Uzhhorod

Uzhhorod (Template:Lang-uk/ru; Rusyn: Ужгород or Унґвар; Slovak and Czech: Užhorod; Hungarian: Ungvár; German: Ungwar; Yiddish: אונגװיר, translit. Ungver or Ingver) is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast (region), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion (district) within the oblast. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast.

The city gets its name from the Uzh River, which divides the city into two halves (the old and new sections). Uzh (Уж) means ringed snake (Natrix natrix), and horod (город) is Ruthenian for city, coming from Old Slavonic grad (градъ). However, this name is a recent construct, and has been used only since the beginning of the XX century. Throughout history, the city has changed names several times: it has been called Ongvar, Hungvar, Unguyvar, and Ungvar.

The city is spelled Ужгород in both Ukrainian and Russian, transliterated "Uzhhorod" from Ukrainian, "Uzhgorod" from Russian. Consequently, until recently, the city was known in English as Uzhgorod, especially during the Soviet era.

Uzhhorod is located at 48°37′N 22°18′E. Its population in 2004 was 111,300.

History

The best known of the first city founders are early Slavs. One of their tribes – White Croats – settled the area of the modern Uzhhorod in the second half of the first millennium AD. During the 9th century a fortified castle changed into a fortified early feudal town-settlement, which became the centre of a new Slavonic principality, at the head of which was a legendary prince Laborets.

In 903 AD Hungarian tribes, headed by their leader Árpád, stormed the Hungvar fortress. The forces were not equal and Laborets was defeated and beheaded on the banks of the river that still carries his name.

After the arrival of the Hungarians, the small town began to extend its borders. In 1241–1242 the Tatars of Batu Khan burnt the settlement. In the early 14th century Uzhhorod showed strong resistance to the new Hungarian rulers of the Anjou dynasty. From 1318 for 360 years, the Druhetts (Italian counts) owned the town. During that period Philip Druhett built a new stone fortress on the place of the modern castle. Together with the castle the city began to grow. Already in 1430 Uzhhorod acquired some privileges from the king and was officially called "The Privileged City of Ungvar".

File:800px-Griechkat kathedrale uschhod.jpg

Greek Catholic Cathedral in Uzhhorod

During the 16–17th centuries there were many handicraft corporations in Uzhhorod. In this period the city was engaged in the religious fight between primarily Protestant Transylvania and Catholic Austria. In 1646 the Uzhhorod Union was proclaimed and the Greek-Catholic church was established in Subcarpathia, in a ceremony held in the Uzhhorod castle by the Vatican Aegis. In 1707 Uzhhorod was the residence of Ferenc II Rákóczi, the leader of the national-liberation war of the Hungarian people.

The beginning of the 19th century was characterized by economic changes, including the first factories in the city. The greatest influence on Uzhhorod among the political events of the 19th century was made by the Hungarian revolution from control of Austria, during which native Hungarian nobility to assert their right to dominate all other peoples of Hungary. (1848–1849.) March 27, 1848 was officially celebrated in the city as the overthrow of the monarchy in Hungary. In 1872 the first railway "Uzhhorod–Chop" began to work.

According to the 1910 census, the city had 16,919 inhabitants, of which 13,590 (80.3%) were Magyars, 1,219 (7.2%) Slovakians, 1,151 (6.8%) Germans, 641 (3.8%) Rusyns and 1.6% Czechs. In the same time, the municipal area of the city had a population composed of 10,541 (39.05%) Hungarians, 9,908 (36.71%) Slovaks, and 5,520 (20.45%) Rusyns.

The First World War slowed down the tempo of city development. On September 10, 1919 Subcarpathia was officially annexed to the Republic of Czechoslovakia. Uzhhorod became the administrative center of the territory. During these years Uzhhorod developed into an architecturally modern city. After the Munich Treaty Uzhhorod became part of the Slovak half of the new Czecho-Slovak state.

Uzhhorod's former synagogue, now the Philharmonic Orchestra.

After the Vienna Award in 1938 Uzhhorod was transferred to Hungary. Until the end of 1944 the fights of the Second World War came close to Uzhhorod. On October 27, 1944 the city was captured by the troops of the Fourth Ukrainian Front.

This period brought significant changes. At the outskirts of Uzhhorod new enterprises were constructed and the old enterprises were renewed. On June 29, 1945 Subcarpathian Ukraine became a part of the Ukrainian SSR of the USSR. That year the Uzhhorod State University (now Uzhhorod National University) was also opened. Since January 1946 Uzhhorod was the center of newly formed Zakarpatska oblast.

It's grand-rabbi was Rabbi Avrohom Yosef Greunwald, author of sefer Avnai shoham. Died in year 1940. his son was Rabbi Maier Greunwald who in 1930 was called upon to become the rav of city of Tetch.

Since 1991 Uzhhorod has become one of 23 regional capitals within Ukraine. Of these, Uzhhorod is the smallest and westernmost.

In 2002, after some controversy, a bust of Tomáš Masaryk, Czechoslovakia's first president, was unveiled in a main square of the city. A similar bust was unveiled in 1928 on the 10th anniversary of Czechoslovak independence, but was removed by the Hungarians when they took over the region in 1939.

Demographics

According to the Ukrainian 2001 census, the population of Uzhhorod included:

• Ukrainians (77.8%)
• Russians (9.6%)
• Hungarians (6.9%)
• Slovaks (2.2%)
• Roma (1.5%)

Transport

The Uzhhorod Central Rail Terminal.

Uzhhorod has a railway station which consists of Uzhhorod-1 (Uzhhorod Central Rail Terminal), Uzhhorod-2, Uzhhorod-3, Pavlovo, Domanynci-1, Domanynci-2 stations.

Uzhhorod has an international airport: Uzhhorod International Airport. Airport code: UDJ. It is one of the biggest airports in Ukraine. Has one terminal. There are flights to Ukrainian airports and airports in Georgia, Turkey and Hungary.

The public transportation is middle developed. There are buses and microbuses on about 50 routes.

Sister Cities

Uzhhorod currently has eight sister cities:

• Békéscsaba, Hungary
• Nyíregyháza, Hungary
• Moscow, Russia
• Orel, Russia
• Pula, Croatia
• Corvallis, Oregon, USA
• Darmstadt, Germany
• Košice, Slovakia

People

• János Erdélyi, a Hungarian poet, critic, author, philosopher and ethnographist
• Shlomo Ganzfried, an Orthodox rabbi and posek
• Józef Kasparek, a Polish lawyer, historian and political scientist
• Mikhail Kopelman, a violinist
• Samuel Lipschütz, a chess player and author
• Avhustyn Voloshyn, a Subcarpathian politician, teacher, and essayist
• Gregory Zatkovich, first governor of Carpathian Ruthenia

See also

• Carpathian Ruthenia

External links

• Uzhhorod city site
• Uzhhorod in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
• Map of Uzhhorod area Template:Ru icon
• Uzhhorod in old postcards
• Google Map of Uzhgorod
• Uzhhorod - photographs