Discovering Bratislava Hidden Gems

The capital city of Slovakia has a great place in Central Europe that lets you easily connect with other major cities like Vienna, Prague, or Budapest. Besides its historical old town which attracts many foreign tourists every year, there are some other districts worth visiting. This article is going to introduce some of Bratislava Hidden Gems located in the outskirts of Devínska Nová Ves district.

The first mentions of the place go back to 1451 when it was called Nová Ves. In the 17th century, its population started to grow rapidly thanks to an outburst of new citizens coming mostly from Croatia. Later during the Cold War in 1955, it hosted the Iron Curtain construction. The place is also known for being connected to some famous writers, especially Peter Pišťánek who wrote the infamous Rivers of Babylon sagas.

The following points of interest are easily reachable by public transport with bus number 29. It starts at Malá scéna and ends its journey at VW5 – Volkswagen automaker bus stop.

Castle Devín

The castle lies at the confluence of two rivers, Danube and Morava in the Devín village. It is situated on the hill and it offers great panorama views of both rivers and surroundings. You can combine your visit to the castle with hiking the Devínska Kobyla hill or take a boat ride down the river Danube.

The castle used to be home to various people including Celts, and Romans. The biggest boom happened in medieval times. Today you can visit the ongoing exhibition covering the 13th to 20th era with more than 300 archeological artefacts. Some of it gives you a glimpse inside the times when people were building the castle, some tell the stories about its owners or important events that happened on its soil.

The castle is open daily (except Monday) from 10 am until 7 pm in the summer months of June, July, and August. The basic ticket price for adults is 8 Eur in the summer season from April to October, and 4 Eur from November to March.

Devínska Kobyla

Devínska Kobyla is a hill and part of the national reserve Malé Karpaty. It takes pride in the variety of protected species and the paleontological site Sandberg. For example, the place is home to 7 7-centimeter grasshopper Saga pedo. Another interesting insect is Mantis religiosa which attracts insects of the same size. There are nearly 1600 species of butterflies. From the plants, you will find the gold flowers of Adonis vernalis, blue flowers of Palsatilla pasqueflower, or the pink Jurinea mollis flower.

There are a couple of different hiking routes you can take – for example from Castle Devín you can follow the red mark from the Námestie práce square. Or from the Devínska Nová Ves where you have to follow the green mark from the Námestie 6. Apríla until you reach Bočná cesta and then follow the red mark until you reach Devínska Kobyla crossroads.

The biggest highlight of the place is the architectural structure and panorama view tower. It is built on the highest level at 514 m over the sea. The tower lies between three states and offers stunning views of nearby Austria and the Czech Republic. The structure was designed by ARCHITEKTI ŠEBO LICHÝ studio. They decided to base the design on the genius loci and incorporate the crossroads of three states into its triangle plan that repeats itself on the upper floors.

Sandberg

Bratislava hidden gems list continues with sandstone Sandberg that lies in the south-west of the nature reserve Malé Karpaty. The place became protected in 1964 due to the rich fauna and flora. 

Once upon a time, there used to be a sea in the Tertiary times which left some rocks, later the Mesozoic times left some limestone parts and all the past activities led to the formation of today’s Sandberg. 

Around 300 species of fossils were found at Sandberg, including gastropods, bivalves, sea urchins, sponges, foraminifera, as well as larger marine and terrestrial animals. Numerous shark teeth and bony fish remains, turtle shells, a whale vertebrate (Mesocetus hungaricus), primate bone fragments (Pliopithecus antiquus or Sivapithecus darwini), seal (Pristiphoca vetusta), woolly rhinoceros, cave bear, and birds were discovered as well. 

Waitov Lom

Waitov Lom is another nearby Bratislava hidden gem easily accessible via a short walk through the woods. Formerly it was a stone pit and part of the First Bratislava lime works. The company was active until 1935. The place is rich in fossils, fauna, and flora.

But besides the natural aspect, you can also get some spiritual experience in the form of a labyrinth walk. The one in Waitov lom is a reference to the infamous labyrinth in Chartes in France from the 13th century. Its designer is Martin Káľavský who formerly created it as a gift for his girlfriend.

One route to reach the site is by following the blue tourist trail linking Devín Castle and Devínska Nová Ves. Alternatively, if approaching from Sandberg, there’s a separate blue trail for hikers to follow. After about a 15-minute walk, you’ll arrive at the destination. Along the way, you’ll encounter an old hopper once utilized for transporting sand to the Morava River via cable cars.

In addition to the labyrinth, keep an eye out for wooden goats placed there to prevent local vegetation from overgrowth.

Bridge of Freedom

The Freedom Cycle Bridge closes the list of Bratislava hidden gems. This bridge links Devínska Nová Ves with the Austrian palace Schloss Hof, and you can even extend your journey into Austria, reaching Marchegg, covering a total distance of approximately 22 kilometers.

The bridge crosses NATURA 2000, a protected area of major European significance. It is home to many different species of fauna and flora.

Although the bridge is for bikers, people who want to walk are welcome too. There is also one small museum dedicated to Iron Curtain times. It features a replica of barbed wire, and a concrete bunker from the 1st World War.

The original bridge that used to be there before, has a history that dates back to Mary Theresa. She fell in love with the Schloss Hof so much that she managed to get it from Prince Eugen and give it as a gift to her husband. In 1771 she asked people to build a wooden bridge next to the palace. It was later destroyed by icebergs and renowned by Earl Pálffy.