money. In 1609, Matthias II confirmed that Keglević still was the owner of the castle, but Keglević did not have the money to take the castle out of pledge from the Palocsai family. Nearly 100 years later in 1635 Palatine Pál Pálffy took the castle out of pledge from the Palocsai family. The last owners of the Devín Castle were the Counts of the Pálffy family. Only in 1809, after the Siege of Pressburg, the castle was (which may have still been considered a threat) destroyed by the retreating forces of Napoleon I of France. Napoleon and Leopold Pálffy negotiated then and they both agreed that Vienna is supplied with products by Pálffy. Since the 19th century as its history inspired several Romantic poets, followers of Ľudovít Štúr, Devín has become an important national symbol for the Slovaks. It featured both on the reverse of the former 500 Czechoslovak koruna banknote and the 50 Halierov coin of the Slovak currency. The Hungarians regarded it as the western gateway of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Hungarian poet Endre Ady used it as a symbol of modernism and Westernization in his poem I am the Son of Gog and Magog: Some parts of the castle have been reconstructed in the 20th century and the castle hosts an interesting museum. Archaeological works at the site have revealed the remains of a Roman tower dating from the 1st century AD and evidence of a prehistoric settlement. Cultural references Patrick Leigh Fermor describes approaching the castle whilst walking eastwards along the Danube in 1934, “The climbing roofs were dominated by a hill and the symmetry of this huge gaunt castle and the heigh of its corner-towers gave it the look of an upside-down table.” See also History of Bratislava Tourism in Slovakia List of castles in Slovakia References Sources Engel, Pál: Magyarország világi archontológiája (1301–1457) (The Temporal Archontology of Hungary (1301-1457)); História - MTA Történettudományi Intézete, 1996, Budapest; . External links Short description of Devín Defending Bratislava at Devin - Spectacular Slovakia A video tour round the castle Castles in Slovakia Archaeological sites in Slovakia Buildings and structures in Bratislava Great Moravia Romanesque architecture in Slovakia Gothic architecture in Slovakia 9th-century architecture in Slovakia 13th-century architecture in Slovakia Tourist attractions in Bratislava Roman sites in Slovakia Rock formations of Slovakia