Ukraine’s westernmost region, Zakarpattya, offers much more than just splendid views of the Carpathian Mountains, walks along the narrow streets of Mukacheve or wine tastings in Uzhgorod, 800 kilometers southwest of Kyiv. Here’s a guide to some of the lesser-known places worth discovering.
Vynohradiv: Wines
Zakarpattya is proud of its vineyards. In Vynohradiv, a city 100 kilometers southeast of the regional capital of Uzhgorod, the city’s dedication to wine is plain to see: even the streetlights are decorated with forged-iron bunches of grapes. Even the city’s name comes from Ukrainian word for grape, “vynohrad.”
Vynohradiv offers plenty of wine-tasting rooms and cellars. Surprisingly, the wine is not matured in barrels here, but in hundreds of large glass carboys. The city holds regular wine festivals.
More than 50 winemakers live in Vynohradiv and the surrounding area. The best known one is Mykhailo Polichko, who owns several hectares of land where he cultivates 250 varieties of grapes. Each hectare yields about 4,000 liters of wine.
Vynohradiv Castle, located on the eastern edge of the city, is also a great site. The castle is now in ruins with most of its structures destroyed, but its location (656 meters above sea level) makes it the perfect place to view the city.
Where to stay: Vynohradiv has a new sanatorium Greenhouse (www.teplyca.com.ua) where prices start at Hr 420 per person, including meals.
Berehove: Thermal pools
Berehove is the center of Hungarian culture in Ukraine. One of the most visited cities in Zakarpattya, it has won fame for its great number of attractions.
Berehove has beautiful scenery and healthy air, vineyards, unique architecture, and ancient sites. However, most tourists come here because of its thermal pools. The warm muddy water contains many beneficial minerals, and its temperature is a constant 33°C in any weather. Similar thermal waters can be found only in three other places in the world – Russia’s Sakhalin region, New Zealand, and Iceland. The healing properties of the water have been proved by many studies. Besides that, visitors will be amazed by the great service and low prices.
Where to stay: Most tourists rent rooms from local citizens. Prices start at Hr 90 for a room with a shared bathroom. Another option is hotel, hostel or sanatorium where prices start at Hr 350 per night.
Women wearing Ukrainian and Hungarian national costumes stomp grapes during a festival in Berehove in Zakarpattya Oblast on Sept. 29, 2013.
Khust: Hat factory
Khust, a city of some 30,000 people, is famous for its hat factory, Khust-Filts Ltd. One can take a tour of the production facilities or visit a museum of hats. The factory supplies hats to many European countries.
The city center and Khust Castle are also worth visiting. The castle was built in the 11th century and served to defend the nearby salt mines. Neither the Habsburg army, nor the Tatars, nor the Turks were able take it. However, the castle was destroyed in the 18th century when a lightning strike hit its gunpowder store. Today the remains of the castle are a popular tourist attraction and a hangout for local teenagers. From the castle there is a magnificent view of the entire city and the valley it stands in. It takes about 30 minutes to climb the hill to get to the castle.
Where to stay: Plenty of small hotels and cottages offer rooms suited to every pocket. Prices start at Hr 200 per room.
Iza: Deer farm
The only deer farm in Ukraine is located between the villages Iza and Lypcha. The farm was started in 1987, when 66 spotted deer were brought there from Russia.
Today 280 deer live on the territory of 57 hectares, which has pastures, man-made rivers, and lakes. The farm gives visitors a rare opportunity to get very close to the deer. Only deer raised on the farm from birth are comfortable with people coming close to them.
Where to stay: Most local hotels don’t have online booking, so you need to find a hotel room on arrival or rent one from a local villager. Prices start at Hr 70 per person.
Lysychovo: Water smithy
Hamora, the only working water-powered smithy in Ukraine, is a unique monument to blacksmithing, as well as a museum. It is located in the village the Lysychovo, and has remained essentially unchanged in the 250 years of its existence.
The smithy’s massive hammer is driven by a water wheel, which is turned by a flow of water from the smithy’s reservoir. Each full rotation of the water wheel results in 18 strikes of the hammer, with each strike of the hammer carrying four horsepower of energy. The smithy worked non-stop until 1998, when a huge flood destroyed the reservoir dam. However, the dam was soon reconstructed by new private owners, and the smithy turned into a working museum that still produces a variety of metal tools for nearby villages.
Where to stay: One can rent out a room from a local villager.
