Uzhgorod is the capital of Transcarpathia and the smallest regional center of Ukraine. An original city that has absorbed elements of many cultures - Hungarian, Austrian, Czech, and in recent years Ukrainian, although, strangely, this city farthest from Russia is the most Russian-speaking in all of Western Ukraine. In Uzhgorod, there is an interesting medieval castle, the Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life, the mysterious Goryan rotunda with unique frescoes of the 14th century, and a huge layer of interwar Czechoslovak architecture, of which there is more here than anywhere else outside the Czech Republic and Slovakia. After visiting Uzhgorod, you cannot get a complete picture of Transcarpathia, but it will certainly be an excellent introduction to this unique region.
Uzhgorod is the administrative center of the youngest region of Ukraine - Zakarpattia region. Transcarpathia was annexed to the Ukrainian SSR in 1945. Before that, it was part of Czechoslovakia, and until 1919 it belonged to Austria-Hungary. The population of Uzhgorod is multinational. The majority are Ukrainians, but there are also many Russians (who moved here after the Great Patriotic War), Hungarians, Slovaks, Germans, Jews, and Gypsies. A foreigner needs to have a lot of patience in dealing with the locals, as some of them will be happy to help, but others may try to create problems for you. But, in any case, Uzhgorod deserves attention as a crossroads of cultures.
The city has many architectural monuments - the Uzhgorod Castle (known since the 11th century), the bishop's palace (1646), the Catholic church in the baroque style (1762-1767), the town hall (1810).
In the 1930s, Czech architects created the architectural ensemble of the center of Uzhhorod in forms close to constructivism.
During Soviet times, the city was developed according to the master plan, residential construction was carried out, greening of the city territory was developed, and a number of public buildings and monuments were built.
The main attractions of the city are mainly located both in its very heart - the Old Town - and in its surroundings:
Transcarpathian Regional Museum of Local Lore
Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life
Transcarpathian Art Museum Bokshay
Uzhhorod Botanical Garden
Uzhgorod Castle
Hungarian Church of St. George
Holy Transfiguration Church
and this is not the whole list of places that can be visited in Uzhhorod.
Uzhhorod is not only famous for its architecture, but also known throughout the country for its Transcarpathian coffee and cozy atmospheric cafes. Here is the main coffee center of the city - Hirchychne Zerno lane, and a whole coffee museum, and tiny cafes for every taste, and entire coffee tastings in the company of cute mini-monuments.
Visiting Uzhhorod in mid-April, you will find cherry blossoms in bloom. On these days, Dovzhenka and Rakotsi streets planted with cherry blossoms, as well as Pushkin Square adjacent to the embankment, which are sometimes called Sakura Alley, turn into a fantastic garden of paradise.
Depending on the weather conditions, the beginning of cherry blossoms may shift by several days in one direction or another.
