Mukacheve - Mukachevo - Мукачеве - Мукачево - Мукачів - Munkács

[mendeleyev]

Mukachevo or Mukacheve (Мукачевo, Мукачевe)





This is a city located in the valley of the Liatorytsia river in the Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in southwestern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Mukachivskyi Raion (district), the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. It has a castle from the IX to XVI centuries on top of the Lamkova hill.





First, you're probably wondering about the name.  Is it Mukacheve or Mukachevo?  Yes.      Did you notice that this city had been a part of Hungary for almost 1000 years? In past lives the city has also been part of Romania, Czechoslavakia, and part of the Roman empire. So call it the name your host/hostess calls it.





The population in 1989 is 77,300. Earlier it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary (1000 - 1918 and 1938-1944) and of Czechoslovakia (1918-1938 and 1944-1945). During the mid-late 18th century, the city came under Austrian control as part of the Kingdom of Hungary and was made a key fortress of the Habsburg Monarchy. In the end of 1944, the Red Army stormed Carpathian Ruthenia (at that time part of Czechoslovakia again) and the territory became part of the Soviet Union by a treaty between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union of 1945. The Soviet Union began a policy of expulsion of the Hungarian population. In 1945, the city was ceded to the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine).





The city is now a rail terminus and highway junction, and has beer, wine, tobacco, food, textile, timber and furniture industries. During the Cold War it was home to Mukachevo air base. Mukachevo has a Ukrainian majority (77.1%) with a minority of Russians (9.0%).





Mukachevo was then the only town in Hungary with a Jewish majority until 1944, when all the Jews were deported to Auschwitz by the Eichmann Commando. The Hungarian Jewish community was the last Jewish community in Europe to be subjected to deportation, and then only partially.





Palanok Castle, 14th century. The castle of Munkács played an important role during the anti-Habsburg revolts in this territory and present-day Slovakia (1604-1711), especially at the beginning of the anti-Habsburg Revolt of Imre Thököly (1685-1688), as well as at the beginning of the revolt of Ferenc II. Rákóczi (early 18th century). This important fortress became a prison from the end of the 18th century and was used until 1897. The Greek national hero Alexander Ypsilanti was imprisoned in Munkács castle from 1821 to 1823.






The city website is here.

[mendeleyev]

Mukachevo is home to a famous castle, the Palanok.  You can find out more about the castle with some really great photos here.




Notice that the city is in the West directly south of Lvov.

[philb]

Mukachevo has a very nice city center and good cheap hotels.