🕒 Date of last update of the article: 20.09.2024 в 7:29 p.m   |  🖋 Author: Viktor Shatrov

The glory of Transcarpathian mineral waters

According to legend, as early as the 11th century, Byzantine emperors asked Hungarian kings to sell healing salt water from the Carpathian Mountains. The condition of the «kvass» (mineral) springs was monitored by shepherds who grazed their flocks near the village of Polyana. Here, royal messengers collected useful water in special calfskin sacks, so that caravans could take it to the baths of the Byzantine emperor.

At the end of the XIV century, people in Transcarpathia began to use mineral water for medicinal purposes. Healing baths were made in a very simple way: mineral water was heated with hot stones in rock hollows or in pits covered with clay. This was the prototype of the first balneological sanatoriums. One of them was located in the village of Lumshory in Perechyn district. Mineral water was heated in cast-iron vats. One such vat, dating back to 1600, has survived and is still in use today. Local mineral water was used primarily for the treatment of rheumatism.

In 1558, envoys of the Moscow Tsar Ivan the Terrible, returning to Moscow from Constantinople after negotiations with the Turkish Sultan, transited through the territory of Zakarpattia and tasted the local mineral water for the first time. When they returned home, they said that in the Polonynsky Mountains there are springs of water that taste sweet or like vinegar. There are also hot springs where you can even cook food. Many people are treated in those waters and find healing.

In 1576, the Transylvanian prince Stefan Batory, who was elected by the nobility as the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, stopped in the village of Polyana in Svaliava district on his way from Semyhrad to Krakow. The prince’s doctor was the founder of Polish medicine, Wojciech Ochko. He recommended taking medicinal baths before the coronation in order to appear vigorous and healthy before his subjects.

It is known that at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the ambassadors of Peter the Great were frequent visitors to Transcarpathia. In special vessels, they carried Transcarpathian mineral water to the Russian emperor, where it was valued no less than the gamekeeper’s water from Karlsbad and Marienbad (now Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Bány in the Czech Republic).

There are more than 400 mineral springs in Transcarpathia, one fourth of which are located in Svalyava district. The mineral waters of the Carpathians have been recognised internationally on many occasions. In particular, the mineral water Polyana Kvasova was awarded 21 times at international mineral water competitions between 1842 and 1911.

Since 2007, the small village of Uklyn in Svalyava district has been celebrating the Mineral Springs Day on Midsummer Day, where people can taste local healing drinks, traditional cuisine and buy handicrafts.

Healing mineral waters and their properties

In each mountain of the Carpathians there are several springs, which differ in composition and have different effects on the body and bring different benefits. Healing mineral waters of Transcarpathia are valued for a reason. It’s all about their unique composition, which cannot be reproduced artificially. What is the use of mineral water? And the fact that each source is saturated with various useful elements such as hydrogen sulfide, chloride, silicon oxide, magnesium, iodine, fluorine, hydrocarbons and other healing substances that have a positive effect on various organs, general physical and psychological health. Doctors will help you choose the right source with the appropriate trace elements that are suitable for treatment or prevention for you. In particular, Carpathian mineral waters are useful for weight loss, diabetes, gout, and kidney treatment. They are also useful for the stomach and help in the treatment of pancreatitis, gastritis, relieve constipation, heartburn and have a pronounced choleretic effect. And this is just a small list of what can help heal the Carpathian waters.

Map of mineral waters of Transcarpathia

Where exactly can you drink water?

One can talk endlessly about the healing waters of Transcarpathia, health resorts and recreational recreation on the waters of Ukraine. To save your time searching, we have collected and offer to your attention the most popular Ukrainian mineral waters.

• Severe diabetes.
• Hypertension.
• Angina.
• Liver cirrhosis.
• Chronic glomerulonephritis.

Naftusya should be drunk immediately or within two hours, because it quickly loses its properties when it reacts with air. You need to drink it either through a straw or through a special drinking cup, a mini-mug, which looks like a teapot and is called a “kumanets”, because if water gets on the tooth enamel, it will begin to destroy it. The dosage and water temperature should be clarified with the doctor.

When coming to Truskavets for water treatment for several days, you should choose a sanatorium for recreation or settle in the private sector, which is much cheaper.

You should have a container for water with you, as well as matches and dry alcohol to heat the water, because it always flows cold.

If you want to stay here for a few days, the “Stozhary” sanatoriums, “Karpaty” and others can offer you accommodation and treatment services. They are located near spring #13. There is also a hotel complex “Three Sons and a Daughter”. If this does not suit you, there is an opportunity to settle in the private sector in Skhidnytsia.

• №1 – chloride-sulfate potassium-sodium-magnesium water. It is used to treat chronic gastritis, pancreatitis, colitis, and also reduces inflammation in the digestive system, increases the amount and strength of gastric juice, and removes toxins.
• №6 –  it is a chloride, sulfate potassium-sodium-magnesiumas in source No. 1, but with a higher percentage of mineralization with magnesium and potassium sulfates and a low percentage of sodium chlorides. Eliminates inflammation in the stomach, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, improves the production of bile and its secretion, prevents the formation of stones in the gall bladder and bile ducts, etc.
• Spring “Mother of God” No. 4– the properties of the water from this spring are the same as that of the Jordanian. And all because of its chemical composition: a large amount of nitrogen, organic carbon, a peculiar microflora, as well as low mineralization and weak radioactivity. It copes well with the treatment of kidney and liver diseases, relieves inflammatory processes, removes radionuclides, stimulates the function of smooth muscles, helps to lose weight and normalizes the condition of patients with diabetes and many other diseases. The best effect is promised with complex treatment: drinking regime, intestinal irrigation and hydrocolonotherapy.

If you came to Morshyn specifically for treatment, you can choose sanatoriums. There are 9 of them here: “Marble Palace”, “Arkadia”, “Morshinsky” and others. If you are an ordinary tourist, you can stay in hotels or rent apartments from local residents for a small fee, and you can drink water from the “Hrybok” pump station.

“Polyana Kvasova”

“Polyana Kvasova” is an extremely useful mineral water. In terms of its composition, it even surpassed the well-known “Borjomi”, because it has twice the concentration of minerals! It is mined at a depth of 153 meters, because of this the water is not affected by any atmospheric phenomena and its composition remains unchanged. This water is saturated with the following components: sulfates, hydrocarbons, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sodium, potassium and other substances, which makes it healing. Mineral water has proven itself well in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (chronic gastritis, stomach ulcer), liver (chronic viral hepatitis, toxic damage), genitourinary system (chronic pyelonephritis, cystitis, urolithiasis), helps with diabetes, obesity and other diseases. You cannot drink “Polyana Kvasova” on a permanent basis. Sanatorium “Sonyachne Zakarpattia” offers accommodation and treatment with the waters of “Polyana Kvasova” for all who wish.

“Polyana Kupil”

“Polyana Kupil” is a medicinal water similar in its composition and properties to “Polyana Kvasova”, but has a milder effect on the body and has no side effects. It is mined from a well 135 meters deep. Water, passing through rocks, is saturated with microelements, which is highly appreciated, because it is not artificially saturated in a factory, but given by nature itself.

Indications for the use of Polyany Kupil are: chronic gastritis with increased stomach acidity, uncomplicated stomach ulcer, colitis, pancreatitis, cystitis, etc. People often use it for heartburn. But it should also be used with caution and not constantly. You can undergo treatment and drink water from the spring at the sanatorium “Sonyachne Zakarpattia”.

“Luzhanska”

“Luzhansk” mineral water is widely used in medicine not only for drinking, but also for inhalation procedures, taking carbon dioxide baths, intestinal washings, and it is probably the most popular iodized water in the Carpathians. For therapeutic purposes, mineral water “Luzhanska” is prescribed for chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (GI), liver and biliary tract, after operations on the stomach, for diabetes. Water from the springs “Luzhanska-3” and “Luzhanska-4” is rich in calcium, fluorine and iodine. It treats damage to the thyroid gland, diabetes and diseases of the digestive organs. The source “Luzhanska-7” is suitable for those who suffer from respiratory diseases, chronic liver diseases, and is also useful for the nervous and cardiovascular systems. You can drink “Luzhanska” in sanatoriums “Kvitka Polonyny” and “Crystal spring“, or rent an apartment or a house from locals and drink water from pump stations.

Treat yourself with water and be healthy! But before starting the healing process with water, it is better to first consult with your doctor and familiarize yourself with the contraindications, and remember that the use of any medical water is prohibited during the period of exacerbation of diseases, because even the best mineral water can be harmful!

Arsenic water treats diseases of the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system, improves metabolism in the body and the regulation of the hormonal background, helps reduce the intensity of inflammatory diseases, allergies, and thanks to a wide list of useful substances in the water, complex treatment of the entire body and prevention of various diseases takes place.

It is worth visiting and tasting the mineral water of the Chornotysky deposit and the water of the “Burkut” springs.

To take a health course, drink therapeutic mineral water and relax, you can stay in a sanatorium with arsenic water “Mountain Tysa” , which provides quality medical services, has a high level of service and is characterized by good hospitality. But if you do not plan to stay in a sanatorium, then there is an opportunity to rent a room or a house from locals and walk around the village on your own. During the walk, you will come across many springs where you can drink water for free.

• “Olegivska” is characterized by high silicon saturation, it is also weakly mineralized calcium-sodium hydrogen carbonate water. “Olegivska” can be called the elixir of youth due to its silicon content, because it is able to slow down the aging of tissues, improve the production of bone and cartilage tissues, and improve the condition of hair, skin and bones. It is prescribed for the treatment of diseases of the digestive system, obesity, gout, diabetes, stomach disorders, and kidney diseases. It has proven itself well in the treatment of uric acid diathesis, chronic pyelonephritis and colitis.
• “Borzhavska” – this alkaline mineral water is supplied from deposit #3. It is a low-mineralized calcium-sodium hydrocarbonate and has a good ratio of macro- and microelements in its composition. When using this water, the following effects are expressed: analgesic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, choleretic and diuretic. It helps to treat pyelonephritis, chronic colitis, chronic inflammation of the pancreas and gall bladder.
• “Kushnytska No. 876” refers to low-mineralized boric sodium bicarbonate waters. It is located near the sanatorium in the village of Kushnytsia. It is extremely useful in the treatment of urolithiasis, non-calculous cholecystitis, chronic pancreatitis, gastritis, liver pathologies. It also stabilizes acid formation in the stomach, regulates the motor and secretory function of the intestines, and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
• “Kushnytska No. 12-i” is low-mineralized, bicarbonate sodium boric water. It improves protein and carbohydrate metabolism, has an anti-inflammatory effect, normalizes the secretory and motor function of the gastrointestinal tract (GI), reduces acid formation in the stomach, while sodium and potassium regulate water exchange and osmotic pressure, stimulate the production of enzymes. Doctors recommend “Kushnitska No. 12” for the treatment of pyelonephritis, colitis, irritable stomach syndrome, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, stomach ulcers and other diseases.

Shayan water treats diseases of the stomach and intestines (gastritis, duodenitis, colitis, ulcers), diabetes, chronic fatigue, metabolic syndrome, diseases of the urinary system (urolithiasis, pyelonephritis), pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.

You can be treated with Shayan water by staying in sanatoriums Shayan, “Trembita” and “Carpathia”. Or simply drink water from the pumps for free.

• “Zakarpatska-1” – comes from an artesian well from a depth of 352 m. The water slows down the aging process, has detoxification, lipid-correcting properties, reduces the level of cholesterol and triglycerides. Due to the presence of sulfates and magnesium in the composition of water, it has a positive effect on the liver and normalizes the motor function of the gallbladder. And due to the combination of calcium and silicic acid, it has a good effect on bone metabolism and collagen production.
• “Zakarpatska-2” – mineral, thermal water, which is extracted from a depth of 640 meters and has a temperature of 43 °С! Very rich in silicic and boric acid. Because of its detoxifying properties, it is used for chronic endogenous intoxications. Silicon has the function of a sorbent and removes waste from the body. “Zakarpatska-2” is used to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system and joints, metabolic disorders, gynecological diseases and pathologies.

Sanatorium “Derenivska Kupil” is located in the village of Nizhne Solotvino of the Uzhgorod district and offers its accommodation and treatment services to everyone.

List of mineral waters of Transcarpathia

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He was born and lived all his life in Uzhhorod. He graduated with a gold medal from Uzhhorod School No. 1 named after Taras Shevchenko (now Uzhhorod Lyceum named after Taras Shevchenko). He studied at the History Department of UzhNU, graduating with honours in 2009. He worked as a senior researcher at the Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life, a lecturer at the East European Slavic University.