In the Zakarpattia region, the first 55 kilometers of a unique tourist route have been opened, which in the future will also pass through Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland.
The head of the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration, Myroslav Biletskyi, announced this on Facebook.
"We have opened the first 55 kilometers of a unique tourist route in the Carpathians, which is set to become our landmark, a place of strength, tourism, and recovery — where our soldiers and Ukrainians affected by the war will be able to restore themselves," he wrote.
The route starts from the source of the Black Tysa near the Okole Pass, where representatives of EU countries once planted yew trees symbolizing the shared river. In the future, the trail will stretch through Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. According to Biletskyi, a working group has already been formed with representatives of these countries to discuss the further development of the project. Eventually, the route will be extended beyond Ukraine with identical markings and infrastructure so tourists can make a complete circuit through the Carpathians across several countries.
Thus, Ukraine has opened the first section of the planned 395 kilometers. The route abroad is expected to have approximately the same length.
Biletskyi emphasized that this is part of Ukraine’s integration into the EU, "as we are steadily approaching the time when borders with the European Union will become symbolic, and such projects are bridges that already connect our peoples today."
The route will feature two directions: the main path runs along forest trails and lightly trafficked public roads, making it suitable for tourist bicycles, while the mountain trail follows the hiking route and will be accessible for mountain biking.
