Devín Castle ( sk, hrad Devín, links=no or , hu, Dévényi vár, german: Burg Theben) is a castle in Devín, which is a borough of

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

, the capital of Slovakia.

Description

The site has been settled since the Neolithic Age and fortified since the

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and Iron Age and later by Celts and Romans. The cliff (elevation 212 meters) is an ideal place for a fort due to its position at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers. The fort watches over an important trade route along the Danube as well as one branch of the

Amber Road The Amber Road was an ancient trade route for the transfer of amber from coastal areas of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Prehistoric trade routes between Northern and Southern Europe were defined by the amber trade. ...

The castle stands just inside Slovak territory on the frontier between Slovakia and Austria. The border runs from west to east along the Morava River and subsequently the Danube. Before 1989, the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

between the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

and the West ran just in front of the castle. Although the castle was open to the public, the area surrounding it constituted a restricted military zone and was heavily fortified with watchtowers and barbed wire. After the Velvet Revolution, the area was demilitarised. The most photographed part of the castle is the tiny watchtower, known as the Maiden Tower. Separated from the main castle, it balances perilously on a lone rock and has spawned countless legends concerning imprisoned lovelorn daughters leaping to their deaths. Inside the castle is a sprawling landscape of walls, staircases, open courtyards, and gardens in various states of disrepair. A restoration project has been taking place since the end of World War II.

Etymology

The name of the castle is probably derived from the old Indo-European/ Proto-Slavic stem with apophony related to light and visual perception. , and similar Slavic names can be interpreted as watchtowers or observation points. The same root related to vision can be found also in the word (evil spirit) thus meaning "the place of evil spirits". The explained the name from the Slavic word —a girl (""). In this case, means "castle of the girl" (according to linguist

Šimon Ondruš Šimon Ondruš (* 27 October 1924, Klčov – † 8 January 2011, Bratislava) was a Slovak linguist, Slavist and indo-Europeanist, member of several international linguistic societies. Life He studied Slovak language and philosophy at the Comeniu ...

, this etymology is less likely).

History

Josef Holzer Blick auf die Burgruine Devin 1864

Devín Castle is one of the oldest castles in Slovakia. The first mention of the castle in written sources was quite possibly in 864, when Louis the German besieged Prince Rastislav of Moravia in one of the frequent wars between the Franks and Great Moravia respectively in the "castle of Dowina". On the other hand, the identification of ''Dowina'' with Devín Castle has been under debate based on alleged linguistic arguments and the absence of convincing archaeologic evidence. During the Great Moravian period, Devín was the center of a larger agglomeration. Its defensive role was strengthened by smaller hill forts on

Devínska Kobyla Devínska Kobyla (; hu, Dévényi-tető; german: Thebener Kogel) is the highest peak in the Devín Carpathians, part of the Little Carpathians mountain range, and the highest point of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It is located between t ...

(Na pieskach, Nad lomom). A pre-romanesque church was built on the castle between approximately 850 and 863/870. Its rare style is closest to churches from

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

and Noricum, from the areas with a persisting tradition of late antique and Byzantine architecture. The interior of the church was decorated with frescoes painted with colors that originated (according to chemical analysis) in northern Italy. Two

stylus A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a writing utensil or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example, in pottery. It can also be a computer accessory that is used to assist in navigating or providing more precision w ...

es discovered by later research can indicate the administrative educational work of the local priests. Along with other artifacts, six graves dated to the Great Moravian era were found near the church and are attributed to members of a retinue of the local ruler and their family members. Devini loss

In the 13th century, a stone castle was built to protect the western frontier of the Hungarian Kingdom whose existence was documented in 1271, and a reference to a ''castelanus de Devin'' appeared in 1326. The palace was added in the 15th century. The fortifications were reinforced during the wars against the Ottoman Empire. The Castle was never taken, but after the Hungarian Kingdom joined the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

and the Ottomans were finally defeated, it ceased to be an important border fortress and was no longer used by the military. Stephen Báthory got the castle from the king as a donation. But according to Stephen Báthory was Keglević the owner of the castle. Keglević pawned the castle for 40,000 guilders to the Palocsai family and spent the money. In 1609, Matthias II confirmed that Keglević still was the owner of the castle, but Keglević did not have the money to take the castle out of pledge from the Palocsai family. Nearly 100 years later in 1635, Palatine

Pál Pálffy Pál Pálffy ab Erdőd ( hu, erdődi Pálffy Pál, german: Paul Pálffy von Erdöd; 19 January 1592 Castle of Vöröskő, Kingdom of Hungary – 26 November 1653 Pressburg, Kingdom of Hungary) was a Hungarian noble and Palatine of Hungary. L ...

took the castle out of pledge from the Palocsai family. The last owners of the Devín Castle were the Counts of the

Pálffy Pálffy or Palffy is a Hungarian surname which means "son of Pál (Paul)". The family name is common in Hungary and Slovakia. Pálffy ab Erdöd noble family The most famous bearers of the name Pálffy are the members of the Austro-Hungarian noble ...

family. Only in 1809, after the Siege of Pressburg, was the castle (which may have still been considered a threat) destroyed by the retreating forces of

Napoleon I of France Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. Napoleon and Leopold Pálffy then entered negotiations and both agreed that Vienna should be supplied with products by Pálffy. Since the 19th century as its history inspired several

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

poets and followers of Ľudovít Štúr, Devín became an important national symbol for the

Slovaks The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak. In Slovakia, 4.4 mi ...

. It featured both on the reverse of the former 500

Czechoslovak koruna The Czechoslovak koruna (in Czech and Slovak: ''Koruna československá'', at times ''Koruna česko-slovenská''; ''koruna'' means ''crown'') was the currency of Czechoslovakia from 10 April 1919 to 14 March 1939, and from 1 November 1945 to 7 F ...

banknote and the 50 Halierov coin of the Slovak currency. The Hungarians regarded it as the western gateway of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Hungarian poet

Endre Ady Endre Ady (Hungarian: ''diósadi Ady András Endre,'' archaic English: Andrew Ady, 22 November 1877 – 27 January 1919) was a turn-of-the-century Hungarian poet and journalist. Regarded by many as the greatest Hungarian poet of the 20th century ...

used it as a symbol of modernism and Westernization in his poem ''I am the Son of Gog and Magog'': Some parts of the castle were reconstructed in the 20th century and the castle hosts an interesting museum. Archaeological works at the site have revealed the remains of a Roman tower dating from the 1st century AD and evidence of a prehistoric settlement.

References

Sources

* * * * *Engel, Pál: Magyarország világi archontológiája (1301–1457) ''(The Temporal Archontology of Hungary (1301–1457))''; História - MTA Történettudományi Intézete, 1996, Budapest; .

External links