Mukachevo is a real pearl of Transcarpathia, the sights of this city are the pride of the whole country, and the first place among them is rightfully occupied by the ancient Palanok Castle. This is the visiting card of the city, soaring into the sky fairy tale, which is almost a thousand years old.
According to legend, the name of the city is linked to this particular landmark. Palanok is interesting not only because it is a perfectly preserved mysterious and romantic medieval castle, but also because of its unusual location.
Palanok Castle, which was first mentioned in the 11th century, dominates the town, perched on a 70-meter high cliff in the middle of the flat terrain. How such a high mountain could have arisen in the midst of a perfect plain remains a mystery, and the inevitable consequence of the mystery is always legends.
The legend about the construction of Mukachevo castle tells about a cruel prince who decided to build a fortified castle that no one could take by siege. To realize his plans, he ordered the inhabitants of the surrounding lands to build a mountain. For days and nights the peasants, tormented by the prince, poured the mountain, on which he then built his impregnable fortress, and the agony of the unfortunate slaves of the cruel tyrant gave the name of the city.
In fact, the early history of Palanok Castle is not so sad. There were wooden Slavic fortifications on what was once a volcano before a stone castle was built on the mountain, and the legendary Hungarian king Laszlo I ordered the construction of a more secure fortress to control the trade route leading to Eastern Europe in the 11th century. As for the name, Palanok got it because of the very first defense line — the oak palanca.
Over the centuries, the castle has been rebuilt and reconstructed many times, and as a result it has become one of the most unusual masterpieces of fortification architecture. Palanok has three levels — the Lower, Middle and Upper Castle, and all the buildings behind the castle walls are located on the whole cascade of terraces. The total area of the castle is almost 14 square kilometers, and there is a lot to see and do. Palanok has survived to our time together with many buildings and even the infamous casemates in the dungeons.
The fate of the castle was not easy. It withstood sieges more than once, the most famous of which took place in 1685-1688, when the whole Europe was watching the events unfolding here. For three years it was besieged by the Austrians, and the opposition to the conquerors was led by a woman — Ilona Zrini, the widow of Prince Ferenc I Rakoczy. Only betrayal decided the outcome of the siege not in Hungary’s favor — the water in the well was poisoned, and the castle surrendered.
In general, the castle played a special role for Hungary, in this country it is considered one of the most important from the historical point of view. Erected by the order of the sainted king, at the beginning of the XVIII century it was a stronghold of the national liberation war of the Hungarian people against the Austrians, and in 1806 the sacred crown of the Hungarian kingdom was hidden here from Napoleon.
Many interesting events and legends are connected with Palanok Castle. In 1782, after the fall of the Bastille, it became the main political prison in Europe, which existed until 1896. In the gloomy underground casemates for more than a century executioners tortured and tormented the prisoners, which were here more than 20 thousand. Today the dungeons have an exposition of torture instruments, and going down into them, even unimpressed people feel the blood-chilling atmosphere. And in the courtyard of the upper castle you can see the well, built, according to legend, not without the help of the forces of darkness.
But a visit to this attraction of Ukraine is not only a touch of dark legends. Here you can visit museums of everyday life of Transcarpathia of the XIX century, old postcards and photographs, exhibition of pryanoks and historical museum, admire ancient buildings, household items and sculptures, visit the princely chambers of the XVI century and the chapel of the XVII century, feel the real atmosphere of the Middle Ages. In Mukachevo there is no sight equal to Castle Palanok in its scale, it is a small medieval town, a walk through which will not leave anyone indifferent.