Uzhok Pass

Uzhok pass is situated in a few kilometers of a serpentine route upwards the Uzhok village and is one of the most famous passes of the Transcarpathian region due to one of popular transport highways passing thereon. This pass is located 852 meters above the sea level. The border between the Lviv and Transcarpathian regions is precisely on Uzhok pass. One kilometer to the left the boundary with Poland is located.

The village Uzhok is the closest village to the pass. It was found in 1582 and is situated 567 meters above the sea level. First of all, the village is famous due to the church of Saint Archangel Michael, which was built in 1745 and is one of the most beautiful wooden churches of such style in Transcarpathia. Two more places of interest available for tourists are situated not far from the village. Exactly above Uzhok village, on the left hand side (if you stand back to Uzhgorod) on the territory of Upper Beskides (900 meters above the sea level) the source of the river San (Polish: San, Ukrainian: Syan), which starts in the Carpathians and is the right tributary of the Visla river, is located. The Visla is 444 km long. It is a natural border between Ukraine and Poland for a fairly long distance in the highlands. If you go up the ridge which is to the right from the village, you can find the source of the Uzh river (Slovak: Uh, Hungarian: Ung). It is located on the 950 meters height above the sea level on a small field not far from the Dividing Range.

The length of the Uzh river is 127 km, 21 of which flow on the Slovak territory, crossing the border near Zagor village. The Uzh flows into the river Laborec (Slovak: Laborec) near the Slovak village Dragnyov (Slovak: Drahnov).

The closest settlement on the territory of the Lviv region is Yavorov district center (Ukrainian: Yavoriv), known from 1376 and located on the Shklo river. The town is named Yavorov due to abundant growth of sycamore trees in the valley of the river Shklo. According to the historical sources, in second half of the 17th century Yavorov was a fortification town and was often visited by Jan III Sobieski, the king of Polish-Lithuanian-Russian state (Rech Pospolyta). In Yavorov you can find several wooden churches, stone temples, a Monastery, a few industrial enterprises, one of which is a lacquer-paintwork factory that produces goods under the brand “Snezhka”.

Uzhok pass itself will be attractive for tourists primarily due to its military places of interest. Violent fightings during World Wars I and II took place exactly on this pass. Such historical events like the famous “Brusilovski breakthrough”, during which the pass was captured for the second time, and also the well-known tank assault of the WW II, and the violent fightings between the Russian and Austro-Hungarian armies etc.

The first thing your eye catches when you go out of the car is the monument to soldiers of the World War II, who had perished during the liberation of the Carpathians in 1944. Some time ago a bronze sign with the information that comrade L.I. Brezhnev served as a political officer in a tank battalion which stormed the pass.



Here we see the cemetery and a memorial sign in honor of Russian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers who died during WW I. Nowadays the following inscription in several languages is engraved on the plaque: “To the soldiers of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian armies who died in the battles for Uzhok pass during World War I”.

Previously here was an inscription: “This military cemetery was made by Russian troops in the fall of 1914. After the end of the war the remnants of the perished soldiers in the nearby were taken from the graves and buried in this cemetery. 6 Russian and 6 Hungarian officers as well as 351 Russian and Austrian soldiers are buried here. Rest in peace.”



Recently one more memorial element has appeared on the pass – the oak cross with the following inscription: “Lord! Save and protect the native Carpathians and your people. Set by Major General Oleksa Turok 24.02.1999”. Oleksa Turok is a resident of Khust area of the Transcarpathia, who at his own expense has already set nearly two dozen oak crosses at the places of his battle glory in the Transcarpathian and Ivano-Frankivsk regions of Ukraine.



Here we see the series of anti-tank stockades on both sides of the road. Next to them are the remnants of an exploded object.

03.03.2010. 08:56

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