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SCHöNBORN CASTLE
Beauty and cold
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We visited Schönborn Castle in the Karpaty sanatorium in winter 2015. Impressions - ambiguous ... A beautiful place, beautiful architecture, side by side with some kind of "Soviet" inside. That morning we left Mukachevo by train. I must admit that I haven’t traveled by electric trains for ten years, so the very beginning of the journey was exciting. Buying a ticket in the early morning from the still sleeping cashier, searching for a platform and now we are heading to the Carpathians ...
Beautiful views outside the window, mountains, the Latoritsa river, all this was pleasing to the eye. We did not drive long, we almost missed the station, but the hospitable locals suggested that it was time ... And here's the paradox: we ended up in the Carpathians and Transcarpathia at once :-)
I would like to note the station, small but very nice, in order to photograph it and the surrounding nature, we were not too lazy to climb onto the bridge. The view was worth it:
From the bridge it was possible to enter the territory of the Karpaty sanatorium for free, but this is not for us ;-). We went to the guard's booth and meticulously asked the cost of the entrance. Having paid him 8 hryvnias, we went up the park to the castle. Here we felt the strength of the Transcarpathian frosts. It was so cold that morning that we wrapped ourselves up in everything we could, and sometimes the camera would not turn on until we warmed it up. The castle was impressed with beautiful turrets, unusual fabulous architecture.
We went to look for an entrance and found it. Judging by the signboard, the castle is now one of the buildings of the sanatorium. Some nurse came out into the corridor and told us that the excursion is to the right along the stairs. We went to investigate the castle. The interior of the castle is full of neglect. The feeling that I ended up in a sanatorium in 1955 ... There are only two exhibits in the excursion, preserved from the time of the Schönborns. This is a chandelier and a fireplace.
They are really unusual, peculiar, and the chandelier is even frightening.
The presence of only two attractions has become a good reason for jokes. Looking at the groups of visitors who were brought by the guides, we imagined how, after the tour, we approach the tourists disguised as journalists and ask the question: "What are the first five attractions you liked in the castle, not counting the chandelier and fireplace?" ;-)
It seemed to us not enough to see the chandelier and the fireplace, and we went to explore the count's rooms. To say that the impressions were special is to say nothing. The rooms of the palace were a pitiful sight. Here is our friend in one of the rooms
tries to present himself as a descendant of the Earls of Schönborn. :-)
Really, such an incredibly beautiful landmark of Transcarpathia cannot be turned into a well-groomed object that attracts tourists. We, connoisseurs of beautiful places in Ukraine, were very embarrassed for such a state. After walking around the castle, we went to the park. The park is beautiful, with a lake, roe deer and tame squirrels.
Freezing enough to consume mulled wine, we went to a cafe on the first floor of a multi-storey building. The bartender girl was preparing mulled wine in an apparatus that apparently worked under pressure and hummed strongly, but the drink itself was great.
In the depths of the park, there is a source of beauty that we did not fail to visit. The water was cold and tasty. We washed our face with it, raising our beauty to a new level.
We ended the tour with a visit to the Jockey cafe near the castle. There we tasted a dish that we loved very much in our Transcarpathian adventures. It is called BOGACH - a large potato pancake stuffed with meat and poured with mushroom sauce. This is something incredible ...
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Vitaly & Nataly
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