Devin Castle in Bratislava for A Medieval Knights Event

Devín Castle is a beautiful place to visit in the capital of Slovakia. It is on a hilltop overlooking where the River Danube and River Morava meet. Devín Castle, just outside Bratislava, is one of the oldest castles in the country. The Knights of Devin Castle event is a great time to visit.

Each year, they host a fantastic event, the Knights of Devin Castle. At the stage area, you can see medieval dancing, plays, songs and even some duelling knights. There are museums and ruined buildings to learn about, and the views from the top of the site are splendid.

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A Brief History of Devin Castle in Bratislava

The first mention of the castle was in 864. Subsequently, in the 13th century, a stone fortification was built to protect the west of the Hungarian Kingdom. During the 15th century, its fortifications were reinforced to protect it from the Ottomans.

Since the 15th century, the castle has been owned by members of important Hungarian noble families. Many of them held the rank of Palatine, the highest office in the Hungarian kingdom. Members of the Gara family, who owned the site in the 15th century, added lots to it, including parts of the upper and middle castle.

The Bathory family held it between 1527 and 1605. During this period, they rebuilt it in the Renaissance style. The final owners of the castle were the Palffy family.

The last days of Devin Castle came in the summer of 1809 during the siege of Pressburg, now Bratislava, by Napoleonic troops. Troops from Napoleon’s army set charges under the upper and middle castle wards and successfully detonated them. The mystery is why, as before the outbreak of hostilities, Devin Castle no longer had any military significance, nor was it really manned.

What To See in Devin Castle

The castle is a pleasant fortress to walk around, with the main parts perched on a hilltop. There are various facets to see. The site has lots of wild plants and wildlife, and they have interesting exhibits about them. The castle is part of many tours available in Bratislava.

Views From The Hiking Trail

Before or after you have visited the main site, I recommend a walk to the Danube to see the castle from below. Here you can see where the two rivers meet, and Austria is across the water.

While by the riverbank, you can see the Heart of Europe Monument, which is just below Devin Castle. This monument signifies the barbed-wire fence that kept locals under Soviet control during the communist era. Locals tore the fence down in 1989, which was known as the Velvet Revolution.

The Main Entrance Gate

The main entrance is mostly a ticket office and information point. It’s a lovely gate to see from the path as you walk in.

The Upper Castle

The upper castle has ruins, offering fantastic views of the river and the museum. They built the upper stone castle in the second half of the 13th century at the latest. It’s possible that they erected it as early as just after the destruction of the castle in 1233.

The oldest building in the upper castle was a tower with foundations in the shape of an oval teardrop. It had a diameter of 9.3 metres, and there was an entryway to the cliff caves in its centre. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the upper castle was modified and expanded several times.

The permanent Devin Castle exhibition is at the upper castle on the way to the epic viewpoints. This exhibition has a fantastic venue, inside caves and cracks formed some 16 million years ago. They probably discovered the caves during the construction of the upper castle in the 13th century.

They then artificially expanded them to create more space, which could then be used for storage or as a fortified refuge position. Finally, these caves were rediscovered in 1990.

The permanent Devin Castle exhibition contains some fascinating artefacts. These relate to the site’s history and geology.

Also at the top, you can see countryside, the river Danube from above and Austria across the water.

Middle Castle

The Garay Palace is part of the middle castle and is a fantastic ruin. The Lords of Gara had this palace built in the 15th century to improve living quarters. Their other aim was to solidify the defences. The palace had a ground floor and two upper floors.

On each floor there were two rooms with flat beamed ceilings, heated with tiled stoves. The first floor still has its medieval portal in the wall between the north and south rooms. On the first and second floors, arrow slits survive on the western side.

There is a museum in the middle of the castle that tells the story of the area, including recent history at the end of the communist era. You can also see a well here, which was dug in the 15th century under the Garays. It is 55m deep and has a diameter of 2.4 m.

See An Early Christian Chapel

Another fascinating part to see is the Early Christian Chapel. This is in a covered area and is an interesting part to see. They found this one-room building during archaeological excavations in 1975. Historically, they rebuilt the building several times. However, the ground plan is similar to that of an ancient tomb cella memoriae. They also found an iron cross that suggests this chapel dates from the 4th century.

Roman Remains

There are also some Roman remains to see in the middle section of Devin Castle. These are nice to see, especially from above at the upper castle, where you can see the shape of the building clearly.

Based on the techniques used in this building, they dated it to the 3rd century and updated it in the 4th. They believe Germanic nobility used this building as a villa. They also discovered coins from the 1st century near the site.

About Knights of Devin Castle: A Medieval Event

The castle hosts various events; however, while we were in Bratislava, they hosted the Knights of Devin Castle. This is a medieval-themed event that took place near the Bratislava Gate of the ruins. There were various things on throughout the day, from mock jousting to medieval dance shows.

They also had exhibits where you could take part in some medieval-themed activities or peruse stalls selling related gifts. First up, we tried axe throwing, where you get 4 throws of an axe. There was also archery next to here to learn some bow skills.

They also had an exhibit of medieval torture equipment, which was fun with audience participation. The guide was very knowledgeable about torture and spoke English. We tried out a few devices and found it fascinating.

• Opening ceremony
• A performance of a rhymed fairytale, Roses and Swords.
• Some dances in the stage area, ending with some audience participation.
• A theatre performance relating to the legendary Richard the Lionheart.
• Performance of magic.
• A knight tournament in the arena based on knights from the second half of the 14th century.
• A recital of period music and poetry complemented by Renaissance-era music.
• The closing ceremony had some fencing duels and lots of flag waving.

The parts we saw were fun, and the actors dressed up fantastically. Lots of effort went into the event, and despite the rain, the cast were troopers. As we don’t speak Slovak, we relied on the cast’s actions to know what was happening. Events take place on the first Saturday of the month in June, July and August.

Useful Information About Visiting

Refreshments

Near the entrance, at the edge of the car park, are various places serving refreshments. This included bars, fast-food joints, and a restaurant or two. We had a beer and coffee at U Rytiera, a cafe-bar. They had both outdoor and indoor seating, which was handy during a downpour. As the Knights of Devin Castle event was on, there were options for food and drink inside, including bars for beer and some festival food.

Travel From Bratislava City Centre

As we were leaving Henry, our dog, at the hotel, we made the executive decision to get a Bolt taxi both ways so he wasn’t left alone for too long.

To reach the castle by public transport, you need to catch the number 21 bus from Bratislava city centre. We found Google Maps was accurate for bus times during our stay. Alternatively, you can check the local bus timetable. If you are feeling energetic, you can walk the 12 km, which in places follows paths alongside the River Danube.

Is It Dog Friendly?

Just like Bratislava Castle and its grounds, Devin Castle is also not dog friendly except for guide dogs. However, the area outside alongside the River Danube is a scenic area for dog walks and to see the site from below. On our visit, we utilised our dog-friendly hotel for Henry to sleep for the day after a long morning walk.

Entrance Costs & Tickets

At the entrance you can pay with cash or card. You can find full, up-to-date details on their website. Entry is also included on the Bratislava Card. This is except when they host an event.

Are There Toilets?

There are toilets in various places on the site. First, the bars outside have them for customers. Then there is a toilet block near the museum in the middle-castle ruins.

Is Devin Castle in Bratislava Worth Visiting?

Despite the rain, we found Devin Castle interesting, and the views of the local countryside were splendid. The exhibits inside were informative, and I learnt lots about the area and those who had graced the castle in the past.

The medieval event certainly added to the experience, so if you’re in the area, it’s an ideal time to do both. It is one of many interesting tourist attractions in Bratislava.