Devín Carpathians

Devín Carpathians is a subdivision of the Little Carpathians mountain range, located entirely within Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It is bordered by the city boroughs of Devín from the west, Devínska Nová Ves from the north, Dúbravka from the east and Karlova Ves from the south. Its highest mountain is Devínska Kobyla at 514 m (1,686 ft) AMSL, it is also the highest point in Bratislava. The hills are mostly forested with deciduous trees and most of the area is protected by numerous nature reserves, including two geologically important areas: Sandberg containing sands and sandstones from the Cenozoic Paratethys ocean and Jezuitské Lesy containing rare granitic pegmatite bearing niobium-tantalum oxide minerals. Devín Carpathians are famous for its castles, most notably the Bratislava Castle and the ruins of Devín Castle. The mountains feature numerous cultural monuments, caves, tramping huts, an open-air geology museum and a chemical waste dump. Military structures in the mountains include an abandoned rocket base and preserved artillery fortifications from the time of Austria-Hungary. Featuring a dense network of forest trails, Devín Carpathians together with Bratislava Forest Park are frequented by citizens of the city and provide their main venue for hiking, mountain cycling, cross-country skiing and dog walking.