Travelling in the Carpathians is always full of variety, and Zakarpattia is famous for its old castles. One of them is the Schönborn Palace, which once served as the residence and hunting lodge of this noble family. It was built by Count Erwin Friedrich Schönborn-Buchheim between 1890 and 1895 in the Neo-Romantic style, combining Gothic and Romanesque motifs.
Since 1946 the palace has been used as the Karpaty sanatorium and is an architectural monument of national importance. It is located near Karpaty station in the Mukachevo district of the Zakarpattia region.
Architectural features
The Schönborn Palace has kept its original appearance both outside and inside. Its design follows an astrological principle:
- Windows – 365, one for each day of the year; one of them is bricked up to symbolise the leap year.
- Rooms – 52, the number of weeks in a year.
- Entrances – 12, the number of months in a year.
The building is decorated with stained glass, bas-reliefs and weather vanes, and is surrounded by a 19-hectare park with rare trees: Japanese cherries, box, catalpas, Canadian spruces and copper beeches. The park also has a pond shaped like the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The palace today
Today the Schönborn Palace operates as a sanatorium specialising in the treatment of:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Neurological conditions
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Gastrointestinal problems
It is a place where you can not only improve your health but also enjoy beautiful surroundings that help the healing process.
Legends and stories
Like every old castle, the Schönborn Palace is surrounded by mysterious stories and legends. One of the best known is the tale of the Black Countess, who suffered at the hands of her jealous husband. On a fortune teller's advice, the count decided to test his wife's fidelity in a cruel way by making her climb down a high cliff. The countess passed the test but could not forgive the humiliation and left the estate for ever. After her death, her ghost in a black dress began to appear in the palace.
How to get to the Schönborn Palace
By public transport
- By train or local train: travel to Karpaty station, then walk to the castle in 15–20 minutes. You can buy tickets on the LVIV – KARPATY route. If there are no tickets left, you can travel to Svaliava station, for example on the LVIV – SVALIAVA route, and then take a bus to the village of Karpaty.
- By bus: buses run to the palace from Uzhhorod, Mukachevo and Svaliava.
By car
Take the Kyiv – Lviv – Chop highway, drive through Nyzhni Vorota and turn right after the village of Suskovo.
Practical information
- Location: village of Karpaty, Mukachevo district, Zakarpattia region
- GPS coordinates: 48.525786, 22.873533
The most popular trains and routes via Karpaty station:
- Train No. 39 SOLOTVYNO – ZAPORIZHZHIA
- Train No. 47 UZHHOROD – ZAPORIZHZHIA
- Train No. 13 KYIV – SOLOTVYNO
- Train No. 345 UZHHOROD – CHERNIVTSI
For more tips and news, have a look at the AnyTrain travel blog.
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