Mali Selmentsi

Mali Selmentsi is a village in Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine, in Uzhhorod Raion. It stands directly on the Slovak border next to Veľké Slemence. The settlement became especially well known because 20th-century border changes split the historic village of Szelmenc into two parts. Present-day Mali Selmentsi remained on the Ukrainian side, while Veľké Slemence became part of Slovakia. For this reason, the village is often cited as an example of a divided border settlement. A pedestrian border crossing now links the two parts, giving the place strong symbolic importance for local communities. Hungarian language and identity remain significant among the inhabitants. The village is small in population and rural in character, surrounded by agricultural land. An important part of its heritage is the memory of the border, family ties, and a shared village history. Mali Selmentsi is one of the best known Hungarian-inhabited border villages of Transcarpathia.