Nyalab Royal Castle. The name of the Zakarpattian village of Korolevo comes from the old name of the settlement Királyháza (Király háza), which in Hungarian means «the king’s house» or «the house of the king». And it is with the «king’s house» that the rich and vivid history of the Royal Castle begins. The forests in these parts were always rich in all kinds of game, which greatly pleased the Hungarian king Stephen V (1239-1272). The monarch often came here to hunt. And so he ordered a wooden hunting lodge to be built on the hilltop. The house of the king (domus regalis) - as the people nicknamed it, and this name later became attached to the strong fortress and settlement that arose here. The first records of Királyháza in written sources date to 1262.

It is remarkable that even today, during a tourist journey to these historic places shrouded in myths and legends, every tourist can discover countless hidden secrets. So don’t miss the chance to visit the forgotten castles of Zakarpattia and learn the fascinating stories and legends of these stone walls.

Excursion: Forgotten Castles of Zakarpattia runs every Saturday all year round

You can visit other landmarks of Zakarpattia during our regular excursions and tours around Zakarpattia