Deva Fortress

The hill at Deva is a volcanic neck standing abruptly out of the Mureș valley, and the fortress on top has been there in some form since the thirteenth century, controlling the road through the valley. It was expanded through the medieval and early modern periods, held by successive Transylvanian rulers, and destroyed in 1849 when its powder magazine exploded, since when it has stood as a ruin. Consolidation work has made the walls safe and opened the circuits, and the inclined funicular built in 2005 carries visitors up in a couple of minutes, though the footpath through the hill's nature reserve is the better approach if you have the legs. The reserve itself protects a dry grassland flora and a notable population of the horned viper. From the walls the view runs the length of the Mureș valley, with the Retezat and Poiana Ruscă ranges on the horizon.

History

The castle on the volcanic hill is first recorded in 1269, when Stephen V of Hungary named the royal castle of Deva in a grant to Count Chyl of Kelling, and at the end of the 13th century the voivode Ladislaus Kán kept a court here beside the garrison. John Hunyadi took possession of it in 1444 with 56 villages and gold mines, and the fortress is at the heart of the Hungarian folk tale The Wife of Clement, the Mason (Wikipedia, Fortress of Deva).

What's there

• The ruined enceinte - consolidated walls, bastions and gates on the summit.
• The funicular - an inclined lift from the park to the fortress gate.
• Valley views - long sightlines along the Mureș towards the mountains.
• The hill reserve - dry grassland flora on the volcanic slopes.

When to go

April to October for the best conditions; the fortress is open year-round but the hill is bleak in winter and the funicular has reduced hours. Sunset from the walls is the local ritual. Spring flowering on the hill is good.

Practical notes

It is a ruin, with little interpretation and nothing reconstructed, so visitors expecting rooms and exhibits will be disappointed. The funicular queues on summer weekends and closes for maintenance periods. The path up is steep and exposed. Vipers really are present on the hill, so stay on the paths.

Nearby

Corvin Castle at Hunedoara is twenty minutes south; Alba Iulia lies east.

Key facts