River Uzh is known far beyond the borders of Transcarpathia. On its banks stands an incredibly beautiful city, the capital of the region — Uzhgorod. But not only because of this Uzh is famous — it is an amazingly beautiful river, opening natural panoramas of amazing beauty. It is Uzh that is called one of the most beautiful rivers in Transcarpathia.
Uzh is one of the four rivers of Transcarpathia with a length of more than 100 kilometers. The river originates in the Eastern Carpathians at the foot of the Watershed Ridge and during its journey it overcomes mountainous and flat landscapes, changing its character from turbulent and rapid to calm and quiet.
The name of the river served also for the name of the town above Uzh, but the history of the name of the river itself has been disputed for many years. Representatives of one theory believe that it was formed by the Bulgarians, who once owned the territory from the words «angle», «narrow» or «coal», another opinion is based on the similarity of the name with the Old Turkic word «uz», which means «water». And, although the connection of the name with the most obvious association — the snake Uzha — is questioned by the majority, it can be seen in the frequent bends of the Uzha riverbed, which constantly twists and turns in one direction or the other.
The relatively small and narrow river Uzh seems to be a real water fairy tale. Its banks, stretching for 127 kilometers through the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine and Slovakia, are magnificent landscapes reminiscent of the fantastic world described in fairy tales and legends. Here and there over a small river grow tall giants-trees of bizarre shape, lush bushes, often their branches slope down to the water surface or drown in it. If you visit the river in summer, when its shores are covered in a variety of greenery, you can get the most vivid impressions and even feel the urge to paint — such inspiring landscapes open up to the eye that you want to capture them not only in your memory, but also on paper.
A separate story of the Uzh is its banks within Uzhgorod. Here, the natural beauty of the river valley is complemented by incredible architectural views of the old castle on the mountain, beautiful houses in a variety of architectural styles. The river embankment in Uzhgorod is one of the favorite places of recreation of the citizens and one of the most popular attractions of the city among tourists. Here on both banks was planted the longest in Europe linden alley more than two kilometers long. During the flowering season, the banks of the Uzh River are drowned in colorful and fragrant greenery, which makes everything around seem even more fabulous, fantastic and magical. This beautiful picture can be seen from any of the seven bridges built over the Uzh River.
At different times of the year and depending on the weather, the waters of the Uzh River change from crystal clear and transparent to deep brown. In summer, when the river becomes the shallowest in the city area, any rainfall turns it into a kind of «Nile» of red-brown color. However, the waters of the Uzh always remain clean, as evidenced by the main «indicator» of ecological purity — trout.
As well as mountain peaks, valleys and lakes and other natural and architectural sights of Transcarpathia, the rivers of this region are also considered to be its jewelry, which must be seen by all guests of the region. Having visited the famous landmark of Ukraine — the hail above Uzhom, you should definitely take a walk along its embankment and get the most pleasant impressions.