Would you like to see 19th-century Austria-Hungary? In the Mukachevo district of the Zakarpattia region there is a splendid castle of Count Schönborn
The picturesque locality, the favourable climate and the hunting grounds appealed to the European nobility. Frequent visits by aristocrats prompted the construction, in 1840, of a hunting lodge in the Berehvar tract. The hunts must have been extremely successful, because in 1890-1895 Count Friedrich Schönborn built a wonderful palace in the neo-Romantic style with elements of Gothic and Renaissance.
An architectural peculiarity of the building is that its 365 windows correspond to the number of days in the year. One more window served only in a leap year; in the others it was walled up. 12 months — 12 entrances to the castle. 52 weeks in the year — that is how many rooms and chimneys there were. And the 4 towers are the 4 seasons.
The roof has different levels and is covered with shaped red tiles.
Bas-reliefs, weather vanes and moulding on classical themes lend this historical and architectural monument elegance and refinement. At 12 o'clock the shadow of the spire on the castle points in the direction of Vienna. The panels of the stained-glass windows depict biblical scenes. True, the decor now needs restoration.
Every hour the bell strikes the fleeting time.
The hands of the old chiming clock always show the correct time. And under the clock the coat of arms of the Schönborn family has survived.
It is known that before the Second World War Hermann Göring — a military figure of Nazi Germany — wanted to buy the castle. Had that happened, Carpathian Ukraine would have received a large loan. The deal did not go through, thanks to President Avgustyn Voloshyn, and the castle remained with its lawful owners, who left the ancestral nest in 1944.
Since 1946 the 'Karpaty' sanatorium for patients with cardiovascular diseases has been housed in the hunting palace, and you can go inside to see the preserved wooden staircase, the fireplace and the floor tiles. It must be said that the living conditions in this health resort are not the best compared with other health centres of the Zakarpattia spas. Several people live in each room. Mostly these are children, since adults would hardly want to holiday like that. But the atmosphere here is fairy-tale-like, all the more so as there are other comfortable buildings for holidaymakers on the grounds.
A small artificial lake once resembled, in its shape, the outlines of the Habsburg Empire. Some will find in the contours of the pond a likeness to a heart, which the count once gave to his beloved wife together with the castle.
The countess was beautiful, and the count was jealous. Schönborn's suspiciousness and his passion for hunting destroyed the marriage of the castle's owners. The legend has several versions.
The first time I heard the sad love story from an amateur guide — a local fellow who had gathered a group of holidaymakers on a trip to get acquainted with the notable sights. This self-appointed guide, a driver by his other occupation, had memorised the names, dates and events. It was a holiday — the 8th of March. Perhaps that is why, in his tale of the castle, the historical details were reduced to a story about a cuckolded husband, with the infidelity of Franciska emphasised with particular misogyny. I noticed an inaccuracy in the dates and asked a question. I should not have done it.
But guides do like it when tourists take an interest in history. This one was not of that kind. Like a schoolboy who has forgotten at the blackboard a poem learned the day before, he raised his eyes to the sky, hoping for the help of the heavenly powers, muttered something unintelligible, and then shouted at me: 'Don't interrupt!' The polite cicerone never did manage to steer the situation out. Later, on seeing me, the incompetent local historian gloomily turned away.
I myself, without a guided tour, travelled to the grounds of the count's residence to stroll in the wonderful park, laid out in the 19th century.
Exotic plants have made friends with the wild native flora, which is a distinctive feature of an English garden-arboretum. The mysterious shapes of the shrubbery, trimmed with the art of topiary, echo the undulating contours of the terrain.
In spring the eye and soul are gladdened by the blossoming of the tulip tree, the sakura, the magnolia and other curiosities. They say it is very beautiful in winter, when snow covers the evergreen boxwood, the thujas, the Canadian pines and the laurel trees. Sentimental autumn has a poetry of its own.
You can rest in the gazebos, contemplate the green riches of the park and enjoy the aesthetics of this unique place.
In the park there is a memorial sign in Hungarian.
A sculpture of a deer — as a reminder that it was precisely on these animals that hunting drives were once so favoured.
And bears, too, were inhabitants of the surrounding forests in considerable numbers.
In the Carpathians all the water springs have healing properties. By the romantic castle this one is called the 'Spring of Beauty', and the proof of it is the bas-relief of a girl, the count's niece, whom the water helped to regain her former beauty after an illness. The secret of the rejuvenating effect is that the mineral water contains glycerine.
You can reach the Chynadiiovo wonder, as the castle is also called, by rail from Lviv or Mukachevo to Karpaty station. The station building also resembles a small palace.
There are many landmarks in Zakarpattia. Count Schönborn's castle is one of the most distinctive and astonishing gems of this land. I share my impressions and recommend it for your travels.
Address: the village of Chynadiiovo, Mukachevo district, Zakarpattia region.
Coordinates: 48°31’30"N 22°52’27"E
The picturesque locality, the favourable climate and the hunting grounds appealed to the European nobility. Frequent visits by aristocrats prompted the construction, in 1840, of a hunting lodge in the Berehvar tract. The hunts must have been extremely successful, because in 1890-1895 Count Friedrich Schönborn built a wonderful palace in the neo-Romantic style with elements of Gothic and Renaissance.
An architectural peculiarity of the building is that its 365 windows correspond to the number of days in the year. One more window served only in a leap year; in the others it was walled up. 12 months — 12 entrances to the castle. 52 weeks in the year — that is how many rooms and chimneys there were. And the 4 towers are the 4 seasons.
The roof has different levels and is covered with shaped red tiles.
Bas-reliefs, weather vanes and moulding on classical themes lend this historical and architectural monument elegance and refinement. At 12 o'clock the shadow of the spire on the castle points in the direction of Vienna. The panels of the stained-glass windows depict biblical scenes. True, the decor now needs restoration.
Every hour the bell strikes the fleeting time.
The hands of the old chiming clock always show the correct time. And under the clock the coat of arms of the Schönborn family has survived.
It is known that before the Second World War Hermann Göring — a military figure of Nazi Germany — wanted to buy the castle. Had that happened, Carpathian Ukraine would have received a large loan. The deal did not go through, thanks to President Avgustyn Voloshyn, and the castle remained with its lawful owners, who left the ancestral nest in 1944.
Since 1946 the 'Karpaty' sanatorium for patients with cardiovascular diseases has been housed in the hunting palace, and you can go inside to see the preserved wooden staircase, the fireplace and the floor tiles. It must be said that the living conditions in this health resort are not the best compared with other health centres of the Zakarpattia spas. Several people live in each room. Mostly these are children, since adults would hardly want to holiday like that. But the atmosphere here is fairy-tale-like, all the more so as there are other comfortable buildings for holidaymakers on the grounds.
A small artificial lake once resembled, in its shape, the outlines of the Habsburg Empire. Some will find in the contours of the pond a likeness to a heart, which the count once gave to his beloved wife together with the castle.
The countess was beautiful, and the count was jealous. Schönborn's suspiciousness and his passion for hunting destroyed the marriage of the castle's owners. The legend has several versions.
The first time I heard the sad love story from an amateur guide — a local fellow who had gathered a group of holidaymakers on a trip to get acquainted with the notable sights. This self-appointed guide, a driver by his other occupation, had memorised the names, dates and events. It was a holiday — the 8th of March. Perhaps that is why, in his tale of the castle, the historical details were reduced to a story about a cuckolded husband, with the infidelity of Franciska emphasised with particular misogyny. I noticed an inaccuracy in the dates and asked a question. I should not have done it.
But guides do like it when tourists take an interest in history. This one was not of that kind. Like a schoolboy who has forgotten at the blackboard a poem learned the day before, he raised his eyes to the sky, hoping for the help of the heavenly powers, muttered something unintelligible, and then shouted at me: 'Don't interrupt!' The polite cicerone never did manage to steer the situation out. Later, on seeing me, the incompetent local historian gloomily turned away.
I myself, without a guided tour, travelled to the grounds of the count's residence to stroll in the wonderful park, laid out in the 19th century.
Exotic plants have made friends with the wild native flora, which is a distinctive feature of an English garden-arboretum. The mysterious shapes of the shrubbery, trimmed with the art of topiary, echo the undulating contours of the terrain.
In spring the eye and soul are gladdened by the blossoming of the tulip tree, the sakura, the magnolia and other curiosities. They say it is very beautiful in winter, when snow covers the evergreen boxwood, the thujas, the Canadian pines and the laurel trees. Sentimental autumn has a poetry of its own.
You can rest in the gazebos, contemplate the green riches of the park and enjoy the aesthetics of this unique place.
In the park there is a memorial sign in Hungarian.
A sculpture of a deer — as a reminder that it was precisely on these animals that hunting drives were once so favoured.
And bears, too, were inhabitants of the surrounding forests in considerable numbers.
In the Carpathians all the water springs have healing properties. By the romantic castle this one is called the 'Spring of Beauty', and the proof of it is the bas-relief of a girl, the count's niece, whom the water helped to regain her former beauty after an illness. The secret of the rejuvenating effect is that the mineral water contains glycerine.
You can reach the Chynadiiovo wonder, as the castle is also called, by rail from Lviv or Mukachevo to Karpaty station. The station building also resembles a small palace.
There are many landmarks in Zakarpattia. Count Schönborn's castle is one of the most distinctive and astonishing gems of this land. I share my impressions and recommend it for your travels.
Address: the village of Chynadiiovo, Mukachevo district, Zakarpattia region.
Coordinates: 48°31’30"N 22°52’27"E
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