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Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in the valley of the Latorica river in
Zakarpattia Oblast The Zakarpattia Oblast ( uk, Закарпатська область, Zakarpatska oblast) is an administrative oblast located in western Ukraine, mostly coterminous with the historical region of Carpathian Ruthenia. Its administrative centre is ...
(
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
), in Western
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
. Serving as the
administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...
of
Mukachevo Raion Mukachevo Raion ( uk, Мукачівський район, hu, Munkácsi járás) is a raion (district) of Zakarpattia Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Mukachevo is the administrative center of the raion. Its population is On 18 July 2020, as par ...
(
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...
), the city itself does not belong to the raion and is designated as a city of oblast significance, with the status equal to that of a separate raion. The city is a rail terminus and highway junction, and has beer, wine, tobacco, food, textile, timber, and furniture industries. During the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
, it was home to Mukachevo air base and a radar station. Mukachevo lies close to the borders of four neighbouring countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. Today, the population is . The city is a traditional stronghold of the
Rusyn language Rusyn (; rue, label= Carpathian Rusyn, русиньскый язык, translit=rusîn'skyj jazyk; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, руски язик, translit=ruski jazik),http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2781/1/2011BaptieMPhil-1.pdf , p. 8. is an Ea ...
, and the population of Mukachevo is officially reported as 77.1% ethnic
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
.Ukraine Census
There are also significant minorities of:
Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...
(9.0%);
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and  ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...
(8.5%);
Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...
(1.9%); and
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
(1.4%). Up until World War II and the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, Mukachevo was primarily a Jewish town, and half the population was Jewish (see below), the rest of the population being Russians, Hungarian, Slovak, and other minorities. Formerly in Czechoslovakia, and before that in Hungary, it was incorporated into Soviet Ukraine after World War II.


Name

Most probably, the name derived from the Hungarian surname "Muncas" - munkás (worker) which later transformed into Munkács, while another version points that the name contains proto-Slavic root "Muka" which means (flour). On 23 May 2017 the
Ukrainian parliament The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
officially renamed Mukacheve (''Мукачеве'') into Mukachevo (''Мукачево''), a year after the city council had decided to rename the city. Previously, it was usually spelled in Standard Literary Ukrainian as Mukacheve while Мукачів (''Mukachiv'') was sometimes also used.Mukachiv
in th
Encyclopedia of Ukraine
/ref> The city's name in Russian is Мукачево (''Mukachevo''), which is also the Russian transliteration (russian: Мукачево) as well as a name adopted by the local authorities and portrayed on the city's coat of arms. Other names are hu, Munkács;
Rusyn Rusyn may refer to: * Rusyn people, an East Slavic people ** Pannonian Rusyn people, a branch of Rusyn people ** Lemkos, a branch of Rusyn (or Ukrainian) people ** Boykos, a branch of Rusyn (or Ukrainian) people * Rusyn language, an East Slavic l ...
: ''Мукачово'' (''Mukachovo''), ro, Muncaci, Munceag; Polish ''Mukaczewo''; Slovak and Czech: ''Mukačevo''; german: Munkatsch; yi, מונקאַטש (''Munkatsh'').


History


Early history

Archaeological excavation suggest that early settlements existed here before the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. For example, a Celtic
oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
and metal works center that existed in the 3rd-1st century BC were found between the Halish and Lovachka mountains. A
Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied ...
fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
of the
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...
(10th century BC) was found on the mountain of Tupcha. Around the 1st century the area was occupied by the Carpi people who displaced the local
Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...
from the area.


Hungarian rule

In 895 the
Hungarian tribes The Magyar tribes ( , hu, magyar törzsek) or Hungarian clans were the fundamental political units within whose framework the Hungarians (Magyars) lived, before the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the subsequent established the Pr ...
entered the
Carpathian Basin The Pannonian Basin, or Carpathian Basin, is a large Sedimentary basin, basin situated in south-east Central Europe. The Geomorphology, geomorphological term Pannonian Plain is more widely used for roughly the same region though with a somewh ...
through the Verecke Pass, about north of present-day Mukachevo. In 1397, the town and its surrounding was granted by King Sigismund of Hungary to his distant cousin, the exiled prince of Grand Duchy of Lithuania Theodor Koriatovich, who used to administrate the Ruthenian Podolia region of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, until was exiled for disobedience by Grand Duke Vytautas the Great in 1392. Theodor therefore became a vassal of Hungary and settled many
Ruthenians Ruthenian and Ruthene are exonyms of Latin origin, formerly used in Eastern and Central Europe as common ethnonyms for East Slavs, particularly during the late medieval and early modern periods. The Latin term Rutheni was used in medieval sou ...
in the territory. Other sources, however, state that Theodor bought the town and the surrounding area in 1396. During the 15th century, the city prospered and became a prominent craft and trade center for the region. In 1445, the town became a Hungarian
free royal town Royal free city or free royal city (Latin: libera regia civitas) was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th centuryBácskai Vera – Nagy Lajos: Piackörzetek, piacközpontok és városok Mag ...
. It was also granted the rights of Magdeburg law. During the 16th century, Munkács became part of the Principality of Transylvania. The 17th century (from 1604 to 1711) was a time of continuous struggle against the expansionist intentions of the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
Empire for the Principality. In 1678 the anti-Habsburg Revolt of
Imre Thököly Imre is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry ...
started out from Munkács. The region also played an important role in
Rákóczi's War of Independence Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–11) was the first significant attempt to topple the rule of the Habsburgs over Hungary. The war was conducted by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by Francis II Rákó ...
.


Austrian control and revolts

After the defeat of
Francis II Rákóczi Francis II Rákóczi ( hu, II. Rákóczi Ferenc, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–11 as the prince ( hu, fejedelem) of the Estates Confedera ...
the city came under Austrian control in the mid-18th century as part of the Kingdom of Hungary and was made a key fortress of the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
. In 1726, the
Palanok Castle The Palanok Castle or Mukachevo Castle ( uk, Замок "Паланок", Zamok "Palanok"; hu, Munkács vára or ; german: Plankenburg) is a historic castle in the city of Mukacheve in the western Ukrainian oblast (province) of Zakarpattia. ...
and the town, before 1711 owned by the
Rákóczi The House of Rákóczi (older spelling Rákóczy) was a Hungarian noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary between the 13th century and 18th century. Their name is also spelled ''Rákoci'' (in Slovakia), ''Rakoczi'' and ''Rakoczy'' in some forei ...
family, was given by the Habsburgs to the Schönborn family, who were responsible for an expansion of the town. They also settled many
Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...
in the territory, thereby causing an economic boom of the region. During 1796–1897, the city's castle, until then a strong fortress, became a prison. The
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
national hero Alexander Ypsilanti was imprisoned at the Palanok Castle between 1821 and 1823.


Mukachevo during and after the wars

In 1919, after the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
-
Rusyns Rusyns (), also known as Carpatho-Rusyns (), or Rusnaks (), are an East Slavic ethnic group from the Eastern Carpathians in Central Europe. They speak Rusyn, an East Slavic language variety, treated variously as either a distinct lang ...
agreed with
Tomáš Masaryk Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (7 March 185014 September 1937) was a Czechoslovak politician, statesman, sociologist, and philosopher. Until 1914, he advocated restructuring the Austro-Hungarian Empire into a federal state. With the help of ...
on incorporating
Carpathian Ruthenia Carpathian Ruthenia ( rue, Карпатьска Русь, Karpat'ska Rus'; uk, Закарпаття, Zakarpattia; sk, Podkarpatská Rus; hu, Kárpátalja; ro, Transcarpatia; pl, Zakarpacie); cz, Podkarpatská Rus; german: Karpatenukrai ...
into
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
, the whole of
Carpathian Ruthenia Carpathian Ruthenia ( rue, Карпатьска Русь, Karpat'ska Rus'; uk, Закарпаття, Zakarpattia; sk, Podkarpatská Rus; hu, Kárpátalja; ro, Transcarpatia; pl, Zakarpacie); cz, Podkarpatská Rus; german: Karpatenukrai ...
was occupied by Czechoslovak troops. On June 4, 1920, Mukachevo officially became part of Czechoslovakia through the
Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...
. In November 1938, a part of the territory of the former Kingdom of Hungary was re-annexed by Hungary as part of the First Vienna Award. Without delay the new authorities decreed the expulsion of all the Jews without Hungarian citizenship. As a consequence Polish and Russian Jews, long-term residents of the now Hungarian-controlled Transcarpathian region, and also from Mukachevo, as well as the native Jews who could not prove their citizenship, were deported over the Ukrainian border where they were turned over to the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
Einsatzgruppe commando led by Friedrich Jeckeln. On August 27 and 28 1941 they were all murdered by the Germans in
Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...
's
massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
. Even so, Mukachevo's population still held an important Jewish component, until in 1944 all the Jews were deported to
Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed int ...
by the Nazi German Eichmann Commando. They were the last Jewish community in Europe to succumb to the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
. In the end of 1944, the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
stormed Carpathian Ruthenia. At first the territory was given to the reestablished Czechoslovakia, then became part of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
by a treaty between the two countries, later in 1945. The Soviet Union began a policy of expulsion of the Hungarian population. In 1945, the city was ceded to the
Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
(''now
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
''). Since 2002, Mukachevo has been the seat of the
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
diocese comprising Transcarpathia. The 128th Mountain Assault Brigade of the
Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the land forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They ...
has been based in Mukachevo since after World War II.


Sport

The main soccer team is Munkacs Mukacheve, that play in
Ukrainian Second League Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * Som ...
.


Climate

Mukachevo has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
( Köppen: ''Dfb'').


Demographics

In 1921, 21,000 people lived in Mukachevo. Of these, 48 percent were Jews, 24 percent were Rusyns, and 22 percent were Hungarians. The city's population in 1966 was 50,500. Of these, 60% were Ukrainians, 18 percent Hungarians, 10% Russians and 6% Jews. According to the 2001 census, 82,200 people live in Mukachevo. The population in 1989 was 91,000, in 2004 77,300 and in 2008 93,738. Its population includes: *Ukrainians (77.1%) *Russians (9.0%) *Hungarians (8.5%) *Germans (1.9%) *Roma (1.4%) *Ashkenazi & Sephardic Jews (1.1%) Residents in seven villages of the
Mukachevo Raion Mukachevo Raion ( uk, Мукачівський район, hu, Munkácsi járás) is a raion (district) of Zakarpattia Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Mukachevo is the administrative center of the raion. Its population is On 18 July 2020, as par ...
have the option to learn the Hungarian language in a school or home school environment.


Economy

Fischer Sports Fischer Sports is an Austrian winter sports equipment manufacturing company, more specifically Nordic skiing, Alpine skiing and ice hockey equipment. Winter sports equipment include skis, boots, bindings, and accessories ( bags, backpacks). For i ...
, an
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n company that produces
Nordic skiing Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. ...
,
alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...
, and
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
equipment, has a factory in Mukachevo. The firm benefits from provisional application on January 1, 2016 of the
Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA) are three free trade areas established between the European Union, and Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine respectively. The DCFTAs are part of each country's EU Association Agreement. They allow G ...
provisions of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.


Jewish community

:''See also
Munkacs (Hasidic dynasty) Munkatch (or Munkacs) Hasidism (חסידות מונקאטש) is a Hasidic sect within Haredi Judaism of mostly Hungarian Hasidic Jews. It was founded and led by Polish-born Grand Rebbe Shlomo Spira, who was the rabbi of the town of Strzyżó ...
'' There are documents in the Berehove (Beregszász) State Archives which indicate that Ashkenazi Jews lived in Munkács and the surrounding villages as early as the second half of the seventeenth century. The Jewish community of Munkács was an amalgam of Galician and Hungarian
Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism ( Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of conte ...
Jewry, Orthodox Jews, and Zionists. The town is most noted for its Chief Rabbi
Chaim Elazar Spira Chaim Elazar Spira (December 17, 1868 – May 13, 1937) was a rebbe of the Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic Munkacs (Hasidic dynasty), Munkacs dynasty. Family background Spira was born in Strzyżów, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary, ...
who led the community until his death in 1937. By 1851, Munkács supported a large
yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...
, thereby demonstrating the community's commitment to
Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
ic learning and piety. Materially impoverished, yet wealthy in ideological debate, the Jews of interwar Munkács constituted almost half of the town's population. The Munkács Jewish community was famous for its Hasidic activity as well as its innovations in
Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
and modern Jewish education.One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust h ...
, and has been released under the
GFDL The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or simply GFDL) is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers th ...
:
The Jewish population of Munkács grew from 2,131 in 1825 to 5,049 in 1891 (almost 50 percent of the total population) to 7,675 in 1910 (about 44 percent). By 1921, the 10,000 Jews still made up about half the residents, though by 1930, the proportion had dropped to 43 percent, with a little over 11,000 Jews. The Jews of Munkács constituted 11 percent of the Jewry of
Subcarpathian Rus Carpathian Ruthenia ( rue, Карпатьска Русь, Karpat'ska Rus'; uk, Закарпаття, Zakarpattia; sk, Podkarpatská Rus; hu, Kárpátalja; ro, Transcarpatia; pl, Zakarpacie); cz, Podkarpatská Rus; german: Karpatenukrai ...
. Interwar Munkács had a very large Jewish population, which was most visible on the
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stori ...
. On that day most stores were closed and, after services, the streets filled with
Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism ( Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of conte ...
Jews in their traditional garb. The first movie house in the town was established by a Hasidic Jew, and it too closed on the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The Chief Rabbi of Munkács,
Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...
Chaim Elazar Spira Chaim Elazar Spira (December 17, 1868 – May 13, 1937) was a rebbe of the Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic Munkacs (Hasidic dynasty), Munkacs dynasty. Family background Spira was born in Strzyżów, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary, ...
(who led the community from 1913 until his death in 1937) was the most outspoken voice of religious
anti-Zionism Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestin ...
. He had succeeded his father, Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Spira, who had earlier inherited the mantle of leadership from his father Rabbi Shlomo Spira. He was also a
Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism ( Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of conte ...
rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritu ...
with a significant number of followers. Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira was succeeded by his son-in-law, Rabbi
Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinowicz Grand Rabbi Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinovich (1914–1997), was a member of a chassidic dynasty, and succeeded to the title Munkacser Rebbe. Early years Boruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel was born in Russia in 1914 to his parents, Rabbi Nosson Do ...
. Along with the dominant Munkácser hasidic community there co-existed smaller yet vibrant Hasidic groups who were followers of the rebbes
Belz Belz ( uk, Белз; pl, Bełz; yi, בעלז ') is a small city in Lviv Oblast of Western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, located between the Solokiya river (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administ ...
, of Spinka,
Zidichov Ziditshov is a Hasidic dynasty originating in town Ziditshoyv (as known in Yiddish; or Zhydachiv in Ukrainian), in Galicia (a province of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire). It was founded by Rebbe Tzvi Hirsh of Ziditshov. Today, the few who ...
, and Vizhnitz. By the time of
the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europ ...
there were nearly 30
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...
s in town, many of which were '' Shtieblech'' ("
mall Mall commonly refers to a: * Shopping mall * Strip mall * Pedestrian street * Esplanade Mall or MALL may also refer to: Places Shopping complexes * The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria * The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India ...
house" - small asidicsynagogues). The
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
Gymnasium (high school) was founded in Munkács five years after the first Hebrew speaking elementary school in Czechoslovakia was established there in 1920. It soon became the most prestigious Hebrew high school east of
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
. Zionist activism along with
chasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
pietism contributed to a community percolating with excitement, intrigue and at times internecine conflict. In 1935, Chaim Kugel, formerly director of the Munkács gymnasium (Jewish high school) and then Jewish Party delegate to the Czechoslovak Parliament, gave a speech during a parliamentary debate: "…It is completely impossible to adequately describe the poverty in the area. The Jews… are affected equally along with the rest…. I strongly wish to protest any attempt to blame the poverty of the Subcarpathian Ruthenian peasantry on the Jews" (Kugel later got to
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
and eventually became mayor of the
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i city of
Holon Holon ( he, חוֹלוֹן ) is a city on the central coastal strip of Israel, south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the metropolitan Gush Dan area. In it had a population of . Holon has the second-largest industrial zone in Israel, after Haifa ...
). Government policies were covertly directed against Jews, who bore a heavy share of taxes and had difficulty getting high civil service positions. In 1939, the Hungarians seized and annexed Subcarpathian Rus—including Munkács—taking advantage of the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia. Though antisemitic legislation was introduced by the Hungarian authorities, Subcarpathian Rus, like the rest of Hungary, remained a relative haven for Jews until
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
occupied Hungary in 1944. In the spring of 1944 there were nearly 15,000 Jewish residents of the town. This ended on May 30, 1944 when the city was pronounced ''Judenrein'' (free of Jews after ghettoization and a series of deportations to
Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed int ...
). Today, Mukachevo is experiencing a Jewish renaissance of sorts with the establishment of a supervised kosher kitchen, a
mikveh Mikveh or mikvah (,  ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purifi ...
, Jewish summer camp in addition to the prayer services which take place three times daily. In July 2006, a new synagogue was dedicated on the site of a pre-war hasidic synagogue.


Architectural landmarks

*
Palanok Castle The Palanok Castle or Mukachevo Castle ( uk, Замок "Паланок", Zamok "Palanok"; hu, Munkács vára or ; german: Plankenburg) is a historic castle in the city of Mukacheve in the western Ukrainian oblast (province) of Zakarpattia. ...
, 14th century. The castle of Munkács played an important role during the anti-Habsburg revolts in this territory and present-day
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
(1604–1711), especially at the beginning of the anti-Habsburg Revolt of
Imre Thököly Imre is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry ...
(1685–1688), as well as at the beginning of the revolt of Ferenc II. Rákóczi (early 18th century). This important fortress became a prison from the end of the 18th century and was used until 1897. The Greek national hero Alexander Ypsilanti was imprisoned in Munkács castle from 1821 to 1823. * Saint Nicholas Monastery *Wooden church built in the Ukrainian architectural style, 18th century


Notable people

* Lojza Baránek * Samuel Gottesman * Helena Kahan Jockel Helena Jockel (1919-), Memoir: We Sang in Hushed Voices (Azrieli Series of Holocaust Survivor Memoirs; VI), 2014. * Ihor Kharatin * Fyodor Koriatovych * Lolita Milyavskaya * Ivan Mozer *
Mihály Munkácsy Mihály Munkácsy (20 February 1844 – 1 May 1900) was a Hungarian painter. He earned international reputation with his genre pictures and large-scale biblical paintings. Early years Munkácsy was born as ''Mihály Leó Lieb'' ( hu, Li ...
* Rio Preisner *
Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinowicz Grand Rabbi Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinovich (1914–1997), was a member of a chassidic dynasty, and succeeded to the title Munkacser Rebbe. Early years Boruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel was born in Russia in 1914 to his parents, Rabbi Nosson Do ...
*
Moshe Leib Rabinovich Moshe Leib Rabinovich (born December 25, 1940 in Munkacs, Hungary) is the current rebbe of Munkacs. Early life Rabinovich was born as the third child to his parents Rabbi Baruch and Frima Rabinovich in Munkacs, Carpathian Ruthenia, the co ...
* Ludvík Ráža * Ján Strausz * Svyatoslav Vakarchuk *
Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss Rabbi Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss (15 February 1902 – 14 June 1989), commonly known as the ''Minchas Yitzchak'' after the Responsa he authored, was the rabbi of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem] at the time of his death, but his Halakha, halakhic in ...
* Joseph Meir Weiss * Yuri Yukechev *
Naomi Blake Naomi Blake née Zisel Dum (11 March 1924 – 7 November 2018) was a British sculptor, whose work reflected her experience as a Holocaust survivor. Biography Blake was born in Mukačevo, Czechoslovakia (now Mukacheve, Ukraine) to orthodox Jew ...
* Irina Galay * Dmytro Yeblusha


Twin towns – sister cities

Mukachevo is twinned with: *
Celldömölk Celldömölk (german: Kleinmariazell) is the fifth largest town in Vas County, Hungary. Parts of the Eragon movie were filmed here. The town with 11,000 inhabitants can be found in the centre of Kemenesalja Hills. History Celldömölk has a hi ...
, Hungary * Dabas, Hungary *
Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque bui ...
, Hungary *
Humenné Humenné (; hu, Homonna; ukr, Гуменне) is a town in the Prešov Region ("kraj") in eastern Slovakia and the second largest town of the historic Zemplín region. It lies at the volcanic Vihorlat mountains and at the confluence of the ...
, Slovakia * Kisvárda, Hungary *
Mátészalka Mátészalka is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. It is on the Kraszna River, 52 kilometers from the city of Nyiregyhaza. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 17,01 ...
, Hungary * Nyírmeggyes, Hungary *
Mielec Mielec ( yi, מעליץ-Melitz) is the largest city and seat of Mielec County. Mielec is located in south-eastern Poland (Lesser Poland), in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (Województwo Podkarpackie). The population of Mielec in December 2021 wa ...
, Poland * Pag, Croatia * Pelhřimov, Czech Republic *
Prešov Prešov (, hu, Eperjes, Rusyn and Ukrainian: Пряшів) is a city in Eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region ( sk, Prešovský kraj) and Šariš, as well as the historic Sáros County of the Kingdom of Hungary. With ...
, Slovakia * Senta, Serbia * Várkerület (Budapest), Hungary


Gallery

File:Греко-католицький Успенський Собор P1370824.jpg, Dormition Cathedral File:P1380225 вул. Ярослава Мудрого, 10.jpg, A historical building on Yaroslava Mudroho Street File:Будинок Мукачівського російського драматичного театру.JPG, Mukachevo drama theater File:Munkacs Academia.jpg, Former Munkacs Academy File:Вул.Ілони Зріні.Мукачево.jpg, A street in the old town (Ilony Zrini Street) File:Парк ім. Горького, Мукачеве.JPG, Horkyi Park in Mukachevo File:Aero Замок Паланок.jpg, Aerial view of Palanok castle File:«Ловачка». Погляд із мукачівського замку P1380061.jpg, Northern outskirts of Mukachevo File:Мукачеве.Миколаївський монастир.jpg, A church in Mukachevo File:Мукачево, центр.jpg, Central square of Mukachevo File:Римо-католицький храм "Хреста Спасителя". Мукачево.JPG, Roman Catholic cathedral File:Православна церква Мукачево.jpg, Orthodox Church of Pochaiv Icon of Virgin Mary


See also

*
Zakarpattia Oblast The Zakarpattia Oblast ( uk, Закарпатська область, Zakarpatska oblast) is an administrative oblast located in western Ukraine, mostly coterminous with the historical region of Carpathian Ruthenia. Its administrative centre is ...
* Eparchy of Mukachevo and Prešov * Saint Nicholas Monastery (Mukachevo) * Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo * Roman Catholic Diocese of Mukachevo


References


Further reading

* * * The History of Cities and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR of the
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU; uk, Національна академія наук України, ''Natsional’na akademiya nauk Ukrayiny'', abbr: NAN Ukraine) is a self-governing state-funded organization in Ukraine th ...


External links

* * * *
Mukachevo City Council
- Mukachevo City Council website
mukachevo.net
– Mukachevo city portal
Newspaper "Mukachivsjka Ratusha"
Official news Mukachevo Mayor
Mukachevo News, Panorama Mukachevo - http://panorama-mukachevo.comMukachevo, Ukraine (Munkács, HU) ShtetLink on JewishGen.org
- Pictures of the Palanok castle and view on Mukachevo from Sergey Sorokin - a private mountain guide

in th
Encyclopedia of Ukraine
*United States Holocaust Memorial Museu
Jewish Community of MunkacsA Jewish Community in the Carpathian Mountains- The Story of Munkács
- Yad Vashem
A Film of Jewish Life in Munkacs

security agency "schit" Mukachevo Survey City tourMukacheve - ShtetLinkMukacheve Mukachevo, historical information, archival and contemporary photos, landmarks
{{Authority control Cities in Zakarpattia Oblast Shtetls Cities of regional significance in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Ukraine