Zakarpatya Region Overview

Zakarpattia Oblast or Transcarpathian Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its capital is Uzhhorod. Other important cities are Mukacheve and Chop (the border town housing various transportation infrastructure).

Earlier history of the area is elaborated at Carpathian Ruthenia, a former name for the geographic region.

Although ethnic Ukrainians (rather Ruthenians) are in majority here, other ethnic groups are relatively numerous in Zakarpattia. The largest of those are Hungarians, Romanians, Russians and Slovaks. Their languages and culture are respected by providing national school education, clubs etc. Zakarpattia is home to approximately 25,000 ethnic Roma (otherwise known as gypsies, the largest population of Roma in Ukraine).

The area of the region is 12,800 km; its population (as of 2004-05-01) is 1.2 million people.

Zakarpattia's economy depends mostly on trans-border trade, vinery and forestry.

Uzhhorod

Uzhhorod is a city in Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia. Uzhhorod is the centre city of Zakarpattia Oblast, the westernmost oblast of Ukraine.

The city gets its name from the Uzh River, which divides the city into two halves (the old and new sections). Uzh  means eel, and horod is Ukrainian for city, coming from Old Slavonic gradъ.

The city is spelled Ужгород in both Ukrainian and Russian, transliterated "Uzhhorod" from Ukrainian, "Uzhgorod" from Russian. Consequently, the city has been widely known in English language context as Uzhgorod during the Soviet Union era.

Uzhhorod is located at 48°37? N 22°18? E, population is 111,300 (2004).

History
 
The best known of the first city founders are the Slavs. One of their tribes – White Croatians – settled the area of the modern Uzhgorod in the second half of the first Millennium AD. During the 9th century a fortified castle changed into a fortified early feudal town-settlement, which became the centre of a new Slavonic principality, at the head of which was a legendary prince Laborets.

In 903 AD Hungarian tribes, headed by their leader Almos, stormed the Hungvar fortress. The forces were not equal and Laborets was defeated.

After the arrival of the Hungarians, the small town began to extend its borders. In 1241–1242 the Tatars of Baty-khan burnt the settlement. From 1318 for 360 years long the Druhetts (Italian Counts) had owned the town. During that period Philip Druhett built a new stone fortress on the place of the modern castle. Together with the castle the city began to grow. Already in 1430 Uzhgorod acquired some privileges from the king and was officially called “The Privileged City of Uzhgorod”

During the 16–17th centuries there were many handicraft corporations in Uzhgorod. In that period the city was engaged in the religious fight between Protestant Transylvania and Catholic Austria. In 1646 in the Uzhgorod castle by the Vatican Aegis the Uzhgorod Union was proclaimed and the Greek-Catholic church was established in Subcarpathia. In 1707 Uzhgorod was the residence of Ferenc II Rakoczi, the leader of the national-liberation war of the Hungarian people.

The beginning of the 19th century is characterized by economic changes. There appeared the first factories in Uzhgorod. The greatest influence on Uzhgorod among the political events of the 19th century was made by the Hungarian revolution and fight for freedom (1848–1849.) March 27, 1848 was officially celebrated in the city as the overthrow of the monarchy in Hungary. In 1872 the first railway "Uzhgorod–Chop" began to work.

The First World War slowed down the tempo of the city development. In September 10, 1919 Subcarpathia was officially annexed to the Republic of Czechoslovakia. Uzhgorod became the administrative centre of the territory. During these years Uzhgorod developed into an architecturally modern city. After the Munich Treaty Uzhgorod became part of the Slovak half of the new Czecho-Slovak state.

After the Vienna Award in 1938 Uzhgorod was transferred to Hungary. Till the end of 1944 the fights of the Second World War came close to Uzhgorod. On October 27, 1944 the city was liberated by the troops of the Fourth Ukrainian Front.

The liberation period brought the significant changes. At the outskirts of Uzhgorod new enterprises were constructed and the old enterprises were renewed. In 1945 Subcarpathian Ukraine became a part of the Ukrainian SSR of the USSR. That year the Uzhgorod State University was also opened. Since 1946 Uzhgorod was the centre of newly formed Zakarpatska oblast.

Since 1991 Uzhgorod has become one of 23 regional capitals within Ukraine. Of these, Uzhgorod is the smallest and westernmost.

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For investors: new entry

Novokahovskyi Lime-Sand Brick Plant Purposes of company: Investments Company description: Market Overview:  Construction volume is increasing 20-25% annually, creating an increased demand for high quality façade bricks. The industrial capacity of façade bricks is estimated at 200 million bricks per year. In 2006, a construction boom is expected in southern Ukraine, where the plant is located. The product is used mainly by construction companies and private companies. Project Overview: Using KSE-400 (Germany) Equipment supplier offers trainings for the buyer’s staff Can produce 30 million bricks per year including high quality hollow façade bricks, ordinary bricks, molded bricks, white and colored bricks Competitive Advantages: Production of lime-sand bricks is considerably more energy efficient than the production of ceramic bricks. Moreover, the project envisions the reconstruction of one of the two pit-type 50-ton lime-burning kilns; using coal, automatic blending, loading, and burning will save on gas Plant produces its own lime; a sand-pit is located close to the plant No high quality lime-sand hollow bricks are produced in southern Ukraine Due to the considerable decrease in the weight of the bricks, delivery and transportation becomes much easier; bricks can be transported by auto, railway (via the plant’s rail track), or by water (a river port is 8 km away) Investment Project Progress:  Market research has been conducted Key Financials: Total Investment - € 1.5 mln Investment Needed - € 1.5 mln Payoff period - 5 years Branch: Construction materials see more Purposes of company: Investments Company description:    Branch: Construction materials see more

For Buyers: new entry

Lana Private Manufacturing-Commercial Firm Purposes of company: Export Company description: Lana produces a wide variety of wood furnishings for the discerning customer. Lana specializes in high-quality, premium home furnishings created from solid wood, including: furniture, entry and interior doors, parquet, furniture façades, interior decorations, and staircases. Buyers can choose from distinctive creations of Lana’s innovative design team or provide their own designs. No matter how intricate the design, Lana’s highly-trained specialists will surpass their customers’ expectations. Lana’s experienced team tightly controls the manufacturing process from start to finish, from selection and processing of only the finest lumber to careful inspection and meticulous hand-finishing of each item produced.   Lana is a family-owned business. This company has been successful in Ukraine and the countries of the former Soviet Union for over 15 years. The key to Lana’s success is dedication to traditional business values: excellent customer service, high-quality craftsmanship, and consistently delivering on commitments.   Lana creates unique and interesting designs. The company has flexible production and can make adjustments quickly to fill new orders. Lana’s marketing service has qualified specialists with good customer service skills. The company employs highly qualified specialists to create handmade products with unique designs. The company has mastered a full woodworking cycle, from lumber to the finished product. The company has developed its own methods for drying and sawing wood. Valuable and rare types of wood are used. Branch: Furniture see more Aliot, Ltd. Purposes of company: Export Company description: Aliot, Ltd has been active in the Ukrainian furniture market since 1999. Aliot is a professional manufacturer of interior furniture for offices and homes. The distinguishing feature of this company’s production is a harmonious combination of functionality and aesthetics together with reasonable prices. Aliot’s specialists work with European equipment that enables them to produce high-quality modern furniture. The aim of the company is to perfect and develop the furniture industry in order to satisfy the growing requirements of their customers and partners. A combination of competent marketing policies and a team of professionals with a high level of technical training and practical skills ensure the constant development of the Aliot company. Branch: Furniture see more