A brief history of Dravtsi

Over the years Dravtsi has been known by the names Darocz, Ungdarocz, Dravce, and Dravtsi. In ancient times, the area around Dravtsi, along with Zakarpattia, was occupied by the White Croats, an East Slavic tribe, and they had ties to Kievan Rus. The castle in Uzhgorod dates back to the 9th century. In 896, the Magyar tribes under Almos crossed the Carpathians and stormed the castle; after the castle was taken, the Magyars were free to conquer the Hungarian plain.

The existence of Dravtsi on the road between Uzhgorod and Mukachevo is first mentioned in historical documents dating back to the year 1220. According to tradition, Dravtsi originally lay where the Dravetski vineyards are now. The village was surrounded on the north and east  by oak, beech, and hornbeam forests, and on the south and west by branches of the Uzh River, which 250 years ago flowed through Dravtsi on to Baranyntsi. In the beginning of the 19th century, a dam was built at Radvatsi, on the left bank of the Uzh, and as a result the branches in Dravtsi dried up.
(CONT>)