Děvičky – Ruins of a Royal Castle above Pavlov

At the northeastern end of the Pavlov Hills, on a steep limestone hillock above Pavlov and Dolní Věstonice, stands a ruin you can recognise at first glance from anywhere around South Moravia. Děvičky, also known as the Maidens' Castle, Maidberk or Maidenburg, is one of the symbols of the Pálava region. The climb up is short but steep – and the reward is one of the finest views of the Nové Mlýny reservoirs and the whole surrounding landscape.

A royal castle on the border

The castle was built in the first quarter of the 13th century and is first mentioned in 1222. It was a royal castle, tasked with guarding an important trade route running from Mikulov to Brno and on to Olomouc. It probably began as a residential tower surrounded by a wall. Later, most likely under Wenceslas II, it was rebuilt into a castle with a curtain wall, where the royal burgraves resided.

In 1334 John of Luxembourg granted Děvičky as a fief to the Liechtensteins, who attached it to the Mikulov estate and held it until the 1560s. After a short period when the castle belonged to the Kerečín family and then passed to Emperor Maximilian II, the Mikulov estate was united in 1575–1577 under the Dietrichsteins. Adam of Dietrichstein had the castle remodelled in the Renaissance style – a two-storey transverse east wing was added.

The end in the Thirty Years' War

The castle remained inhabited even during the Thirty Years' War. According to tradition, it was destroyed in 1645–1646 by the Swedes, who were marching through South Moravia towards Vienna. Even then it was not completely abandoned: the Dietrichsteins continued to use it as a border guard post, and a watchman lived here who rang a bell to warn of storms and fires. Since the end of the 18th century Děvičky has been just a ruin – and all the more popular with hikers for it.

A castle without a tower

One curiosity of Děvičky is that no castle tower ever stood here, although one was a matter of course for castles of that period. Defence was provided by high, massive walls. The complex has the shape of an elongated, irregular rectangle roughly 65 metres long and about 20 metres wide. The perimeter walls, up to two metres thick, have survived, along with part of the inner walls and half-buried cellars.

The legend of the enchanted maidens

The castle's name is explained by a number of legends about enchanted maidens. According to one, they were a Tatar princess and her companions; according to another, three daughters of the castle lord Arnulf who resisted the devilish Trabaccio. Yet another version tells of three disobedient daughters cursed by their own mother. Looking at the rock formations below the castle, it is easy to imagine where the enchanted maidens might still be standing.

How to get to Děvičky

• From Pavlov: the shortest route, about 1.2 km along a marked trail. You can park in the village.
• From Dolní Věstonice: roughly 5 km.
• From Popice: about 7 km, suitable as a longer ridge hike.
• From the castle you can continue along the ridge over Děvín, the highest peak of Pálava, and through Klentnice all the way to Mikulov (Děvičky lies about 7.5 km north of it).

Tip: Come in the evening. Sunset over the Nové Mlýny reservoirs and the vineyards below Pálava is among the most beautiful things South Moravia has to offer.

Good to know

The ruin lies in the Děvín – Kotel – Soutěska National Nature Reserve in the Pálava Protected Landscape Area. You may only walk on marked paths; cycling is not allowed here, and paragliding is prohibited too. The ruin is freely accessible, and collectors can pick up tourist stamp No. 914 – Dívčí Hrady.