Hidden Zakarpattia village erased from old maps - See what remains
Where the village of Behendiatska Pastil is located and why it's missing from old maps (photo: Getty Images)
On the map of Zakarpattia, there's a spot that no proper road reaches, and mail is delivered by a mobile post office. This is Behendiatska Pastil, a small mountain village in the Uzhhorod district. It has no local council, and internet access is patchy, yet people live here, raise their children, and can't imagine life without the surrounding mountains. Here is what is known about Behendiatska Pastil, where it is, and how people live there
Village lost in the mountains
Behendiatska Pastil lies high among the Carpathian hills, several dozen kilometers from Velykyi Bereznyi.
Formally, it's part of the Velykobereznianska territorial community in the Uzhhorod district, but locals say reaching it is already an adventure.
There are almost no roads, and the ones that exist are rocky and get washed out after rain. In winter, the village can be cut off for weeks. That's why peace and patience are especially valued here. Locals are used to relying only on themselves.
Once a thriving village with its own school, store, and pub, today, it faces poor roads, population decline, and absolute silence.
The village was first mentioned in 1602, and its unusual name has a mixed origin. "Begengyát" is believed to be a personal name, and "Pásztély" comes from the Slavic word for shepherd.
Behendiatska Pastil is located high in the mountains (video still)
No local council, but there's a school and a post office
Even though Behendiatska Pastil has no local council, life hasn't stopped. There is a primary school branch of the Velykobereznianskyi Lyceum, where children from surrounding houses attend. The school is small, but as long as there are students, the village survives.
The mail is delivered here, sometimes only once a week, by a mobile Ukrposhta post office. Letters and packages are left in a local house known to everyone as "Hanna's post office."
According to official data, about 190 people live in Behendiatska Pastil. That's a few dozen households scattered among the hills and fir trees.
The village also has a wooden church dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, complete with two bells and all the traditional icons. It was first mentioned back in 1751. There's a local walking route and Lake Breshtanovo.
Some houses in Behendiatska Pastil are for sale, while new ones are inhabited by young people (video still)
Life without conveniences
Most locals live off the land. They keep livestock, plant potatoes, and gather mushrooms and berries.
The internet is spotty, and the mobile signal isn't always reliable either. But the villagers don't complain:
"Here, there is silence, fresh air, and water from the well. What else do you need?" they told local journalists.
The heart of local culture is the library, where children are taught to love books from an early age, and everyone—from the young to the elderly—has access to new knowledge and experiences. The library has its own puppet theater, and every year it hosts performances with children leading up to the celebration of Saint Nicholas Day.
The community works to preserve traditions while also fostering growth, thanks to the young people living in the village. As one of the oldest residents says, true wealth is "children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren."
A village that wasn't even on the map for many years (video still)
Time moves more slowly here
City logic doesn't apply in the village. While mornings in the city start with coffee and news, in Behendiatska Pastil, the day begins with chopping firewood and tending to cows. Evenings are spent with family, and neighbors always know who is sick or in need of help.
Village missing from the map
Behendiatska Pastil is well-known precisely because it doesn't appear on old geographic maps. This is purely an administrative phenomenon.
Locals say that on old maps, only settlements with a local council were listed. Behendiatska Pastil never had one; only the neighboring village did.
To tourists, this place might seem harsh, but it exudes the genuine warmth and untouched beauty of the Carpathians.
Villages like this remind us that the real Ukraine isn't only in big cities, but also in these small points on the map, where memory, silence, and love of the land live.
You might be interested in:
- The most mystical castles in Ukraine worth seeing in person
- The most beautiful waterfalls of the Carpathians that you must visit
Sources: Holos Karpat, YouTube video "At the End of the World. Behendiatska Pastil," postal and demographic data.
