Devín Hrad – Ľudovít Štúr’s Romantic Inspiration

Few places are as evocative, or even as romantic, as the derelict ruins of Devin castle on the Slovak side of the Danube river. A place of legend it was host to the Slavic world’s greatest poet Ľudovít Štúr on April 24 1836, when he led members of the Slovak national movement to the site to weave national awareness with legends of the past with reminders of Great Moravia. At the castle they adopted traditional Slavic names and swore to be true to the national cause. The visit to the castle was the start of a journey that would take them across the country (then Upper Hungary), helping raise awareness for the Slovak cause. The result of this daring trip to Devín was that the Slovak people gained autonomy under Czechoslovakia in 1918 and finally independence in the 1990’s. Welcome to the land of the Slovaks, enjoy the site where their greatest man dreamed of a better future for his people.

Table of Contents

• Geography and Cultural Relevance of a Romantic Ruin
• Transportation From Bratislava
• Exploring Devín Village
• Exploring the Castle
• Conclusion

Geography and Cultural Relevance of a Romantic Ruin

Built at the confluence of the Danube and the Morava river in Western Slovakia, this castle has occupied a strategic location since time immemorial. In 1809, the structure was destroyed by Napoleon for very little strategic reason. Since then, its ruins have fuel the imagination poets and writers alike such as the previously mentioned Ľudovít Štúr but also Hungarians.

Its is built around two principal rocky promontories, a taller one in the north, overlooking the river and a shorter one to the south, giving the castle a dual hump shape.

Since I have already covered the Slovak perspective, I would like to introduce the Hungarian one. The Hungarians conquered the ancestors to the Slovaks, the Moravians and called the Slovak lands Upper Hungary. Hungarians regarded Devin as the western gateway of the Kingdom of Hungary. A testament to this fact is reflected in the Hungarian poet Endre Ady‘s work, I am the Son of Gog and Magog where he states:

By Verecke’s ancient route I came,
In my ear ancient Magyar songs still blaze,
Am I free to break through at Dévény,
With modern songs fit for modern days?

Endre Ady: I am the Son of Gog and Magog^[13]

Note: The poem is also a symbol of modernism and Westernization

Transportation From Bratislava

There are three primary ways to reach the fort from the capital city of Bratislava. You could just drive as a parking lot exists on site but I would instead recommend taking either the public bus from the New Bridge (Most SNP) where a bus stop is, just in case the parking lot fills up. It does not hurt that the bus is also very convenient as it passes by passes often. Take bus 29, the bus stop “Hrad Devin” is recommended. The trip will last about 20 minutes.

Devin twice a day from Fajnorovo nabrezie (10:00 and 14:30), along the Danube River next to the Slovak National Museum. Journey takes around 1 hour 30 minutes and gives you a stopover at Devin for 2 hours. Return adult ticket costs €18. 

Exploring Devín Village

If you wish to explore the village at the base of the caste you are free to do so, although its attractions are rather limited to Parish Church of the Holy Cross, a winery and a few restaurants. It is pretty however. The village was founded in 1237 under the name Villa Thebyn and grew with the influx of refuges fleeing the Ottomans in the 16th century. It was once host to a large German population but they were removed after the Second World War when Devin was annexed by the German Republic after the Munich Agreement.

Exploring the Castle

The name Devín, can be interpreted from its Slavic root to mean a either watchtowers or an observation point. This description would check out as Devín castle is one of the oldest castles in Slovakia.

It was first mentioned by written sources in 864, when Louis the German marched through Great Moravia. Yet it was not until the 13th century that a stone castle was built to protect the western frontier of the Hungarian Kingdom. The castle would be exchanged several times over 13th and 14th centuries between Hungary, Austria and Germany. While a palace was added in the 15th century. The fortifications were reinforced during the wars against the Ottoman Empire. The castle would pass to the Austrian Monarchy after the fall of the Kingdom of Hungary to the Ottomans.

Today visitors to the castle will be greeted by a massive stone gate and outer battlements as they work their way up into the fortress from below, though an active archaeological site where the grass is grazed by local goats. Along the way you will encounter several ruins including that of a byzantine styled per-romanesque church from the 9th century.

Eventually you will spill out into a courtyard where a well and the reconstructed ruins of the palace now stand. The Palace is a museum dedicated to the history of the castle along with the history of Stur’s famed visit.

Of the two humps the northern one is the most interesting. The climb up is steep but you get to passed into the rock itself where a carved cavern system is now set up so that you may see artifacts. While at the top of the castle tower you will have a commanding view of the landscape.

The most prominant feature of the castle is the Maiden Tower, located in a precarious position above the confluence of Danube and Morava river, looking like it could fall into the river at any time. Of course this tower has been tied to legends of lovesick ladies throwing themselves below to their deaths.

At the base of the castle, not far from the riverfront, you will find a memorial to the iron curtain. At one time this mighty river was the dividing line between the west and the Soviet satellite states. The castle and its surroundings were lined with barbed wire fencing witch created a mental as well as physical barrier for the local inhabitants.

Conclusion

The evocative ruin that inspired romantic poetry of Endre Ady or the Pan-Slavism and Slovak codification of Štúr may seem like one of many in a land of castles, yet don’t let that ward you away from visiting. Of all of Slovakia’s great forts this is by far the most important and possibly the most beautiful.