Vynohradiv – In the Heart of Ukraine’s Wine District
The city of Vynohradiv can be found in the province of Zakarpattya, situated in the western parts of Ukraine. Vynohradiv borders Romania and is located near to the river Tisza, which flows down from the Carpathian Mountains.
The first mention of Vynohradiv was in 1296 where it was referred to by the name Zceuleus. The Hungarian name of Vynohradiv means “grape”, which is an appropriate name for a city that is situated in a well-known wine district. Vynohradiv is one of the cities that was part of Ugocsa, a historic administrative country in the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, the area that represents Ugocsa can be found mostly in Ukraine but there is a small section in northwestern Romania. Ugocsa was home to the royal winemakers of that time and they helped make Vynohradiv and the rest of the province the wine district it is today.
In 1662, during the Battle of Nagyszollos, Prince János Kemény, who was ruling Transylvania at that point, was defeated and killed. Later, the citizens of Vynohradiv were all killed by a group of Tatar who were invading the area. In 1880, the population of Vynohradiv amounted to 4,400, of which five hundred of the residents were native Romanians. By 1910, the population had grown to 7,811, of which the majority of the inhabitants was made up of Hungarians. Today, Vynohradiv has a population of over 25,200 inhabitants, of which the largest ethnic group is made up of Ukrainians, the second is made up of Hungarians and the third biggest is made up of Russians.
There is much to see in Vynohradiv when it comes to tourist sights and attractions. The Ugocsa Castle ruins date back to 1308, but it was attacked and destroyed seven years later in 1315. In the 15th century, the area where the Ugocsa Castle remains lay ruined was given to Franciscan monks for them to build a monastery. The monks inhabited the monastery until 1558.
Near to the Ugocsa Castle ruins in Vynohradiv, there is a small chapel that was built in the 14th century. Another castle that is visited by tourists is the Perényi Castle, which was built in 1399 by the noble Perényi family. When you are visiting the Zakarpattya Oblast take the opportunity to explore this wonderful city of Vynohradiv.