Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Domestic trains go to and from Lviv (104uah, six to nine hours, up to five daily) and
Kyiv (200uah, 15 to 18½ hours, three daily). Other services include one middle-of-the-
night train to Solotvyno (70uah, 6½ hours, daily) and slow-but-scenic
elektrychky
(elec-
tric trains) to Mukacheve (6uah, 2½ hours, seven daily).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Mukacheve
03131 / POP 93,700
Echoes of Austro-Hungary, some fine interwar Czechoslovak architecture, rustic horse-
drawn carts competing for cobble space and one of Ukraine's most dramatic castles make
Mukacheve a worthwhile stop-off. The town can also serve as an easily reachable, low-
key introduction to Ukraine if you're heading into the country by train.
Sights
Mukacheve has a very pleasant, cobblestoned and pedestrianised central zone, anchored
by the architecturally distracting Secessionist and neo-Gothic
town hall
.
Palanok Castle
CASTLE
(
www.zamokpalanok.mk.uz.ua
; admission 10uah; 9am-6pm)
Mukacheve's highlight is the
hilltop castle that pops up from the surrounding plain as you approach Mukacheve from
Uzhhorod, like something in a fairy-tale fantasy. This 14th-century castle, famous as the
site where Croatian-Hungarian princess Ilona Zrini held off the Austrian Emperor's army
for three years before finally capitulating in 1688, is also popular among Hungarians for
its association with Sándor Petőfi (1823-49), the Hungarian national poet, who was held
here during the century the building served as an Austrian prison. A couple of ageing ex-
hibits (folk costumes, archaeological finds) with English explanations provide minor dis-
traction, unlike the views which are wonderful. Renovation often gives way to derelic-
tion (or a souvenir shop) here and half the fun is getting lost on the various levels of ar-
cading that surround the courtyard. To get here, board any bus 3 in front of the church on
vul Pushkina or take any
marshrutka
heading to.
Sleeping & Eating
'Motel'
GUESTHOUSE$
