Devín Gate

Devín Gate, Hainburger Gate or Hungarian Gates (Slovak: Devínska brána, pronounced [ˈɟeʋiːnska ˈbraːna]; German: Hainburger Pforte) is a natural gate in the Danube valley at the border of Slovakia and Austria. It is one out of four geomorphological areas of the Devín Carpathians, part of the Little Carpathians mountain range. Passau, Devín Gate, and the Iron Gates divide the Danube river into four distinct sections. Devín Gate has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with continuous settlement since 5000 BC. It was a strategic part of the ancient Amber Road connecting Northern Europe with the Mediterranean and during the Middle Ages, five castles have been built here, Heimenburg Castle, Rothelstein Castle, Pottenburg Castle, Devín Castle, and Bratislava Castle. It was continually guarded since Roman times and it has served as a border of the Roman Empire, Austrian Empire, the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and finally a border between Austria and Czechoslovakia, today Slovakia. On 1 May 2004 Slovakia entered the Schengen Zone, allowing free movement of persons.