Date: 08.02.08 15:10  

 The history of Transcarpathia is a constituent part of Ukraine. In spite of this fact, it has a good number of peculiarities, which have told on economic as well as political and ethnic development of the region. In different times Transcarpathia  had various names: « Carpathian Rus΄ »,«Hungarian Rus΄ » , «Podkarpats´ka Rus΄», «Carpathian Ukraine», «Transcarpathian Ukraine». Occupying an important  geographic position on the southern slopes of the Ukrainian Carpathians, Transcarpathia , since ancient times, has been , so to say,« a ties bridge» between Northern and Southern, Eastern and Western Europe. Not only  the ways of connection intersected here but also the political conceptions of European and especially East-European history ran across each other at the place.  
The past of Transcarpathia is indissolubly connected with the eastern Slavs. Archaelogical sources witness that already in ancient times its population had a high level of  tangible and intangible culture, which is genetically common with the culture of  the tribes from Podniprovya, Podnistrovya, Lisostep (Forest and Steppe Regions), Volyn΄ and Prykarpattya (Sub-Carpathia) where in the 1st  millennium AD an intensive process of the eastern Slavdom formation was taking place.
An important event in the history of Transcarpathia was that till the 9th ─11th centuries it fell under an active sphere of  influence of the mighty East-Slavic state ─ Rus´ whose level of tangible and intangible culture was high for that time.
Since the end of the 11th century Transcarpathia has been torn off from the main root ─ the eastern Slavs. Until the middle of the 20th  century Transcarpathia entered into Hungary, Austria, Austro-Hungary, Czechoslovakia, but  the ethnonyms “ Rus´ ” , “Rusyny” confirm that it has never lost its contact with the folks on the other side of the Carpathians.
The chartists and German fascists ruled in the region from 1939 to 1944.In October, 1944 Transcarpathia was enfranchised from the oppression, and it reunited with Ukraine in 1945.
In the course of centuries Transcarpathia ,entering into other states, kept in touch with Ukraine and Russia. It considered itself a part of a large family of the folks of the eastern Slavdom.  But to our mind , one may undoubtedly state that none of the regions of Ukraine had such expanded economic, political and cultural relations with the peoples of Europe, as Transcarpathia did; this put a particular imprint on its historical development, on economic, political and ethnic processes. That is why the history of Transcarpathia can’t  be studied without its relations of many centuries with the history of  the Hungarians, the Roumanians, the Slovaks, the Czech and the Polish , with the peoples of the Balkans. One can often hear: « The one who wants to see the centre of Europe should go to Transcarpathia » . It is not by chance at all that the scientists of the beginning of the 20th century have located the centre of Europe exactly in Transcarpathia (near Rakhiv). Nowadays ,however, German and French scientists consider the environs of Vilnius to be a new centre of Europe.
Nevertheless the history of Transcarpathia in its different periods is interesting and sometimes even exciting. It is important for the ascertaining of  the history of Ukraine , the part of which is Transcarpathia, as well as for a full coverage of  Hungarian, Czechoslovakian, Roumanian histories. To some extent, this fact explains why it is of interest.
The whole historical way of Transcarpathia ─ from ancient times to our times ─ may be divided into several periods: ancient times, the period which chronologically  continues till the 9th century , feudal epoch ─ from the 9th  century till the middle of the 19th  century; the period of capitalism development ( the second half of the 19th ─ the beginning of  the 20th centuries ) ─ the period between the two World Wars, when Transcarpathia was a part of Czechoslovakia ; Hungarian occupation 1939─1944; Transcarpathian Ukraine ( the period from 1944 to 1945 ), the post-war period when Transcarpathia reunited with Ukraine. The period up to 1918, it stands out for the plot as it was the period when Transcarpathia entered into Hungary and Austro-Hungary.
The history of Transcarpathia  has always been of great interest. The past and the present of the region , its future were interesting  not only for  the population of Transcarpathia but also for the wide public of Ukraine and Russia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Roumania etc. It is quite natural, since historical fates of the neighbouring countries have always interlaced, through their history certain pages of Transcarpathian history uncover themselves.
“An Outline Of  The History Of Transcarpathia”, Uzhhorod, 1993
Transcarpathia is the youngest region of Ukraine , situated in the edge West, with the territory of 12,8 thousand sq. km.,  the population ─ 1,2 million people. 13 districts and 10 towns , 5 of which are of regional subordinancy. The total number of localities in the region is 608.
According to its geopolitical disposition and climatic peculiarities Transcarpathia has its own specificity. It is the only region in Ukraine that borders on four foreign countries ─ Hungary, Poland, Roumania and Slovakia. Mountainous and foot-hill zones constitute 70 per cent of its territory, what calls forth the uniqueness of the natural landscape, the richness and diversity of the regional resources potential. The region is multinational. Ukrainians (78,4%) are the main and native population of the region. Hungarians, Russians, Roumanians, Slovaks, Gipsies, on the whole more than 30 nationalities live here.  
These special features determine the peculiarity of social and economic development of the region as well as the colouring of its traditions, the people’s life mode , its past and present. In the conditions of  reforming the economic relations the stress is put on the development of economic industries of primary importance ─ wood and timber industry, light and food industries, the development  of  the frontier collaboration, recreation and tourism et cetera. The main attention is paid to the further  structural reforming of the whole national  economic complex, the attraction of  domestic and foreign investments in the economy , the development of small and medium business, the effective usage of natural resources potential. Transcarpathia is among the leaders in Ukraine by the part of investments made per inhabitant.
With the conception realization of  free economic are “Transcarpathia” and the establishment  of a special regimen of investment activity on the territory of the region  there appeared qualitatively new preconditions for the regional economic development . There have been registered almost 400 enterprises with foreign investments, more than a thousand of joint ventures work here, there function the Open Joint-stock Association “ Transcarpathia” and the Close Joint-stock Association “Autoport-Chop”, there are no analogies of these in Ukraine.
The foreign economic activity has begun to develop dynamically. On the territory of Transcarpathia there are 17 border check-points which one must pass in order to go to the countries of Western Europe , among these ─ 6 international automobile check-points, 4 railway ones, 3 check-points are those of simplified crossing. 
Reforming processes are taking place actively in the agro-industrial complex. Considerable changes may be noticed in the structure of land usage. Though the region is characterized by the shortage of arable land , still 50 per cent of all agricultural objects of economic significance area are at present  possessed by the citizens, 46 per cent ─ by collective agricultural enterprises. The main directions in rural areas remain livestock-raising, gardening, viticulture, grain-crops industry and vegetables growing which are traditional for Transcarpathia.
Transcarpathian region is known as one of the most prestigious corners of  people’s medication and recreation. There is the developed net of sanatory and health resort complexes, tourist bases, unique mineral springs and thermal waters, over 400 kinds of which have already been studied. All these and the beauty of the Carpathian nature attract tourists and the resting people in any season. Sanatoria, recreation houses and boarding-houses of the region are able to receive up to 4000 resting people simultaneously.
However, Transcarpathia today is the region which possesses not only the good economic and natural resources potential. This is the region which has given Ukraine a good deal of great scientists, talented painters, masters of the stage. By tradition the region is considered to be a basic one as to the organizing and holding of many international and All-Ukrainian scientific art forums. Here function 5 state higher educational institutions with higher accreditation form ; there has been regulated the whole system of general education schools. In this process the national minorities’ interests and spiritual needs have also been taken into account. Here also work 5 professional theatres, 659 clubs and leisure centres, 4 museums, the regional philharmonic.
But the regional greatest wealth are its industrious, affable, wise and talented people. They have always been famous for  their craftsmanship, generosity and soul richness. How skillfully they arrange their own dwellings , so do they strive for perfection, peace and harmony at our common home. After all, come to our place , this fascinating  corner of emerald forests and mountain streams, to the region of hospitable , friendly people and you will make sure of it on your own.
Welcome!