Uzhhorod (Hungarian: Ungvár) is the smallest regional center of Ukraine located on the river Already in the foothills of the Ukrainian Carpathians at an altitude of about 137 m above sea level. r. m.
Archaeological finds on the territory of modern Uzhgorod belong to the early Paleolithic era (around 100 thousand BC). Throughout its centuries-old history, Uzhgorod had various names – Ungvar, Gungvar, Ongvar, Unguyvar, Ungograd, Gunkbar, Oughgorod, etc., but all of them translate as “castle or city on the Uzh River.” One of the earliest mentions of the city called Gunkbar dates back to 1154 and is recorded in the work of the Arab geographer-traveler Al-Idrisi “Book of Roger”.
It would seem that everything is obvious about the origin of the city’s name: the city stands on the Uzh River, which is why it is called Uzh-horod. However, the reptile in this case does not relate to the name of the river in any way: it is the Old Russian word for dinner – “narrow place” (the river bed is really narrow and winding). But some researchers believe that the name of the Uzh River is a modified even older name from the Turkic word “Ung”, “ong”, “hung”, which translates as “water, river”.
The first historical mention of the city of Gung in the chronicle “Gesta Hungarorum” (“History of the Hungarians”) dates back to 872. It is likely that the beginning of the city was a fortified settlement and settlements around it. According to Ukrainian scientists, the city was the residence of the Slavic prince Laborets, and Hungarian historians report that the city was the residence of Almos Akkor, one of the cavalry commanders of Prince Arpad. In the 10th century nomadic Hungarian associations attacked the settlement and captured it. The city received the Hungarian name Ungvar, and the fortress became an important stronghold, which in 1086 withstood the siege of the Polovtsian Khan Kuteska. Since 1214, Uzhhorod became the center of the Ung committee.
In 1241, the city was destroyed by Mongol-Tatars led by Batia. Historians believe that most Transcarpathian fortresses of that time were earthen, and therefore could not withstand the siege of nomads. Such a fate befell the Uzhhorod fortification. In 1279, the Hungarian king László IV Kun (r.p. 1272-1290) transferred all the possessions of the Ung county to the management of Voivode Finty. And since 1290, the feudal lord Aba Omodei became the master of the city. From 1322 to 1691, Uzhhorod belonged to the Druget family, who came to Hungary at the beginning of 14th century from Italy, accompanied by the great-grandson of one of the last Arpadovichs and the future king Charles Robert of Anjou (r. 1308-1342). Philip Druget owned one part of the city – Goryan – and Janos Druget – the other – Dravets. Philip Druget builds a new fortress on Castle Hill.
After 1320, a bridge was built in Uzhhorod, craftsmen, peasants, courtiers, and castle servants settled around the castle, the city turned into a trade center. In 1327, after the death of Philip Druget, his property was inherited by his brother Janos, who became the king’s adviser, and in 1330 – the county governor of Ung and Zemplin counties.
In 1380, the city received the right to hold a weekly fair, which continued until Soviet times. In the 15th century Uzhgorod is a small town in Northern Hungary, where there was a military garrison, a fortress, several dozen nobles, artisans, merchants and more than 30 serf families lived, although in 1430 the city received privileges from the king and was officially called the “Privileged City of Uzhhorod”. The population of Uzhhorod participated in the Peasants’ War of 1514, and from 1526 to the beginning of the 18th century. the city became the easternmost outpost of Habsburg Austria on the border with Transylvania. Despite the difficult political situation, in the 15th and 16th centuries. the role of Uzhgorod as an economic, trade and military center increased. In particular, the growing role of trade in the development of the city is evidenced by the appearance of a seal with the city’s coat of arms: a shield with two vines and two bunches of grapes.
In 1631, Uzhgorod had 238 land holdings, consisted of ten streets on the right bank of the Uzh, where 1,200 people lived. In 1646, in the Uzhgorod castle, with the help of Anna Druget (Yanna Yakushich) and her brother, the Roman Catholic bishop Yuriy Yakushich, 63 Orthodox priests signed the Uzhgorod Union, which formed the Greek Catholic Church in Transcarpathia. At the end of the 17th century Uzhhorod became the scene of a brutal anti-Habsburg struggle led by Count Imre Tekeli, one of the leaders of the struggle for Hungary’s independence from Austrian rule. Rebels captured the castle in 1679 and 1684 and partially destroyed it. On April 14, 1684, in the city of Košice (Slovakia), rebels hanged one of the last owners of the fortress and the city from the Druget dynasty – Zygmond Druget.
In 1691, the last male member of the Druget family died. The influential Hungarian tycoon Miklós Berčeni, whose wife was the deceased Khrystyna Druget, became the new chief of the Ung county and the owner of Uzhgorod Castle. At that time, Bercheny was only 22 years old and had 3 children in his arms. In 1695, Miklós Berčeni married the 40-year-old, but extremely beautiful and wealthy daughter of the state judge Istvan Chaki Christina. The future couple chose Uzhgorod Castle.
Uzhhorod began to rebuild relatively quickly and became the center of the cultural and political life of the region at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 17th century. 18th century After the defeat of the liberation war in 1711, Miklós Berčeni chose the fate of an exile and settled in Turkey. Christina Chaki, leaving all her wealth, shared a difficult life in a foreign land with her husband. In 1796, a huge mill was built in Uzhhorod, which supplied the residents of the city and neighboring villages. In 1845, the first printing house was opened. In 1873, a railway was laid from Uzhhorod, connecting the city with Mukachevo, extended in 1887 to Stryi, in 1893 to Beregovo, and later extended to Sambor.
Modern railway station st. Station Street, No. 9.
In 1900, the first Transcarpathian sports stadium “Spartak” (Pydzamkovy Park) was built.
In 1919, according to the Saint-Germain Peace Treaty, Transcarpathia with its center in the city of Uzhhorod was transferred to Czechoslovakia. In 1938, after the signing of the Munich Agreement, the area was annexed to Hungary. In 1944, the city was occupied by Soviet troops, and in 1946, Uzhhorod became the center of the newly created Zakarpattia region.
In 1990, Hungarian public organizations began to revive here, and in 1991, Uzhgorod was one of the first settlements of the Soviet Union that refused to obey Moscow’s orders. The city is divided by the Uzh River into the Old Town (right bank) and the New Town (left bank), which are connected by 6 bridges.
Modern Uzhgorod attracts with its diverse architecture. Let’s start our journey through the streets of the city.
Where to stay in Uzhgorod
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