King’s town (PHOTOS)

Transcarpathian village of Korolevo has a long history. It has had many names: Felsas, Kirayhazo, Kralovo nad Tisou, Korolevo… the village of railway workers.

Kiralyhaza in Hungarian means "King’s house," and indeed there was a hunting lodge there, where Hungarian kings would come to hunt. The first record of Korolevo dates back to 1272, when German colonists were granted the right to hunt in that area. This is not surprising because the rich flora and fauna, thick forests, the Tisa river with plenty of fish and fertile soils made this area a tasty morsel.

But even long before 1272, primitive tribes lived there and the oldest in Central and Eastern Europe dwelling site of prehistoric people, which is more than 1 million years old, was located on the outskirts of the village. But now, the local quarry has almost destroyed it.

Korolevo is also famous for the Castle Nolab, which is now nothing but ruins. And once, it was considered the economic and cultural center in the region and stood sentinel over borders.   Besides, in the castle, Stanislav Grammaticus made the translation of the four Gospels into Church Slavonic language and created the monument of Ukrainian literature – Korolevo Tetragospel dated 1401.

Turbulent history, struggle for power, prosperity and decline – Korolevo has seen all that. As centuries changed, the village was changing too, so maybe it’s time for it to return to its former glory, and, perhaps, become a tourist "Mecca", which is worth a visit, because there are things to see there.

To be continued…