Deva's crumbling citadel looms from a rocky hilltop 300m above town. A steep climb leads up behind Parcul Cetăţii at the west end of B-dul 1 Decembrie 1918. Alternatively, take the funicular (hang on tight). At the top there are plenty of stone walls to ponder and 360-degree views of the surrounding hills. There are no opening hours to access the ruin.
Work started on the stone fortress in the mid-13th century. In 1453 Iancu de Hunedoara expanded the fort, just in time to imprison Unitarian activist Dávid Ferenc (1510–79), who died here. In 1784, during the peasant uprising led by Horea, Crişan and Cloşca, the fortress served as a refuge for terrified nobles fearful of being killed by militant peasants. In 1849 Hungarian nationalists attacked Austrian generals held up in the fort. The four-week siege ended with the mighty explosion of the castle’s gunpowder deposits, which left the castle in ruins.