Devínsky hrad - Devín Castle
History
Known as the "Gateway to Hungary" (Porta Hungariae), the castle once protected the routes of the Amber Road (which connected the Baltic region with Rome) and a major pilgrimage route to the Holy Land. Throughout its turbulent history, the castle changed hands numerous times.
In April 1271, King Ottokar II of Bohemia captured it, and later the entire county of Pozsony (Pressburg) came under Habsburg control. It was eventually seized by King Charles Robert of Hungary, and his son, Louis the Great, attached it to the lordship of the Pozsony castle.
After 1386, it temporarily became a pledged estate of the Margraves of Moravia, before Sigismund of Luxembourg pawned it again. However, Palatine Miklós Garai redeemed it and, through a royal donation charter, became its rightful owner.
After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Ferdinand I granted it to Palatine István Báthory of Ecsed, who died four years later in nearby Devín Castle. In 1616, it was occupied by rebellious peasants, in 1620 by the hajdús (irregular soldiers) of Prince Gabriel Bethlen, and then by imperial forces.
From 1635, it came under the ownership of the Pálffy family, who successfully defended it against the advancing Ottoman army on their way to Vienna.
In the following centuries, the castle gradually lost its military importance. After the Peace of Schönbrunn (following the so-called War of the Fifth Coalition) in 1809, retreating French troops blew up parts of the fortress unnecessarily. Similarly, in 1920, Czechoslovak legionaries destroyed the obelisk that had been erected in 1896 on the site of the destroyed upper tower with the inscription: "Here begins the Hungarian homeland!"Style
The castle has an irregular floor plan, adapted to the shape of the rocky hill it stands on. The site can be accessed through the western Morava Gate.
The stone gate, protected by semi-circular twin bastions, was opened in the 15th century in the wall of a previous fortification. During this time, Palatine Miklós Garai greatly expanded the medieval fortress and converted it into a Renaissance palace.Famous residents
Also known as the "Castle of the Fair Lady", local legend tells of a nun and a knight, who fell in love and fled her convent together. Chased by pursuers, they leapt to their deaths from the tower, which has since been called the "Nun’s Tower" (Apácatorony), into the Danube River at the spot where a rock known as the "Lady’s Stone" (Asszonykő) still stands today.Present day
The restored Renaissance palace now houses exhibitions of the Bratislava City Museum in its vaulted halls. From the lower gate, a winding path leads up to the upper castle, and from there, spiral staircases follow the walls, eventually reaching a lookout tower built on the site of the former residential keep.
