Tiachiv – Town of Fragrant Apple Orchards
In Western Ukraine, right near the country’s border, you will find a small city by the name of Tiachiv. The city is situated in the Zakarpattya Oblast of Ukraine and enjoys an excellent position along the banks of the Tisza River. Tiachiv is situated in a part of Ukraine that is sometimes called Carpathian Ruthenia. This small region in Central Europe encompasses a part of Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland and Romania and is mostly inhabited by Ruthenian-speakers. This makes the area somewhat unique and gives each city, town and village in the area a rather distinct character that is different from the rest of these European countries. The vast majority of Carpathian Ruthenia falls within the boundaries of modern-day western Ukraine and so a large number of Russian and Ukrainian speakers are found here.
According to official documents, Tiachiv in Ukraine was founded sometime in the mid 14th century. The city must have enjoyed some importance at the time, because by 1329 it was granted crown city status by the King of Hungary – a status which is most likely lost when it became the property of other nations over the course of history. Over the years, Tiachiv has come under the rule of more than one different government. Starting life under Austro-Hungarian rule, it wasn’t long before the city came under the rule of Czechoslovakia. Then, in 1939, it was seized by Hungary, only to be captured by the Soviet Union’s Red Army in 1944. Finally, Tiachiv was granted city status once more in 1961 and it has maintained this status ever since.
Today Tiachiv is a relatively small city with a population of only approximately 10 000 people. Of these, approximately 83.2% are Ukrainian, 12.4 % are Romanian, 2.9 % are Hungarian and 1 % are Russian. Ever since the 1870s the region surrounding the city of Tiachiv has been renowned for its apple orchards. This likely has something to do with the excellent irrigation that is afforded by the area’s proximity to the Tisza River. The city also has brick and handicraft factories and a vibrant canning industry. Visitors to Tiachiv would most likely enjoy a tour of the Roman Catholic Church which can be found here. This impressive Gothic style church was built during the 15th and 16th centuries and makes for excellent photography.
