Serednie

The village of Seredne is located in the foothills of the Volcanic Carpathians (Makovytsi) between Uzhhorod and Mukachevo on the Violla River, and according to the administrative division it belongs to the Uzhhorod district, Zakarpattia region. It is located on the M06-E50 highway, 22 kilometers from the regional center. The name of the village corresponds to the location of the village in relation to the two largest cities of Zakarpattia. There is another version that says that the villagers moved three times, and finally chose a place in the middle of the previously selected sites.

Today, Serednie is a little-known place where the history and beauty of Zakarpattia's nature are intertwined. The village survived the terror of Habsburg troops, after which it had a hard time recovering, but today it is thriving in the tourism and industrial sectors.

When you come here, be sure to visit the Serednyansky Castle of the Templar Order, or rather its ruins. It is one of the main attractions of Zakarpattia and is considered the only such castle in Ukraine. It was built by the Knights Templar in the twelfth century and was used as a customs post and sometimes as a place for small garrisons of troops.

Perhaps the most important business card of Serednye is its historic wine cellars, as the area has long been famous for winemaking and there is information that Tsar Peter the Great had the opportunity to taste the local wines during the Prut campaign in 1711. He liked the wine very much and ordered to buy a share of local vineyards. It is said that once upon a time, according to feudal custom, wine could be tasted only during the Christmas and Easter holidays. Today, however, there are no such traditions, so whenever you are here, you can taste "fresh" wine and visit wine cellars.

The wine cellars in Serednye are the oldest and largest winemaking center in Zakarpattia. Locals say that the valleys around the village are located in such a way that they are warmed by the sun almost from the very east to the west, and there is no shade anywhere. This makes it possible to grow good grape harvests. Numerous rulers of Serednyi knew this in the old days. One of them, the Dobo family, founded wine cellars in 1557, and their total length reaches 4 kilometers. These cellars are now used by the local Leanka winery. Larysa Bolshakova, the chief industrial engineer of the winery, says that this is the company that once produced the wines that made Zakarpattia famous throughout the Soviet Union.

The Serednyansky wine "Rose of Zakarpattia" is the most famous and most valuable, it has been awarded numerous gold medals at many exhibitions.

And for dessert, try the "still hot" local pastries, because there is a bakery in the village.

In Serednie, you can also visit three churches. The first is a Greek Catholic church in the center of the village, the second is an Orthodox church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the third is a Roman Catholic church. You can also visit the Franciscan monastery and the monastery of the Sisters of the Congregation of Jesus.