Location: Prahova County Map
Constructed: 1873- 1914 by king Carol I of Romania
Peleş Castle is a private royal residence situated 44 km from Brasov in Sinaia, Prahova County in Romania. Peleş Castle was constructed in 1873- 1914 by orders of king Carol I (de Hohezollern) of Romania and under supervision of an architect Wilhem Doderer and later his assistant Johann Schultz de Lemberg. Construction was briefly stopped during Russian- Turkish war of 1877- 78 when Romanian forces sided with the Russian to defeat Ottoman Turks. But it was resumed shortly after the end of hostilities and finally inaugurated in 1883. It became a chief royal residence. Future king Carol II was born here, giving the estate a nickname of "cradle of the dynasty, cradle of the nation". King Carol I was buried here upon his death in 1914. After World War II Romanian king Michael I was forced to abdicated by the Soviet armies and Peles Castle along with other Royal possessions were nationalized by the government.
King Carol I (1839-1914) first visited these
places in 1866, they reminded him of his native Germany, and he was
forever captivated by them. In 1872, these lands (approximately 5.3
sq. Km.) Were bought by the king, and became known as the Sinai
Royal Domain, intended to become the royal hunting grounds and the
summer residence of the monarch.
The first three architectural designs of the castle actually
duplicated other West European palaces, and Karol I rejected them
because they were too expensive and not original enough. The
architect Johann Schulz presented a more interesting project that
the king liked: a small palace or, rather, a spacious mansion in the
Alpine style, combining Italian elegance with the aesthetics of the
German neo-Renaissance. The construction cost (between 1875 and
1914) was estimated at approximately 16 million Romanian lei
(approximately 120 million modern US dollars).
The castle was founded on August 22, 1873. At the same time, other
buildings related to the castle were being built: a guard house, a
hunting lodge, royal stables, etc. In addition, a power station was
built, and Peles became the first electrified castle in the world.
Three or four hundred people were constantly working on the
construction of the castle. Queen Elizabeth during construction
wrote in her diary:
Italians were masons, Romanians built terraces, gypsies were
laborers. Albanians and Greeks worked stone, Germans and Hungarians
were carpenters. Turks burned a brick. The engineers were Poles, and
the Czechs stone carvers. The French drew, the British measured -
there were hundreds of people in national costumes who spoke, sang,
cursed and chatted in fourteen languages ...
The construction was somewhat suspended during the Romanian War of
Independence of 1877-78, but then it accelerated very much. Ball on
the inauguration of the castle took place on October 7, 1883. In
1893, Karol II was born in Peles Castle, filling in the meaning
given to the castle by King Karol I - “the cradle of the dynasty,
the cradle of the nation”.
In 1947, after the forced abdication of King Mihai, the Communists
confiscated all the royal property, including the estate and Peles
Castle. For some time the castle was open to tourists, and in 1953
it was declared a museum. The estate also served as a recreation for
Romanian cultural figures. In the last years of communist rule,
between 1975-1990, Nicolae Ceausescu closed this territory for
visits, only attendants and security service were allowed here.
Curiously, Ceausescu did not like the castle and rarely visited it.
They say that museum workers, knowing that the Ceausescu couple
suffers from health phobias, announced that the building was
infected with the dangerous fungus Serpula lacrymans, which in the
1980s was really quite common, but only affected wood.
After the Romanian revolution of 1989, the castles of Peles and
Pelisor were again open to tourists. In 2006, the Romanian
government announced the return of the castle to the former king
Mihai I. Soon after the king acquired his property, negotiations
between him and the government resumed, and Peles again became a
national treasure, open to the public as a historical monument and
museum. In exchange, the Romanian government donated 30 million
euros to the royal house of Romania. Since its opening, Peles Castle
has received nearly half a million visitors annually.
In 2008, the castle was used on the set of the movie “The Bloom
Brothers” - the neighborhood of the castle depicted a large estate
in New Jersey, the home of the eccentric millionaire Penelope
(Rachel Weiss starred in this role).
The first architect of the castle was the
German Johann Schulz (1876-1883), the Czech architect Karel Liman
became his successor. By its structure and functions, Peles is a
palace, but everyone fondly calls it a castle. The main
architectural style is the Neo-Renaissance, but in the half-timbered
facades of the courtyard with their luxuriously painted walls, Saxon
influence is felt, and in the interiors decorated with rich wood
carvings and exquisite fabrics, the influence of Baroque is
noticeable.
Peles Castle has 3200 m² of area, more than 160 rooms, 30 bathrooms,
luxuriously furnished and exquisitely decorated, a theater hall with
60 seats with a royal box. He has one of the finest art collections
in eastern and central Europe, which includes sculpture, painting,
furniture, weapons and armor, gold and silver jewelry, ivory, china,
carpets and tapestries. The collection of weapons and armor totals
more than 4000 items. Oriental carpets are made in the best
workshops of Bukhara, Mosul, Isparta and Smyrna. The collection of
Sevres and Meissen porcelain, leather from Cordoba is amazing, but
the most impressive is the hand-painted stained-glass windows from
Switzerland.
During the construction of the castle, the most modern technologies
of the time were used - the castle built in 1883 was originally
equipped with a central heating system and is fully electrified. The
castle’s clock tower is 66 meters high.
Park ensemble
At the main entrance is a statue of King Carol I by Italian sculptor
Raffaello Romanelli, who also owns statues from Carrara marble,
located on seven lovely Italian terraces surrounding the castle and
made in the Neo-Renaissance style. In the park there is also a
monument to Queen Elizabeth, depicting the wife of Carol I behind
embroidery - a traditional Romanian art.
Gardens and terraces are decorated with fountains, urns, stairs,
lions, beautiful statues and other decorative details.
Museum
The museum is open from 9 to 17 hours from Wednesday to Sunday. In
November, the castle is closed to the public.
Of the 168 rooms of the castle, 35 are open for visits. A visit only
with a guide consisting of groups that are typed in languages. There
are excursions in Russian for excursion groups
Ticket price depends on the volume of the tour:
30 RON is a visit to the first floor, the duration of the tour is 45
minutes,
50 RON - visiting the first and second floors,
70 RON - the most complete tour, including a visit to three floors,
lasting 2.5 hours.
In addition, you can pay 35 RON for photo and 50 RON for video
shooting.
Location
The castle is located in the north-west of Sinaia, 60 km from the
city of Brasov and 135 km from Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
Buses run from Brasov to Sinai at intervals of half an hour-hour,
trains from Brasov to Gara de Nord regularly stop at Brasov,
stopping in Sinai, and the journey takes about 2 hours.
The Sinai Tourist Complex also includes Pelishor Castle, located
next to Peles Castle.