The Deva Fortress is a complex scientific reserve located at an altitude of 184-371 m and covers an area of 31 ha, being mostly wooded. The history of the fortress is documented since 1269 and it had a tumultuous past. In the period 1550-1580, the fortress was besieged by the Turkish armies and served to defend the nobles against peasant uprisings, including the one led by Horia, Cloșca and Crișan.
In 1848, it was used by the revolutionary armies, and in 1949 it was destroyed by an explosion in its ammunition depot. Today, historical traces and monuments are preserved on the territory of the fortress, and the area also has a significant landscape value, with a rich flora of over 1300 plant species, many of them endemic, and an interesting fauna, including the horned viper (Vipera ammodytes ), an indicator of the Mediterranean fauna.
Source: Parks and nature reserves of Romania, Gheorghe Mohan, Aurel Ardelean, Victor Bortaș ed. Victor B. Victor, 2006
