The multicultural Solotvyna and the Dead Sea of Kunigunda

Solotvyno (Romanian: Slatina, Hungarian: Aknaszlatina, Ukrainian: Солотвино, Rusyn: Solotvino, Czech: Slatinské Doly) is a village in the Tiachiv Raion in the Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine, located close to the border with Romania, on the right bank of the Tisza River (across from the Romanian city of Sighetu Marmaţiei).

Solotvyna is part of the Tyachiv raion of Zakarpattya (Transcarpatia).

The village's name comes from the nearby salt mine.

Demografics

Solotvyno has 9,700 inhabitants (60% Romanians) and 2,200 households. In Solotvyno and neighboring villages the majority of the population are Romanians who have been living in concord with Ukrainians and Hungarians for many centuries.

History of the village

The construction of salt mines started in the last quarter of XVIII century, when this area belonged to Austro-Hungary. A century later few hundreds of miners were working there, and before the end of WWI there were already two schools in the village (one Romanian and one Hungarian).

Between June 1919 and June 1920 Slatina / Solotvino belonged to Romania, and following the Saint Germaine peace treaty it was given to Czechoslovakia along with Transcarpathia.

The “Czechoslovakian period” lasted to the end of 1938. In general, Solotvyno changed very much during that time. Czechoslovakians built much, and not only buildings connected with mines, they gave equality to people of different nationalities. Jews made a great part of the population; they peacefully co-existed with Romanians (the majority of the population) and Hungarians.

The very village was divided into two parts: Selo Slatina and Slatina Doli. In Selo Slatina they built the frontier post, repaired the bridge over the river Tisa/Tysa crossing which one could go to the Romanian town Sighet (Sighetu Marmaţiei). There, many Romanians from Solotvyno worked and many young people studied.

After the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1938 Solotvino became a part of the new state that declared its independence: Carpatho-Ukraine (Carpathian Ruthenia or Subcarpathian Ruthenia).

In spring 1939 this area was annexed by Hungary. Czechoslovakian pragmatists were replaced by Hungarian revanchists and nationalists. In Solotvyno the military comamdant’s office appeared, it controlled all establishments and watched that all the people spoke Hungarian and German.

In 1944 Soviet troops occupied Transcarpathia, and the following year it was annexed to the Ukrainian SSR. This same year the first Ukrainian school opened here, in addition to Romanian and Hungarian schools.

Kunigunda, the Dead Sea form Slatina / Solotvino

At the Ukrainian-Romanian border, in Solotvino there is a salt lake called Kunigunda. The name is has german roots.

If you are too far away to visit the Dead Sea and benefit from the curing efects of salt and minerals, you have another Dead Sea in Solotvyno.

The salt in Solotvyna can be used for medical treatment of allergic non-specific lungs illnesses, namely bronchial asthma, the microclimate of salt shafts of Solotvyna is being used.

Foto:
http://rada.com.ua/images/RegionsPotential/leading_companys/maps/eng/zakarpatie.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Subcarpathia_Ukraine_districts_en.svg/220px-Subcarpathia_Ukraine_districts_en.svg.png
http://www.personal.ceu.hu/students/97/Roman_Zakharii/map-solotvyno.gif
http://dincolodetisa.blogspot.com/2008/05/marea-moart-de-la-slatina.html

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