JUNE 29 - I have accumulated several reservations, made online, that are required to be presented in hard copy form. So this morning is spent sorting out where I can do this. Find a copy center near the hotel and we head there to print out a number of pdfs before starting today’s journey.
I had looked at several options for a day trip, including a paid tour to Žilina, or just taking a train to either Trnava or Nitra. But all involved a lot of time sitting in transport and I was unsure how many more churches we could stand to look at. Instead take the #29 bus west along the Danube to the town of Devin, about 30 minutes away. This little town sits at the confluence of the Danube and Morava Rivers, mentioned in Day 85b. Here is Devin Castle, built on a steep limestone outcrop, with a flawless view of the river confluence.
This particular spot is significant in many ways. First, the steep geography abutting the rivers is the very western tip of the Malé Karpaty (Little Carpathians) mountain range, that arcs north and east through a significant part of Slovakia. In fact, it is clear (geomorphologically) that the Danube and Morava Rivers have been forced together here, and that the Danube was compelled to alter its course from east to south (which it does fully once it arrives at Bratislava).
From this, one can predict that a major river course, bordered on the northeast by an extensive low mountain range, is going to channel people through it, throughout history. Devin demonstrates this in spades.
Archeological finds on the hill stretch back to the Neolithic, and evidence is found from the early, middle, and late, Bronze Ages, the Iron Age (Celts), and then the Germans, who kicked out the Celts.
By this time, the Roman Empire had expanded to include the lands to the west and south of the Danube, so of course Devin Hill was used to construct a border fortress*. When the Romans were compelled to retreat from Central Europe in the late imperial period, it is unknown what group or groups dominated here.
A significant fortress was constructed here in the 13th Century, and for many years it was an important westernmost outpost of the Hungarian Empire. It was owned by various families through the Habsburg times, and more recently, served the dubious honor of standing at the edge of the Iron Curtain, looking across to Austria.
*The boundary of the Roman Empire reached near its maximum during the time of Trajan (98-117 AD). In fact it was he (as general) who ordered the construction of a fort at Devin. The boundary Rome shared with the many tribes to the north and east was known as the Limes of Rome in later times (but not by the Romans themselves). As Rome weakened in the 3rd and 4th Century, there were many incursions by Germanic and later Hunnic armies that eventually led to the complete collapse of Rome’s control here.
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FUN FACT: There used to be a large pillar monument on top of Devin Castle, placed there by the Hungarians as a marker of their westernmost area of control. When Czechoslovakia gained independence in 1918, it was destroyed as it was seen as a symbol of Hungarian oppression.
Back to Bratislava, the day has grown quite hot. I go down to the Natural History Museum. Housed in an old, run down building, it hosts an odd assortment of exhibits. Three upper floors are dedicated to the natural sciences, with a portion on the mountain ranges of Slovakia that make me feel like we should have stayed longer here.
Also an exhibit on Maria Theresa, possibly the most famous member of the Habsburg Royal line, who reigned from 1740-80. She was certainly the most famous woman to rule the Habsburg dominions.
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When things cool off in the early evening, we go out for dinner.
