Uzhhorod

Uzhhorod (Ukrainian Ужгород; Russian Ужгород / Uzhgorod, Ungwar German, Hungarian Ungvár ) is the capital of the Oblast Transcarpathia in Ukraine and the seat of the administrative center for the Raion Uzhhorod. The city's name comes from its location on the river Usch (Ukrainian Уж ) but is brought popular etymology with the Ukrainian word for snake ( usch ) in conjunction. It is located in the border triangle between Hungary, Slovakia and the Ukraine, right on the border with Slovakia. It counts 117,300 inhabitants ( 2001 census ) and is the seat of a Greek Catholic diocese ( head of the Ruthenian Church ).

City Name / languages

Due to the multitude of ethnic groups that lived over the centuries in Uzhhorod and live, there are different linguistic designations for Uzhhorod: Hungarian Ungvár, Ukrainian Ужгород ( Uzhhorod ), Ruthenian Ужгородъ ( Uzhhorod ), Russian Ужгород ( Uzhgorod ), Slovak and Czech Užhorod, German Ungwar or Ungstadt, Yiddish אונגוואַר ( Ungwar ).

Boroughs

The city is divided into 17 parts:

• Bosdosch
• Bolotyna (bottom )
• Werbnyk (pasture area )
• Talahow
• Horyany (Ukrainian Горяни, Hungarian Gerény, 1970 incorporated )
• Domanynzi (Ukrainian Доманинці, Hungarian Alsódomonya )
• Drawzi (Ukrainian Дравці, Hungarian Ungdaróc, 1940 incorporated )
• Kalwary
• Mynaj (Ukrainian Минай )
• Castle District
• Promyslowyj (industrial zone)
• Radwanka (Ukrainian Радванка, Hungarian Radvánc, 1940 incorporated )
• Stanzijnyj ( railway station district )
• Storoschnyzja (Ukrainian Сторожниця )
• Zeholnja
• Tscherwenyzja (Ukrainian Червениця )
• Schakta

History

Uzhgorod and Transcarpathia were inherent in the course of the last centuries many country areas and exposed its residents many boundary changes. First settlements on the present area are due to archaeological finds of the early Paleolithic period ( 100,000 years BC) believed, even from the Bronze and Iron Age settlement, there is evidence.

After the migration period moved to the area a Slavs. Archaeological finds, according to the Uzhhorod castle site was created at the turn of the 8th and 9th century and then became an important fortified settlement of Great Moravia. Written Chronicles document the existence of the castle ( site ) for the first time in 903 ( more controversial is the mention of the year 872 ). From the 10th to the 11th century Uzhhorod was the southwestern outpost of Kievan Rus.

In the mid-11th century it was conquered by Hungary. The conquest of the rest of Transcarpathia was then completed by the 13th century. Until 1918/19, the city with changing princes belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary from 1526 and thus also to the Austrian monarchy and from 1867 to Austria - Hungary. Within Hungary, the town was named Ungvár and was the capital of the county Ung ( Ush ).

As part of the Peace Treaty of Trianon in 1919 Uzhhorod was the Carpatho to the newly established Czechoslovakia. From 1938 to 1939 Uzhhorod was the capital of the autonomous Carpathian Ruthenia in Czechoslovakia. By the First Vienna Award of November 2, 1938 Uzhhorod was re- Hungarian together with the entire southern strip of the Carpathian Ruthenia.

Towards the end of the Second World War, on 27 October 1944, Uzhhorod was occupied by the Red Army in the Ostkarpatischen operation. In June 1945, the city was left of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union there in 1946 to the center of the newly established Transcarpathian Oblast within the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR. Since August 1991, is part of the newly established Ukraine.

Population

In 2001 lived in Uzhgorod 117 317 inhabitants. The proportion of the different ethnic groups was there:

• Ukrainians and Ruthenians 77.8 % ( Ruthenians )
• Russians 9.6%
• Hungary 6.9%
• Slovaks 2.5%
• Roma 1.5%
• German 0.3 %

Confessions

Most residents Uschhorods belong to two (of three) major Ukrainian denominations, the Greek Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate. The Hungarian -born population is predominantly Roman Catholic or part of the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia. Furthermore, among the Protestants Baptists are strongly represented. Since Ukraine's independence, also numerous other Christian denominations and movements have been established, such as Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. In Soviet times, a synagogue has been rebuilt after the war in a concert hall.

Economy and infrastructure

Industrial settlements there are in the fields of furniture manufacturing, machinery and electrical equipment manufacturing, chemical industry, food industry, shoe factory. The city has an airport and is a very important road border crossing to Slovakia (and thus also to the EU). Uzhhorod is home to many schools, colleges, academies and the National University of Uzhgorod, founded in 1946.

Uzhhorod is also the end point of the 2750 km long natural gas pipeline " Soyuz " from Orenburg, whose construction was implemented over several decades by the CMEA countries. Planning and construction of the 550 km -long construction phase of the GDR, the Druzhba line were, as the portions of the other states, only delegates from the former USSR to the "socialist brother countries" and paid by subsequent free distribution of natural gas.

Connection to the railway network was established in 1872 by a range of Chop, this was in 1905 extended to Lviv (see railway Lviv - Sambir - Chop ). Since 1966 there is also the broad gauge route Uzhgorod - Košice.

Culture and sights

Architecturally reminiscent of the historic town of Uzhhorod in many of the old Austria - Hungary. A great example of this is the baroque Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral. These come in the administrative buildings and in the suburbs on the one hand, Soviet and post-Soviet prefabricated buildings and on the other hand new, private housing, appear to be subject to any construction plans. In the spring of several streets downtown are pervaded by lush Japanese Cherry Blossom ( Sakura ), especially at night exude a strong scent. Throughout the summer, the trees bloom the longest avenue of lime trees in Europe, which is a popular promenade for young and old along the river Usch (Slovak and Ruthenian Uh).

Other sights include the old castle from the 9th century AD and built nearby open-air museum of folk architecture and life in Transcarpathia, in the Transcarpathian typical wooden architecture is presented. For this purpose, the original buildings, a church, a school and regionally typical farmhouses from the entire oblast are transported here and been rebuilt.

There is an art museum, a museum of wooden architecture Transcarpathian and a local history museum.

Twinning

• Békéscsaba, Hungary Hungary since 2001
• Corvallis, United States United States since 1992
• Ceska Lipa, Czech Republic Czech Republic since 2000
• Darmstadt, Germany Germany since 1992
• Horsens, Denmark Denmark since 2002
• Jarosław, Poland Poland since 2002
• Kajaani, Finland Finland since 2003
• Kosice, Slovakia Slovakia since 2003
• Krosno, Poland Poland since 2008
• Michalovce, Slovakia Slovakia since 2001
• Moscow, Russia Russia since 2003
• Nyíregyháza, Hungary Hungary since 1999
• Oryol, Russia Russia since 2001
• Pula, Croatia since 2010
• Satu Mare, Romania Romania since 2006
• Sárospatak Hungary Hungary since 2011