Interesting Sites in the Area EN

The 13th century Holy Cross church in Devín. A burial site from Connect to free wifi VisitBratislava Great Moravian times was discovered in its vicinity. Statutes of Saints Cyril and Methodius stand in front of the church. It is a stop on the cross-border European Cultural Route of Saints Cyril and Methodius (www.cyril-methodius.eu).

The Gate of Freedom memorial at the confluence of the Morava and the is dedicated to those killed by the totalitarian Czechoslo- vak regime while attempting to cross the fortified border with Austria – the Iron Curtain.

The international cycle route Eurovelo 13 – the Iron Cur- tain Trail – passes under Devín Castle. Its Slovak section from the border crossing Hohenau So Much To Do - Moravský Sv. Ján is 87 km long and runs in a unique nat- During the main tourist season, ural landscape beside the River the castle offers many activities Morava. There is also an educa- and events. Visitors can try their tional trail by the river with 39 stations that can be followed on foot or Unlimited travel by public transport hand at archery or test whether by bike. The Cycling Bridge of Freedom straddles the River Morava at Free admission to selected museums and galleries they have quick enough reac- Devínská Nová Ves. Many people like to visit the sandstone cliffs at tions to be a knight. Devín Cas- Free guided walking tour and much more There is also a festival for the Sandberg, where fossilised sea creatures have been found. tle is also famous for its monthly local currant wine, Devínsky jousting tournaments – Knights ríbezlák, made here since 1922. It Admission to Devín Castle is free of charge Devín Castle is a few minutes by car from the centre of and at Devín, and concerts such as is sold in wineries and shops in with Bratislava CARD. there is a free carpark at the foot of the castle. You can also take bus Tribute to Freedom. Other events Devín village. 29 from the SNP Bridge to a stop under Devín Castle. Adventurous visi- include conjuring performanc- You can also taste it in selected tors can travel by bicycle or by boat from the city centre (lod.sk). es, lectures and events promot- wine bars in Bratislava and ing archaeology. during events. Main season Off-season Winter season OPENNING HOURS May – September April + October November – March

Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 19:00 10:00 – 17:00 10:00 – 16:00

Text: Bratislava City Museum and * Last admissions half an hour before closing time. Slovak House of Centrope Photo credits: MS Agency, Tomáš * In winter the indoor areas (exhibitions, toilets) are closed, but the Hulík, BKIS, Vladimíra Pufflerová, castle grounds are still open. The whole site is closed in unfavoura- RNDr. Ján Madarás, PhD. Design: sowa | brandstudio Official Bratislava App ble conditions such as snow or freezing weather. Devín Castle Muránska 10, 841 10 Bratislava, Slovakia Tourist Information Centre email: [email protected] Klobučnícka 2 tel: +421 2 6573 0105 hraddevin SK-811 01 Bratislava www.muzeum.bratislava.sk/hraddevin hraddevin History and Nature Tel.: +421 2 16 186 Tel.: +421 2 59356651 A Tower with a Story [email protected] Bratislava Tourist Board Jousting Knights Primaciálne nám. 1 Tourist Information Centre P. O. BOX 349 Istrijská 49 810 00 Bratislava SK-841 07 Bratislava [email protected] Tel.: +421 2 64770260 www.visitbratislava.com [email protected] XI / 2019 www.visitbratislava.com Devín

The ruined castle that stands on the rocky peak (212 m a.s.l.) above the confluence of the Danube and the Morava is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in Central Europe. It also offers a unique view of an enchanting landscape. It is a nation- al cultural heritage monument managed by the Brati- slava City Museum in the Bratislava borough of Devín, 12 km from the city centre.

History in a Nutshell Devín first appears in written to 1521 the counts of Svätý Jur This strategic site was almost continuously inhabited sources in 864, when it is referred and Pezinok owned the castle. In Exhibitions at the Castle An Endless Panorama to in the Annals of Fulda as Dowi- 1527 it was granted to Stephen from the Neolithic Age to modern times. The Celts occu- The castle’s six-hectare area is di- hosts a permanent exhibition From the lookout platform atop the recently reconstructed upper cas- na. In the Great Moravian period, Báthory, of Hungary. It pied Devín from the end of the first century BC and left vided into the lower, middle and telling the story of the castle in tle, you can see a beautiful panorama encompassing the lower castle, Devín was a strategic military remained in the Báthory family upper castles. It includes the pre- the medieval and modern peri- the confluence of the Danube and the Morava, the Devínska Kobyla many traces of their mature culture. From the first cen- fortress. Important finds from until 1605. The last noble family to served remains and illustrative ods, and a geological exhibition mountain and parts of Austria. The border is in the middle of the Dan- tury AD, they were replaced by a Germanic population this period include the founda- own the castle were the Pálffys, reconstructions of buildings from highlighting the traces left by the ube. The viewing platform has a telescope and a sketch map of visible tions of a church and a small ad- who acquired it in 1635. They did that established contacts with the Roman Empire. Devín the Roman, Great Moravian, sea that covered the area in the landmarks. joining cemetery used by the up- not make any major changes to had great significance as the crossroads of the north- medieval and modern periods Tertiary period. per classes. There was probably it, however. In 1809, during the accompanied by bilingual infor- south Amber Road and the trade route following the a stone castle at Devín in the first Napoleon Wars, French soldiers mation panels. Since Devín Cas- A Tower with a Story River Danube. The Migration Period left fewer traces at third of the 13th century. The cas- laid explosives under the castle tle was destroyed in 1809, it has tle and village flourished in the and blew it to pieces. In 1932 the One of the highlights of the cas- Devín, the most famous being a charred loaf of bread. no indoor rooms and there is lim- early 15th century when the cas- Pálffys sold Devín Castle to the tle is the elegant tower called the ited space for exhibitions. In the tle was held by Nicholas Garai, Czechoslovak Republic for a sym- Maiden Tower or the Nun, about courtyard of the middle castle, . From 1460 bolic 1,000 crowns. which many stories are told. One the cellars of the Renaissance tells how Nicholas, the lord of palace have been restored to Devín, fell in love with Margaret host short-term exhibitions of ar- of Carinthia. Her father refused chaeological finds from the castle his consent, but the young man Nature and its surroundings. The castle eloped with Margaret to Devín well in the courtyard dates from To the north of the castle, the Lit- Castle, where everything was the 15th century and is 55 m deep. tle Carpathian mountain range ready for their marriage. They had During reconstruction of the up- rises, including the peak Devín- just made their vows in the chapel per castle in 1990, several caves ska Kobyla (514 m), which is when the girl’s uncle arrived with were discovered by chance which part of a national nature reserve. his men-at-arms. The newlyweds may have been used as places for There are more than 460 species sheltered in the narrow tower on refuge and storage. At present it of plant on the castle hill at Devín the cliffs, but the outnumbered including several and endangered Nicholas was killed and Margaret, species such as artemisia austria- overcome by grief, threw herself ca and dianthus praecox lumnitze- into the Danube. ri. You may see lizards and grass snakes, or birds like the northern The sea sand in an abrasion wheateater and white wagtail; fissure in the caves of the upper An interesting feature of the kestrels nest in the cliff face be- castle is evidence that there was confluence is the different colours low the castle. sea here 16 million years ago. of the waters.