Devin Castle, Bratislava

Devin castle, museums, buildings, nothing major to see. Just wander around and people watch! Enjoy a cheap beer too.

Look out for the bronze statues around town, theres a guy crawling out of a manhole cover, a paparazzi photogrpaher and a guy taking off his top hat.

I think it goes to show how little attractions there are in the city when these things have to be named as attractions.

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Devin Castle is one of Bratislava's best sights, and certainly worth a half day trip if you're in the city for two days or more. A castle has been on the site since the 8th century, though most of what you'll see today was constructed in the years between then and the 1400s. The castle was mostly destroyed by Napoleon's retreating troops in the 1800s, meaning that visitors today experience it in crumbling glory. The walk up to the castle is marked with interesting pieces of contemporary art, and the castle grounds are home to a number of different exhibits, so give yourself at least two hours to take everything in.

It only takes twenty minutes by city bus to reach the castle, and once you're there you'll find peaceful walking trails, teens getting drunk atop abandoned buildings, swans a-swimming, drunk teenagers swimming in stagnant water (I just threw up in the back of my throat), restaurants and cafes with live music and other things you'd expect to find at a tourist attraction. It's possible to reach the castle by bicycle as well, though I've heard the bike path is much nicer once you go beyond the castle even further from Bratislava itself.

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Unbelievably close to Bratislava’s Old Town, but marvellously secluded from the city, lies one of Slovakia’s key historical icons. Devin Castle is depicted on Slovak money and postage stamps, and the word “Devin” is in some way a synonym for things eminently Slovak.

I just rode a bus going to the Devin Castle from the center of Bratislava – I forgot the details of how I did it but it was not too hard at all (I’ll post later if I remember)…But, just make sure you warn the driver that you want to go to Devin castle because I thought there was going to be a huge sign and I would not miss.

There was no huge sign.

I got suspicious I passed it and asked the driver who just raised up his hands… Oh no, I missed it and had to walk back! But walking back through a nice small road in the middle of nowhere for about 10 minutes was relaxing…

I walked and saw the quiet Morava River and then went to look for the castle…

And then you finally find it – Devin Castle perched on a strategic cliff at a height of 212 meters at the confluence of the Danube and Morava Rivers, a site inhabited since the Neolithic ages and fortified all the way from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Truly an important site since even the Romans and Celts made fortifications here.

But the castle itself is awesome and I loved walking around this magnificent fortress, and taking pictures of course. I did meet a nice Bratislava-residing Filipino couple who were surprised to find another Filipino and they offered me a ride back to town when they saw me waiting for the bus later…nice people…

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This is a castle worth visiting. Located at the confluence of the Morava and Danube rivers, this castle offers views of both. Also within the castle grounds are ruins of an old chapel. Take half a day out of Bratislava and see this!

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Devin Castle was awesome. When you get off the bus you see the castle and just stare up at it!

When we were there a medieval-renaissance festival was going on. People were dressed up in costume. There were performers doing sword fights, groups shooting canons and other various shows. There are also booths set up with people selling goods like knit pictures, metal figures, jewelry and toy swords & shields.

Devin is about 30 minutes out of downtown. It is definitely worth the trip.

There is a nice/relaxing/romantic walk around the devin castle by the banks of the danube... unfortunately the weather was really bad when I was there, yet in the fogg I could make out a very interesting place, a walk I'll take the next time I'm in Bratislava.

One of the oldest monuments in Slovakia built as early as the celt settlments in the area, later a Roman fortress and a gothic castle. It was destroyed by the Napoleon army but its ruins still remain a majestic momentum of its early fame on the hill above the place where river Morava runs into the river Danube. It is now a museum.

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Devin Castle was first established in the 5th century BC. All that remains is a ruin but it is still quite spectacular. There is an archeological museum, and the grounds are popular for weekend picnics. There are views of the countryside and Austria. Because of this, during the communist era there was high fences and watchtowers allowing the guards to shoot at anyone trying to cross over into Austria.

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Devin Castle is a short drive outside the city and is one of the most interesting sights. Located right on the Danube, from the short climb up to the ruins of the castle you can have wonderful views of the surrounding area. The castle was originally built by the Romans and later fortifications were added by Moravian Princes. Napoleon's army in the early 19th century blew up the fortress. Inside some of the ruins are some interesting historic collections, such as old money, arts and crafts.