One of the biggest and oldest castle in Slovakia, Devín Castle / Dévény Vára, Hrad Devín) is situated in the capital Bratislava. The castle hill has been settled already in the 5th century B.C.. Devín originally a separate town at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers, is now a borough of Bratislava. It is an important archaeological site, famous for the ruins of Devín castle. The castle was built in the 9th century, due to its advantageous position it was able to control the most important trade routes along the Danube and part of Amber Road.It stands just ont he frontier between Slovakia and Austria. The most attractive part of the castle is the tiny watchtower, known as the maiden Tower. In the 13th century, a stone castle was built to protect the western frontier of the Hungarian Kingdom whose existence was documented in 1271. In the 14th century the castle became the possession of the heads /ispán/of the Kingdom. A palace was added in the 15th century, the fortification was reinforced during wars against the Ottoman Empire. Since the 19th century as its history inspired several Romantic poets, followers of Ludovit Štúr therefore the castle has become an important national symbol. Some parts of the castle have been reconstructed in the 20th century and the it hosts an museum as well.Inside, the castle is a sprawling landscape of walls, staircases, open courtyards and gardens in various states of repair. In 1961 the castle was declared a National Heritage Site.
More information: www.visitbratislava-hrad.sk; www.visitbratislava.com
