Devín Castle

Devin Castle, known in German as Theben, perches dramatically on a cliff exactly where the Morava flows into the Danube and Slovakia, Austria, and once the Iron Curtain met. The site has been strategically central for millennia: Celts and Romans already fortified the rock, and in the 9th century Devin was one of the most important strongholds of the Great Moravian Empire. Napoleon's troops blew up the complex in 1809. During the Cold War the border with Austria ran directly below the castle, and escape attempts often ended fatally. Today Devin is a National Cultural Monument with archaeological museum and viewing platform over the confluence. Summer medieval festivals draw families from Bratislava and Vienna.