Path: Home Page > What to see > Sights > Devín Castle
The oldest traces of Slavic settlement date from the 8th century, and in the 9th century a fortress from the period of the Great Moravian Empire is believed to have stood here, linked to ruler Prince Rastislav. The first written mention of Devín dates from 1223. From the 15th century the castle belonged to a series of prominent aristocratic families, but in 1809 it was destroyed by the army of Napoleon. In the 19th century it became an important site for the Slovak National Awakening movement.
Today the remains of the battlements of the renaissance fortress still jut out from the narrow cliff. Legend has it that a bride jumped from here on her intended wedding day after her family killed her groom, the knight Mikuláš, and ordered her to enter a convent. Devín is great place for walks, not only to the historical monuments on the site, but also into the superb countryside which surrounds it.
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