Draft:Lysychovo

Lysychovo Лисичово Rókamező (Hungarian)
Village
View from "Borsuchyn" towards Mount Kuk
Lysychovo Location in Zakarpattia Oblast Lysychovo Location in Ukraine
Coordinates: 48°29′27″N 23°16′27″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Zakarpattia Oblast
Raion	Khust Raion
First mentioned	1383
Area
• Total	8.929 km2 (3.448 sq mi)
Elevation	309 m (1,014 ft)
Population  (2001)
• Total	3,187
• Density	356.93/km2 (924.4/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	90150
Area code	+380 3144
Water bodies	Lysychanka River, Vaskova River, Trosna, Lysytskyi tributary, Lake Repynne
Nearest railway station	Svaliava railway station
Distance to Khust	45 km
Distance to Oblast center	101 km
Highest point	Mount Kuk — 1361 m

Lysychovo (also spelled Lysychevo) is a village in the Kereckove rural hromada, Khust Raion, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine.

Name

Village name sign at the entrance to Lysychovo

Lysychovo was first mentioned in 1389 under the name “Liszica”. Later, it appeared as “Liszicza” in 1465, “Lissica” in 1466, “Rawasmezew” in 1517, and “Ravaszmező” in 1662. Until 1918, the Hungarian name “Rókamező” was used. In 1995, the village officially adopted its modern Ukrainian name, Lysychovo.

Geography

The village stretches along the banks of the Lysychanka River, a tributary of the Borzhava River.

Lysychovo is located 45 km from the district center, the city of Khust, and 30 km from the nearest railway station, Svaliava.

Climate

Lysychovo has a humid continental climate, favorable for horticulture and viticulture. The Polonyna Borzhava mountain ridge provides protection from cold northern winds. The area is characterized by long autumns, with frost common in November. Winters last about three months with occasional thaws, and snow cover is typical. Early spring is aided by warm winds from the Pannonian Plain.

The average annual air temperature is 7 °C, with the coldest month being January (−4.7 °C) and the warmest July (17.6 °C). The average annual precipitation is about 1280 mm, with February being the driest month and July the wettest.

History

Lysychovo was first mentioned in historical records in 1383.

Old Greek Catholic church seal bearing the Hungarian name "Rokamezei" (Fox Field) and the year of the parish's registration — 1418

From the 15th century, the village belonged to the noble Dolhai family, whose primary residence was in the village of Dovhe, center of the Dolha dominion. In 1550, it was owned by György and Imre Dolhai, and in 1600 by János Dolhai.

According to the 1715 census, the village was considered abandoned, and by 1720, only six peasants were recorded living there.

In the 1760s, Count László Teleki established a paper mill in the village.

In 1795, Hungarian scholar András Vályi wrote: “Lysychovo, a Ruthenian village in the Máramaros county near the Bereg border. The village is home to 556 Greek Catholics and 16 Jews. It has one church. It is owned by Count Teleki.”

After the Hungarian War of Independence (1703–1711), the estates of nobleman György Dolhai were confiscated by the Habsburg authorities for his participation in the uprising. The land, including Lysychovo, was transferred to the state and later granted to Count Teleki as a reward by Emperor Joseph I.

To develop the estate, Count Teleki encouraged the settlement of Czech and German colonists. These settlers were not serfs, but paid workers — a change that aligned with the imperial reforms of Joseph II, who abolished serfdom in Bohemia in 1781.

According to the Uzhhorod journal *Zorya-Hajnal* (1941), the paper mill established by Teleki in 1760 had three rollers and was water-powered. By 1772, it produced 104 bundles of high-quality paper and 12 of lower grade. Raw materials included rags, animal bones, and gelatin for glue. Between 1780 and 1825, the paper carried watermarks featuring the Teleki family coat of arms and the initials “GT” for “Grof Teleki.” One such paper was used for the church registry of births in Kushnytsia and Lysychovo (1820–1887), preserved in the State Archives of Zakarpattia.

The paper mill, due to tough competition, ceased operation in 1840 and was repurposed.

Later, a more advanced forge was built on its site by the Austrian entrepreneur Hamor. Engineers and craftsmen from other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire — including Slovakia, Poland, Silesia, and Bohemia — were brought to work there. A state ironworks was established using local ore.

By 1894, 260 workers were employed at the mines and iron plant. That year, the plant produced 5,766 quintals of iron worth 28,426 forints. The iron content of the ore varied between 15% and 30%.

Cadastral maps from 1864 show the layout of the plant and a nearby settlement of over 10 houses built for engineers and craftsmen — simple wooden structures with gabled roofs, initially thatched and later shingled.

In the mid-19th century, due to rising demand for iron products, Count Teleki founded the Dolha–Lysychovo Ironworks (Dolha-Rókamezői vasgyár). In 1853, construction began on a blast furnace in Dovhe, under the design of engineer Johann Müller and the supervision of director Príhrodní. Dovhe specialized in artistic casting, while Lysychovo focused on functional metal products.

Products from the plant were sold not only domestically but also exported to Serbia, Romania, Hungary, and beyond.

A source from 1862 recorded 166 houses and 850 Ruthenians living in Lysychovo.

According to the 1910 census, the village had 1,733 inhabitants: 1,563 Ruthenians, 80 Germans (Swabians), and 28 Hungarians. There were 1,562 Greek Catholics, 98 Roman Catholics, and 69 Jews.

Following poor harvests in 1930 and 1931, about 200 families faced famine, and 200 residents emigrated.

On 23 October 1944, Lysychovo was liberated from German occupation by the Red Army. Eighty-six locals joined the Soviet army, and 28 died in battle. In 1967, a monument was erected in their memory. Despite post-Soviet decommunization, the local government refused to dismantle the Soviet monument and instead “Ukrainized” it, recognizing fallen Red Army soldiers as equals to those who died defending Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Demographics

According to the 1910 census, the village had 1,733 residents:

• 80 Germans
• 28 Hungarians
• 1,563 Ruthenians

By religion:

• 69 Jews
• 98 Roman Catholics
• 1,562 Greek Catholics

According to the 1921 Czechoslovak census, Lysychovo had 1,494 inhabitants:

• 1,422 Ruthenians
• 56 Slovaks
• 15 Jews
• 1 Hungarian

According to the 1989 Soviet Census, the population of Lysychovo was 2,915 (1,418 men and 1,497 women).

As of the 2001 Ukrainian census, the village had a population of 3,186.

Language

Native language distribution according to the 2001 census:

Language	Percentage
Ukrainian	98.81%
Slovak	0.82%
Russian	0.38%

Hamora Water Forge

Main article: Hamora Water Forge

Hamora Water Forge

Forge in the 1920s

The village is home to Ukraine’s only functioning water-powered smithy — Hamora Water Forge (from German "Hammer") — an 18th-century industrial heritage monument under state protection.

The main building is 31 meters long, 8.5 meters wide, and 7.75 meters high, built on a stone foundation. The western, northern, and southern walls are made of irregular natural stone and are not plastered. The eastern wall is timber-framed and plastered. The inner dividing wall is made of brick. The roof is gabled and now covered with asbestos sheets. A wooden channel runs along the eastern side.

The water-powered mechanism includes a wooden drum with paddles, a 6.7 m long wooden beam, lateral supports of 30×50 cm, and a bearing for the shaft.

The hammer mechanism consists of an iron head, wooden arms (25×22 cm), support beams (48×33 cm), and an iron anvil. A four-lever system controls the flow of water to the wooden wheel, which powers the forge.

The workshop originally housed three mechanical hammers and five clay-brick furnaces. In early 1945, the smithy was converted into the "Syla" blacksmith plant. That year it produced (in the original terms): 3,317 hoes, 225 picks, 2,000 horseshoes, 100 mattocks, 95 rakes, 480 shovels, 340 hammers, 280 axes, 127 spades, 2,570 more horseshoes, and 872 scythes, totaling 7,612.22 thousand karbovanets.

In the 1960s, production was transferred to the Irshava Industrial Combine, and by the late 1960s the smithy was shut down. However, in 1971, it was restored as a museum and declared a protected site of industrial architecture.

Today, “Hamora” is the only operational water forge in Ukraine and possibly the only one in Europe that has worked continuously for over 300 years. It also hosts the annual blacksmith and folk crafts festival “Hamora.”

Religion

Lysychovo is home to two active churches: the Church Dedicated to St. John Paul II (RCC) and the Church of St. Michael the Archangel (UOC).

According to the 1921 Czechoslovak census, religious affiliation in the village was as follows:

Religion	Percentage
Greek Catholics	68.3%
Orthodox	24.2%
Roman Catholics	3.9%
Jews	3.6%

Church of St. Michael the Archangel, 1832 (UGCC)

In 1801, there was a wooden Church of the Virgin Mary in good condition, mentioned again in 1835.

A stone church was built through the efforts of parishioners and the Teleki family in 1832 and consecrated in 1837.

In 1902, emigrants from Lysychovo in the USA collected 307 crowns for its decoration. It is said that when church bells were removed during WWI in 1916, the largest bell in the area was dropped from this church, causing cracks in the walls.

During Soviet times, the church was deregistered on January 9, 1953, and dismantled in 1959. The stones were used to build a school.

The Orthodox community built a new stone church without a tower between 1924 and 1927, albeit with poor artistic and technical quality. The iconostasis and other items from the old church were transferred here.

Nearby, in a wooden bell tower, are the old church bells. The small bell, cast by Anton Novotny in Timișoara (Romania) in 1807, is the oldest. The large bell was cast by R. Manoušek in Brno in 1926.

Church of St. Michael the Archangel, 1927 (UOC)

The stone Orthodox church, built between 1924 and 1927 in a basilica style, lacks a tower. A wooden frame bell tower was built nearby. The large and small bells came from the old church, while the middle bell was cast for the Orthodox community by R. Herold in Chomutov in 1924, sponsored by Mykhailo Lapko. The church interior was painted by Ivan Andryshko in 1976.

Church of St. Michael the Archangel, 1999 (UOC-MP)

Since the older church could no longer accommodate the growing number of believers, construction began on a new brick church on the site of the former Greek Catholic church, led by local priest Fr. Mykhailo Buchmei. The design was based on the monastery church in Drahovo's Zaborod area, with modifications.

Construction was completed in 1997, with significant contributions from Ivan Denchelia and Fedir Melesh. Pavlo Tsitsai, director of the Kushnytsia mechanical plant branch, provided five 4.5-meter crosses. The church was consecrated by Bishop Yevfymii on April 25, 1999.

Church Dedicated to St. John Paul II, 2017 (RCC)

In 1993, local Roman Catholics purchased a regular village house and adapted it for worship as a chapel.

The chapel was consecrated on August 8 of that year.

In the 2010s, a small chapel was built in Lysychovo. On October 24, 2017, it was consecrated under the patronage of John Paul II by Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Claudio Gugerotti.

The chapel is served by diocesan priests from the Descent of the Holy Spirit Parish in Dovhe.

• 
  Church of St. Michael the Archangel, 1832 (UGCC)
• 
  Church of St. Michael the Archangel, 1927 (UOC)
• 
  Church of St. Michael the Archangel (UOC-MP)
• 
  Church Dedicated to St. John Paul II (RCC)

Festivals

The Hamora Festival is held annually on the last weekend of June at the Hamora forge and the surrounding area. This is a cultural and artistic event open to all forms of blacksmithing, both professional and amateur, as well as folk ensembles and individual artists. Its purpose is to support the development of traditional folk art and promote ethnic and cultural traditions.

The festival is also a creative competition for blacksmiths and a demonstration of their skills. It was founded in 1987. The initiators were district executive committee chairman Ivan Hrytsak, village head Yaroslav Paliok, forester Mykhailo Denchelia, and supervisor Ivan Prodan, all of whom worked at the Dovhe Forestry Complex at the time.

There are three main stages in the festival’s history. The first was held as part of the district folklore festival titled "The Hammer Calls the Gusli." For the second festival, blacksmiths were invited, and it was called "Festival of Blacksmithing and Folklore." The third stage began in 2007 and continues as a festival of blacksmithing and ethnic music.

Today, the organizers of the Hamora Festival include the local community of Lysychovo, Irshava District State Administration, Irshava District Council, the Transcarpathian Blacksmith Community "Klepachi", the NGO "Borzhava Initiative", the forge-museum leaseholder, and the Irshava District Union of Blacksmiths.

Each year, the festival is visited by about 10,000 people — local residents, tourists from across Ukraine, and guests from neighboring countries.

Interesting facts

• According to the Hungarian journal Vadász- és Versenylap (Hunting and Competition) in 1886, 233 animals were killed in 1885 on the estates of the noble Teleki family in Dolha and Rókamező:

Animal	By hunters	By wolf packs	By poison		Total
Stag	10	7	0		17
Hind	1	15	0		16
Roe deer	19	10	0		29
Wild boar	10	2	0		12
European hare	10	2	0		25
Hazel grouse	74	0	0		74
Mallard	2	0	0		2
Brown bear	3	1	1		5
Wolf	0	0	4		4
Red fox	7	0	20		27
European wildcat	2	0	0		2
Otter	2	0	0		2
Hawk	8	0	0		8
Total	161	37	25		233

• On 10 December 1914, a battle took place on the Pryslip Pass between the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Brigade of Polish Legions and the Russian Empire troops.

• The village of Lysychevo is mentioned in the novel *Dlouhá noc* (The Long Night) by Jan Drozd.

• In January 1934, strikes took place in Lysychevo, Dovhe, and Kushnytsia. Lumberjacks demanded higher wages, as their daily pay did not exceed 10 crowns.

• In the elections to the Soim of Carpatho-Ukraine on 12 February 1939, residents of Lysychevo cast 955 votes for the Ukrainian National Union.

• On 27 June 1947, members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army unit "TV-23 ‘Zhuravli’" destroyed the telephone center in Lysychevo and disarmed its two operators.

• In 1947, a hydropower plant was installed at the Hamora forge. It provided evening electricity to 70% of homes in Lysychevo and full street lighting. The plant operated until 1963.

• In January 1984, in the village of Lysychevo, Zakarpattia Oblast, the police tried to disperse carolers. The youth beat the police and pushed their vehicles into a ditch.

Tourist attractions

• The functioning water forge "Hamora"
• Church of Saint John Paul II, built in 2017
• Church of Archangel Michael, built in 1927
• Church of Archangel Michael, built in 1999
• Mineral water spring Trosna
• River Lysychanka
• Mount Sova – 561.6 m
• Mountain pass Pryslip – 937.6 m
• Lake Repynne
• Mount Kuk – 1361 m

Gallery

• 
  View from Sova to Mount Kuk
• 
  View from Borsuchyn
• 
  Lysychanka River
• 
  Krislo area
• 
  Lysytskyi River
• 
  Terrain of the Lysychanka River

• 
  Trepetystyi area
• 
  Lysychanka
• 
  View from Dylok area
• 
  View of Mount Sova
• 
  Danytsia
• 
  Apple orchard in Trepetystyi

• 
  View of Lysychevo
• 
  View of Mount Stiy
• 
  Vaskova River in the northern part of the village
• 
  Lake Repynne
• 
  Pryslip Pass

Literature

• Aug. von Härdtl. Die Heilquellen und Kurorte des oestreichischen Kaiserstaates und Ober-Italiens. W. Braumüller, 1862
• Fényes Elek – Magyarország geográfiai szótára, Pesten, 1851
• Vályi András. Magyar Országnak leírása. Pesten, 1795
• Ласло Дєже. Essays on the History of Transcarpathian Dialects. Budapest, 1967
• History of Cities and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR: Zakarpattia Region. Kyiv, 1969