Horiany, Ukraine - May 2010

A visit to my maternal ancestrial town was a life-long dream. Horiany is one of the seven hills of Uzhhorod, today a suburb of Uzhhorod, and lies at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. Transcarpathia is a mountainous region, with shepherds in the highlands; and only 15% is lowlands, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. Uzhhorod dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries. The Slavonic people settled and inhabited Transcarpathia. They were nomadic tribes that came down from the Ural Mountains. They raised cattle, so they needed the lowlands for grazing.