Everything about Dev N Castle totally explained
Devín Castle (
Slovak:
hrad Devín or
Devínsky hrad,
Hungarian:
Dévény,
German:
Burg Theben) is a castle in
Devín, which is a part of
Bratislava, the capital of
Slovakia.
Thanks to its strategic position, the cliff (altitude of 212 meters) at the confluence of the
Danube and
Morava rivers was an ideal place for a fort. Its owner could control the important trade route along the Danube as well as one branch of the
Amber Road. That is why the site has been settled since the
Neolithic and fortified since the
Bronze and
Iron Age. Later, both the
Celts and the
Romans built strong fortresses there. In the Roman ruins, the first Christian church located North of Danube has been identified.
A
Slavic castle, founded in the 8th century, played a crucial role during frequent wars between
Great Moravia and the
Franks. The claims that Devín or neighboring Bratislava was the center of
Samo's Empire can't be proven. The ancient name of the castle (
Dowina - from the Slavic/Slovak word
deva for girl) was mentioned for the first time in written resources in
864, when
Louis the German besieged Prince
Rastislav in the "castle of Dowina". During the Great Moravian period, a Christian church had been built in the complex. Its distinct style was probably inspired by similar churches in
Byzantine Macedonia, from where
Saints Cyril and Methodius came to Great Moravia. Chemical composition of frescoes indicates that the church was decorated by Italian painters.
In the 13th century, a stone medieval castle was built to protect the western frontier of the
Hungarian Kingdom and a reference to "
castelanus de Devin" appeared in 1320. A palace was added in the 15th century. Fortification was reinforced during wars against the
Ottoman Empire. The Castle was never taken, but after the Hungarian Kingdom joined the
Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottomans were finally defeated, it ceased to be an important border fortress and was no longer used by the military. The last owners of the Devin Castle were the Counts of the
Pálffy family. Only in 1809, after the Siege of Bratislava, was the castle (still considered a threat) destroyed by the retreating forces of
Napoleon I of France.
Since the 19th century, Devín has become an important national symbol for the
Slovaks. It features on the 50
Halierov coin of the
Slovak currency. The
Hungarians regarded it as the western gateway of the
Kingdom of Hungary. Its history even inspired several
Romantic poets, followers of
Ľudovít Štúr. The Hungarian poet
Endre Ady used it as a symbol of modernism and Westernization in his poem "Góg and Magóg". Some parts of the castle have been reconstructed in the 20th century and the castle hosts an interesting museum.
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