Mukacheve's highlight is the hilltop castle that pops up from the surrounding plain as you approach Mukacheve from Uzhhorod, like something in a fairy-tale fantasy. This 14th-century castle, famous as the site where Croatian-Hungarian princess Ilona Zrini held off the Austrian Emperor's army for three years before finally capitulating in 1688, is also popular among Hungarians for its association with Sándor Petőfi (1823-49), the Hungarian national poet, who was held here during the century the building served as an Austrian prison. A couple of ageing exhibits (folk costumes, archaeological finds) with English explanations provide minor distraction, unlike the views which are wonderful. Renovation often gives way to dereliction (or a souvenir shop) here and half the fun is getting lost on the various levels of arcading that surround the courtyard. To get here, board any bus 3 in front of the church on vul Pushkina or take any marshrutka heading to тімірязева.
