Transcarpathian meteorite "Knyahynya"

Knyahynya is a stone meteorite (chondrite, group LL5) weighing over 500 kilograms. It is the largest meteorite found in Europe in recent history. When it passed through the dense layers of the atmosphere, it was visible as a bright bolide over the territory of modern Slovakia, the cities of Liptovsky Mikulas, Šaryš, Zemplín and Presov. After traveling about two hundred kilometers, at about 17:00 on June 9, 1866, it exploded at an altitude of 40 km above the village of Kniahynya (Ukraine, Zakarpattia region, Velykyi Bereznyi district), breaking into more than 1200 pieces, causing a short-lived meteor shower. The fragments covered a large area within a radius of 5 km. The bulk of the meteorite body (presumably the nucleus), weighing 279,766 grams, landed eight kilometers from the village of Knyahynya, on the slope of Mount Stinka (1078 m) in the Chorni Mlaki tract.

A few days later, this fragment was found by Vasyl Kryvianyk, a resident of Knyahynya village, at a depth of about 2 meters. When it fell, the core broke into two almost identical pieces weighing 141833 and 137933 grams, and another piece weighing 2350 grams broke off from the last piece. Soon after, Velykyi Bereznyi forester Anton Pokornyi learned about the discovery. According to him, he bought the meteorite from Kryvianyk "for two oxen, which he chose himself." Subsequently, Pokornyi himself resold it at a profit to the Vienna Imperial Museum (a modern museum of natural history), where the meteorite is still stored today.

In December 2009, old archival documents revealed new data about the Princess, which indicate the significant role of this meteorite in the development of the panspermia hypothesis. We are talking about publications in the scientific journal Sience (1881), in the article "C. Darwin and Dr. Hahn's discovery of fossil remains of organisms in a meteorite", correspondence between Charles Darwin and German geologist Otto Hahn (not to be confused with physicist Otto Hahn). In it, in particular, the German scientist claimed that during the study of the Princess's meteorite fragments, he had discovered particles of extraterrestrial corals, parasites, and plants. The data was verified and fully confirmed by the famous zoologist Weinlander. All information about the research was published by the author in the book "Die Meteorite (crondrite) und ihre Organismen" (1880). Interested in the stories about the largest meteorite in Europe, Jules Verne himself visited the site of its fall in 1892.

The Transcarpathian TV company M-Studio made a documentary about the meteorites of the region and, in particular, about the Knyahynya meteorite. The search for the fragments is still ongoing, and a recent discovery is evidenced by a lot at an online auction by a resident of Berehove-a piece weighing 164 grams and priced at $4,500.

How to get to the meteorite crash site

There are two routes to the Chorni Mlaky tract: from the village of Knyahynya or from the village of Stuzhytsia. The latter is a little shorter - only 5 km on foot in one direction. Near the bridge in the village of Stuzhytsia is the beginning of the route. Then you should walk along the Stuzhychanka river to the Pidzvonyi tract, along the road through the field to the forest. At the edge of the forest, you can make a stop to drink mineral water (there is a rest area near the spring).

Behind the spring, the trail bends to the right and leads to the Paporotni tract. There are centuries-old beech forests around, as well as sycamores, ash trees, white firs, and spruce trees. You need to walk about 1.5 km through the tract to another spring. Behind it, a path leads to the Chorni Mlaki tract to the right.

Directly in Stuzhytsia, it is worth visiting the centuries-old oaks, some of the oldest trees in Ukraine. According to various estimates, the trees are between 1,100 and 1,300 years old. Depending on the weather conditions and physical fitness, a walk from Stuzhytsia to Chorni Mlaky can take from 3 to 5 hours. The total length of the route is about 10 km.

From the village of Knyahynya, the walk to the meteorite crash site is about 8 km. In order not to go down the same path, you can return not to the village, but on the road to the tourist center "Dubovyi Hai". Why is this route attractive? The trail to the Chorni Mlaky tract passes karst caves on the slopes of the Stinka massif, and the local beech and sycamore forests are one of the natural treasures not only of Zakarpattia, but of the whole country!

So, right after the village of Knyahynya, turn left - the route is marked, look for blue markings on the trees. The trail goes uphill, passing through the fields, from which you can clearly see the Stinku ridge and the Knyahynytsia mountain.