Tour of the castles of Zakarpattia + Mukachevo

A tour of the castles of Zakarpattia offers a chance to touch the unique historical heritage of Zakarpattia, which will surprise you with its vivid diversity. You will discover the mysterious principality of Transylvania, which once included the surrounding lands.

You are to visit some of the most beautiful castles in our country, where the history of Europe was made and whose walls will tell true stories of love, valour, nobility and self-sacrifice. You will not only hear ancient legends and touch the beautiful, but also meet remarkable people who, not in word but in deed, recreate the history, beauty and cultural heritage of the Silver Land.

Tour of the castles of Zakarpattia, the programme:

- Departure from Uzhhorod.
- Transfer past the village of Serednie; the guide will tell the history of the eastern outpost of the Knights Templar, one of the most mysterious castles not only of Zakarpattia but of all Ukraine - Serednie Castle .
- A tour of the historic centre of the city of Mukachevo (the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Martin, 4th c., the Greek Catholic cathedral, 9th c., the Town Hall and other cultural and architectural landmarks).
- A tour of Mukachevo’s Palanok Castle(9th-8th c.), which is rightly considered one of the seven architectural wonders of Ukraine.
- Lunch.
- A visit to the castle of love - “Saint Miklós” (15th c.), located in the village of Chynadiiovo.
- A tour of the romantic hunting castle of the Counts Schönborn (19th c.). The hunting castle is built in the neo-Romantic style, combining Romanesque and Gothic motifs. An incredibly beautiful architectural structure! A walk along the avenues of the old counts’ arboretum park to the spring of youth. A lake with ducks and swans, an enclosure with wild animals. A special aura of tranquillity reigns here…
- Transfer to Uzhhorod.

The price of an individual tour is calculated depending on the number of people.

All who are curious, care about history and know how to appreciate the beautiful, we invite to take the tour of the castles of Zakarpattia. On the territory of the Zakarpattia region there are 12 castles or their remains - and we will show you the best of them.

The tour of the castles of Zakarpattia takes place every Sunday. Departure from Uzhhorod and Mukachevo.

Many people ask why Transcarpathians differ so much from other Ukrainians and what makes Transcarpathia so unique. It is all explained by the history of the region, full of unexpected turns of fate: the Kingdom of Hungary, Transylvania, the Habsburg Austrian Empire, the Czechoslovak Republic - and that is far from a complete list of the states these lands belonged to. Over its whole history the region belonged to 22 state formations, each of which left its mark on the Silver Land, giving it a unique appearance and a mentality of its own. You will discover a Transylvania free of the stereotypes of Count Dracula the vampire: few people know that the lands of Transcarpathia were part of the Principality of Transylvania, which in its mere 165 years of existence was in many ways ahead of its time and became a forerunner of European freedom.

Passing through the village of Serednie, halfway between Uzhhorod and Mukachevo, you will hear about the oldest castle in Transcarpathia, which in its day was the last eastern outpost of one of the most enigmatic organisations in human history - the order of the Knights Templar. Who knows, perhaps it is here that the mysterious Grail lies hidden, the one that has troubled human minds for millennia. But the Templar castle is not the only claim Serednie has to fame: in the 16th century these lands belonged to István Dobó, the celebrated captain of the garrison of the Hungarian fortress of Eger. Thanks to his talent as a commander, in 1552 the two-thousand-strong garrison of Eger castle withstood a siege by a 120-thousand-strong Turkish army and wrecked the Ottoman campaign of conquest. Turkish prisoners cut underground vaults about five kilometres long into the local rock - and these later became the world-famous Serednie wine cellars.

The centre of Mukachevo will impress you with the charm of a European town frozen in time: majestic churches, cathedrals and old buildings from the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire leave nobody indifferent. Palanok castle, from its foundation in the 9th century until the end of the 18th, played a notable role in the military and political life of Europe and left its descendants a magnificent historical legacy. Ilona Zrínyi, Imre Thököly, Ferenc Rákóczi and many other heroes of their time became examples for us to follow. By number of visitors, Mukachevo castle ranks second in Ukraine - after the fortress of Kamianets-Podilskyi.

Then, along the old trade road towards the Veretskyi pass, we drive to the village of Chynadiiovo, home to the castle of love, Saint Miklós. Its ancient walls witnessed a love story that all Europe followed with bated breath. You will also witness another kind of love story - love for one’s own land: the castle’s tenant Yosyp Bartosh, on sheer enthusiasm, restored this piece of our country’s heritage from rubbish-filled ruins in a short time, and Saint Miklós has become a real pearl of Transcarpathia.

In the palace of Count Schönborn, grandeur, beauty and romance are woven into one - small wonder that this creation of an architectural genius is recognised as one of the finest hunting lodges of the European aristocracy. A walk along the avenues of the old castle park, more than a century old, brings you to the spring of youth: tradition says that whoever washes their face three times in its water will surely grow younger.

On the way back to Uzhhorod you will learn a great deal that is interesting and amusing about the favourite films of your childhood, for it was in Transcarpathia that scenes were shot for such well-known and internationally recognised pictures as ‘17 Moments of Spring’, ‘Waterloo’, ‘The Gold of the Carpathians’, ‘Queen of the Gypsies’ and many others.