Carpathians

.
«…There are no such mountains in our side. The eye does not dare to cover them; and on the tops of some of them the foot of man has not entered. Amazing view of them; is not the pugnacious sea ran out of the wide banks in a storm, whirlwind tossed the ugly waves, and they, petrified, remained motionless in the air?…?»
N.V. Gogol «The Terrible Revenge».

The Carpathians are written about, dreamed about, visited by tourists from all corners of the world. The Carpathians are one of those magical places on our planet, where the purest — the primordial beauty of nature is revealed to man. Supported by man-made sights, scraps of history, fragments of antiquity and evidence that man has lived here for centuries, when acquainted in absentia, this beauty is reflected in the imagination of the most fabulous pictures, but upon arrival here, vacation in the Carpathians guests of the region does not disappoint, rather, on the contrary — impresses even more than imagined.

You can describe the Carpathians in the words of famous people, read rave reviews of those who have already been lucky enough to visit them, get acquainted with folk legends about them, songs and colonies. But no word, even the most laudatory, can not describe the splendor that opens here to the eye of any person indifferent to natural and architectural beauty. That’s probably why more and more people want to get acquainted with this region personally, breathe the purest air filled with light pine notes, walk through the ancient forests and see the fantastic sights of the Carpathians with their own eyes.

The Carpathians are one of the oldest European mountain ranges. The mountain system starts near the Slovakian Bratislava and ends near the Romanian «Iron Gates» — its length is about 1500 km, and in shape it resembles an arc or horseshoe, covering the Central European lowlands from three sides. On the territory of Ukraine is located the northeastern part of the mountain system, called the Eastern Carpathians, stretching from northwest to southeast for almost 280 kilometers. The highest point in this country is Mount Hoverla, which rises to the sky at 2061km — it is one of the most famous Carpathian sights of Ukraine, but far from the only one.

All year round tourists from different countries come to the Ukrainian Carpathians to enjoy an unforgettable vacation surrounded by beautiful nature. The landscapes alone are worth coming here just for their sake. In addition to the mountain peaks themselves, these are fabulous ancient forests, mysterious caves, amazing mountain valleys, the most famous of which is the Valley of Daffodils near the town of Khust, turbulent waterfalls, rushing mountain rivers and lakes with the purest water. About the latter Gogol wrote in the same story: «There are wide and huge lakes between the mountains. Like glass, they are motionless and like a mirror reflect the bare mountain tops and their green foothills». The most legendary lake is Synevir, which is enveloped in folk legends. These lands are rich in healing waters, which flow from springs and give beauty and health to those who come here to gain strength for life in dusty cities.

Every guest of the region will find here something to his taste. If you try to capture in words the impressions that tourists from all over the country and beyond come here for, they can be summarized in a few directions of rest. This is a quiet vacation in the Carpathians at health resorts, extreme recreation — skiing and snowboarding (the most famous of ski resorts — Bukovel), hiking in the mountains, paragliding, etc., green tourism — horseback riding, swimming in mountain rivers. In addition, it is fishing, hunting and cognitive tourism — excursions to natural reserves and interesting architectural sites.

It is noteworthy that the attractions of the Carpathians are not limited to natural treasures. On the slopes of mountains near different villages and towns here and there rise above the forests fabulous towers, if not preserved castles and fortresses, such as Palanok and Uzhgorod Castle, then their ruins. Together with the surviving buildings and poorly preserved remains of churches of various denominations, they remind us of the complicated history of these lands, which for centuries passed from one state to another. The architectural heritage of the Carpathians includes ancient castles and palaces, monasteries and churches built in various styles, which make the atmosphere even more fantastic.

You can talk, read and dream about this region, where the concentration of natural and man-made wonders is extremely high, but the best thing to do is to see it with your own eyes. Although even so it will be hard to believe that what opens to the eye is real, so amazing beauty and majesty of the pictures open here to the traveler.