Uzhhorod. Mysterious, welcoming, romantic, wonderful

Uzhhorod — a popular tourist centre of all Ukraine. What do they not call this enchanting city! Tourists hurry to see the capital of Zakarpattia in spring, when the city is wrapped in a pink veil of blooming sakuras and magnolias. Uzhhorod draws you to itself like a magnet at any time of year, and each time it evokes delight and astonishment. It seems you already know all the landmarks, but suddenly you see them from a new, inimitable angle — for example, after the rain.

Uzhhorod. Theatre Square after the rain

All guests of the city absolutely must see Uzhhorod Castle, built in the 10th-11th centuries and never taken by storm.

Uzhhorod. The castle

The fortification was erected above a precipice, surrounded on three sides by a moat. For several centuries the palace had a defensive significance.

Now the exhibitions of the local-history museum, with a collection of about 120 thousand items, are housed in the magnates' chambers.

Exhibitions of the Zakarpattia Regional Museum of Local Lore

In the castle courtyard sculptures of the 19th century are gathered.

The turul — the symbol of freedom

Hermes — the patron of travellers

Heracles. 1842

Next to the castle stands the museum of folk architecture and life, where you can see a composite Zakarpattia village with cottages, a church, a school and a tavern.

Uzhhorod. The skansen

The quiet and cosy streets of Uzhhorod, paved with cobblestones and not always straight, took shape depending on the terrain.

Voloshyn Street

Luchkai Street

The houses differ from one another in their refinement and design.

Koriatovych Square, 8

Dukhnovych Street, 5

Dukhnovych Street, 19

Whole epochs have left their imprint in the form of balconies, bas-reliefs, attics, portals and stucco moulding.

Voloshyn Street, 29

Pravoslavna Embankment, 4

Sandor Petofi Street, 10

The house in which the President of Carpatho-Ukraine lived is wrapped in a living green curtain.

Voloshyn Street, 36

Not for nothing is Uzhhorod called the Ukrainian little window into Europe.

Pravoslavna Embankment, 4

Its mysteriousness and uniqueness were created over the centuries by different cultures and styles.

Sandor Petofi Square, 1

Sandor Petofi Square, 4

Sandor Petofi Square, 7

Uzhhorod was always bound by cultural and economic ties with neighbouring states, which influenced the architectural features of its buildings.

Koriatovych Square, 27

Koriatovych Square, 31

Zhupanatska Square, 17

Fedynets Street, 2

Sobranetska Street, 1

Pidhirna Street, 1

Even after the rebuildings and the destruction of the original ornaments in the Soviet period, the building of the former synagogue is a masterpiece of European architecture.

Theatre Square, the Zakarpattia Regional Philharmonic. The former synagogue

Talented masters, recognised all over the world, were born and worked in Uzhhorod. It is hard to imagine Theatre Square without the sculpture of the painter Hnat Roshkovych, who greeted the dawns on the bank of the Uzh.

Theatre Square. The monument to Hnat Roshkovych

In the building of the puppet theatre "Bavka", in the 1920s, the "Prosvita" theatre was founded, headed by the Ukrainian actor and director Mykola Sadovsky (Tobilevych).

Theatre Square. The puppet theatre "Bavka"

The founders of the Zakarpattia school of painting, Albert Erdeli and Yosyp Bokshai, debate on themes of fine art, sitting on a bench amid Alpine flora.

Uzhhorod. The monument to Albert Erdeli and Yosyp Bokshai

The Zakarpattia Art Museum, whose holdings number over 5 thousand items, is named after Bokshai. Works of painting, graphic art and sculpture are exhibited in the building of the former town hall, built in the late Baroque style.

The Yosyp Bokshai Zakarpattia Art Museum

In Uzhhorod all the streets conceal riddles and legends; many of them have preserved their historic buildings.

Pidhirna Street

Dukhnovych Street

Once, on the site of the street named in honour of the Zakarpattia surgeon Oleksandr Fedynets, a branch of the Uzh flowed. On the Little Uzh a water mill operated; the people of Uzhhorod ground flour and baked tasty bread.

Zakarpattia bread

In 1936, during the city's improvement, the river was sent through an underground pipe, and on the street fairs were still held for a long time afterwards.

Fedynets Street

The "Mustard Seed" arcade, with cosy coffee houses, souvenir shops and trading rows, connects this street with Koriatovych Square.

Fedynets Street. The "Mustard Seed" arcade

In the arcade between Theatre Square and Voloshyn Street, a plan of the historic core of Uzhhorod with the landmarks marked has been set up for tourists.

The arcade. A plan of the historic centre

For blind visitors the guide is made in Braille.

The arcade. A guide for the blind in Braille

By no means will a tourist pass by one of the oldest streets — Korzo, where shopping centres, banks, entertainment venues and the terraces of numerous cafes are located.

Korzo Street

A walk along the 280-metre pedestrian zone can become an informative excursion, taking in the landmarks and examining the details of the decor, the remarkable sculptures and the wrought-iron lanterns.

Korzo Street, 2

Korzo Street, 21

Uzhhorod on the globe

Korzo Street. A lantern

The street lamps were tended at night by lamplighters, one of whom, the real-life Uncle Kolya, was depicted in bronze. In his briefcase, besides his tools, there always lay newspapers to read during the lunch break, a small bottle of vodka to warm up, and a snack. So as not to spoil the plausibility of the composition and not to offend the character, the sculptor Kolodko put a real bottle of vodka into the bronze briefcase.

Korzo Street. The monument to the lamplighter

At the caramel workshop, lovers of confectionery are offered the widest choice of products made from natural ingredients without artificial colourings or flavourings. The making of the treats takes place in the presence of the guests.

Uzhhorod. Korzo Street, 11. The caramel workshop

Wherever in the city a tourist may be, the domes of churches of different denominations will be visible everywhere — a splendid landmark for the traveller.

Voloshyn Street. St George's Roman Catholic Church. 1760

Tseholnianska Street. The Transfiguration Church. 1802

The main spiritual centre of Uzhhorod, the episcopal residence and the Holy Cross Cathedral, was built in the middle of the 17th century. The amazing frescoes and stained-glass windows of the shrine have survived, and the chimes on the bell towers mark the exact time.

The Holy Cross Cathedral

Since 2015 the public garden by the church has been adorned by a monument to Queen Maria Theresa.

The monument to Queen Maria Theresa

The river Uzh divides the city into two parts — the northern and the southern.

The river Uzh

During floods the watercourse can be wayward and sometimes floods the children's railway located on the bank.

The children's railway

In Uzhhorod there are several embankments, but the most magnificent is on the right bank.

Nezalezhnosti Embankment

Nezalezhnosti Embankment is adorned with a linden avenue 2,200 metres long. Several varieties of lindens, planted in 1928, turned the longest linden avenue in Europe into one of the most romantic places in Uzhhorod.

Nezalezhnosti Embankment. The linden avenue

Newlyweds feel a thrill on the stone bridge when they fasten symbolic locks to it and throw the keys into the river.

The pedestrian bridge over the river Uzh

The bridge was built at the end of the 19th century after its wooden predecessor had been swept away by the torrents of the turbulent Uzh. Once the first cars drove across it, and now the bridge connects the right-bank Theatre Square and the left-bank Sandor Petofi Square and is exclusively pedestrian.

The square named after the Hungarian revolutionary poet, a favourite promenade spot of the townspeople, underwent reconstruction in 2018.

Sandor Petofi Square during reconstruction

You can have lunch, a snack or a rest with a cup of coffee in the restaurants, cafes and coffee houses with their original concepts, of which there are a great many in the city. The vegetarian cafe "Zhyva" (Theatre Square, 19b) offers dishes made from fresh, wholesome products, prepared with love for all living things. The establishment has two halls, in one of which guests relax sitting on the floor at miniature tables.

The vegetarian cafe "Zhyva"

Uzhhorod is famous for the most fragrant, sunny, poetic and fantastic festivals — of honey and flowers, of wine and youth culture, of love and poetry.

Theatre Square after the rain

In the smallest regional centre of Ukraine, various international sporting competitions and half marathons are held throughout the year.

Half marathon Uzhhorod-Perechyn through the streets of the city

If you are lucky enough to visit Uzhhorod, you will not have to be bored, and after the walk the city will leave the most wonderful impressions.

Uzhhorod. Kilometre zero

Coordinates of the pedestrian street Korzo: 48°37'25"N 22°17'55" E