Peles Castle, Romania: how to get there, description and photos inside and outside. History and ethnology

25.01.2024

Autumn is the time to take a vacation for those who like an unusual holiday. It is at this time that architecture connoisseurs will be able to admire the beauty of European castles. And let them say that there is nothing more tiring than visiting museums, a mystical castle immersed in the colors of autumn will make you forget about all stereotypes. Let's visit Peles Castle in Romania.

Beautiful Romania, one of the most beautiful European countries, is replete with castles. And besides the castle of Count Dracula, tourists should turn their attention to Peles Castle, because of its rich architecture, beautiful park area and interior decoration.

The castle found its refuge in a very picturesque place, in the Carpathians. A river flows next to it, after which the castle was named. Peles, thanks to its vast territory, looks very impressive. Perched on a mountain and surrounded by greenery, it is difficult not to notice, especially if you head from the city of Sinaia or Bucharest.

Peles Castle is currently a historical monument, but this was not always the case.

King Carol I, perhaps competing with other kings for originality and at the same time not wanting to spend a fortune on the construction of his summer residence, wanted to get from the architects a proposal that would combine uniqueness and economy. Having abandoned many ideas, he finally approved the idea of a certain Schulz, an architect who decided that in order for the picky king to like the castle, it should be made not in one, but in different styles. As a result, the project turned out to be very solid. Here the Rococo style is mixed with Baroque and Renaissance, and the general style of the castle is described by historians as neo-Renaissance. Peles was built from 1873 to 1914.

Aesthetic, elegant, memorable. Due to the mixture of styles, it looks very organic at different times of the year.

Despite the fact that the castle began to be built at the end of the 19th century, very advanced technologies already existed then. And where to use them, if not for the residence of the king. Peles Castle, the first in Romania, was equipped with electricity, an elevator and even a cinema. Other castles at that time were deprived of such amenities. Construction of the castle ended in 1914.

But the royal family could not enjoy its beauty for long. Already in the middle of the 20th century, almost all the decoration and the premises as a whole were transferred to state ownership and declared a museum, its exhibits were partially located in Bucharest. The castle was open either for tourists or for the holidays of important people, then it was closed and again given to the royal family, who subsequently sold their house for several million euros. As a result, the castle became a museum and opened its doors to connoisseurs of beauty.

Exterior design

As already mentioned, in addition to the castle itself, the area around it deserves attention. This is a park ensemble with many fountains. The park is decorated with statues. In particular, tourists are greeted at the entrance by a marble statue of King Carol I, and a little further in there is a monument to his wife.

Also, today the park is equipped with many lanterns, which in the evening beautifully illuminate the terraces with statues and sculptures, and you can walk through the territory both along stone paths and along small stairs. The landscape of the territory deserves special attention. The castle is surrounded by a beautiful garden created in classic French style.

Interior decoration of the castle

In addition to the fact that the castle itself is externally made in different styles, the architects remained faithful to this rule when decorating the interior. The castle has more than 150 living rooms and more than two dozen restrooms. The halls are designed in a variety of styles. Some ideas were borrowed from Turkey, others from Florence and many other countries.

The decoration of the rooms in general looks very expensive. Here you can see a large number of oriental carpets and tapestries, porcelain and leather, while ivory and ebony occupy a special place in the interior. Which is very strange, in view of the fact that initially they wanted to save money on construction, and, consequently, on decoration. Tourists should pay attention to the library, which is still filled with rare books, the hall with weapons and the room of King Carol, in which the interior was not posthumously changed.

To easily perceive the interior of the castle, it can be represented as follows:

Tourist Guide

The museum is accessible only with a guided tour. The guides gather groups and from different parts of the castle you can hear them speak in different world languages. Not all viewing rooms are available, but those that are open can be visited from Wednesday to Sunday from nine a.m. to five p.m. The cost of visiting depends on the time of the excursion. The maximum cost excluding photos is seventy lei, that is, one thousand one hundred thirty-six rubles.

Peles Castle is located on the medieval route connecting Transylvania and Wallachia, in a picturesque location in the Carpathians, near the city of Sinaia in Romania. The castle was built in the neo-Renaissance style between 1873 and 1914 and was inaugurated in 1883. The name was given to it by a nearby mountain river. Currently, the castle is a historical monument. The castle has more than 160 rooms. All are exquisitely decorated and luxuriously furnished. It houses rich art collections that include silver and gold, porcelain, furniture, armor and weapons, carpets and tapestries, European paintings and sculpture.

Carol I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

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 purchased by the king, and became known as the Royal Domain of Sinai, intended to become the royal hunting grounds and summer residence of the monarch.

The King of Romania, Carol I (in general, it sounds, yes - a king - King Carol I) was from Hans (in general, Transylvania was rebuilt by Hans, for this reason it looks quite decent, unlike the steppe Bucharest), so Germanic motifs are immediately felt in the castle.

Next to the palace there are terraces with a bunch of sculptures, they look great, in general the place is very aesthetic, the palace and the statues and nature, everything is wildly beautiful and the soul just rejoiced.

Monument to King I

Beloved wife

Favorite dog

Lions have signs of Graves' disease)).

The first three architectural designs for the castle actually copied other Western European palaces, and Carol I rejected them because they were too expensive and not original enough.

Architect Johann Schulz presented a more interesting design that pleased the king: a small palace, or rather a spacious mansion, in Alpine style, combining Italian elegance with German neo-Renaissance aesthetics. The cost of construction (over the period between 1875 and 1914) was estimated at approximately 16 million gold Romanian lei (approximately 120 million modern US dollars).

The castle was founded on August 22, 1873. At the same time, other buildings associated with the castle were 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 constantly worked on the construction of the castle.

Elizaveta Neuvidskaya

Queen Elizabeth wrote in her diary during construction:

Italians were masons, Romanians built terraces, Gypsies were laborers. Albanians and Greeks worked in stone, Germans and Hungarians were carpenters. The Turks burned bricks. The Poles were engineers, and the Czechs were stone carvers. The French drew, the British measured - there were hundreds of people in national costumes who talked, sang, cursed and chatted in fourteen languages...

Construction stopped somewhat during the Romanian War of Independence of 1877-78, but then quickly accelerated. The castle's inauguration ball took place on October 7, 1883. In 1893, King Carol II was born in Peles Castle, giving meaning to the name granted to the castle by King Carol I - “the cradle of the dynasty, the cradle of the nation.”

Carol II

In 1947, after the forced abdication of King Michael, the communists confiscated all royal property, including the Peles estate and castle.

For some time the castle was open to tourists, and in 1953 it was declared a museum. The estate also served as a holiday home for Romanian cultural figures. In the last years of communist rule, between 1975-1990, Nicolae Ceausescu closed this area to visitors, only service personnel and security were allowed here.

It is curious that Ceausescu did not like the castle and rarely visited it. They say that museum workers, knowing that the Ceausescu couple suffered from health phobias, announced that the building was infected with a dangerous fungus, Serpula lacrymans, which in the 1980s was indeed quite common, but only affected wood.

After the Romanian revolution of 1989, Peles and Pelisor castles were again open to tourists. In 2006, the Romanian government announced the return of the castle to former King Michael I. Soon after the king regained his property, negotiations between him and the government resumed, and Peles once again became a national treasure, open to the public as a historical monument and museum. In return, the Romanian government transferred 30 million euros to the Royal House of Romania. Since its opening, Peles Castle has received almost half a million visitors every year.

In 2008, the castle was used in the filming of The Brothers Bloom - the surroundings of the castle depicted a large estate in New Jersey, the home of the eccentric millionaire Penelope (Rachel Weisz starred in this role).

Since its opening, Peles Castle has received almost half a million visitors every year. But, unfortunately, there are almost no Russians among them. For this reason, unfortunately, excursions in Russian are not offered here either. At the main entrance stands a statue of King Carol I, the work of the Italian sculptor Raffaello Romanelli, who also owns the statues made of Carrara marble, located on seven beautiful Italian terraces surrounding the castle and made in the neo-Renaissance style. The park also contains a monument to Queen Elizabeth, depicting the wife of King Carol I doing embroidery, a traditional Romanian art. The gardens and terraces are decorated with fountains, urns, staircases, lions, beautiful statues and other decorative details.

The collection of weapons and armor includes more than 4,000 items.

You should definitely pay attention to the hall of European weapons. It is decorated in German Revival style. Unique and rare examples of European weapons from the 15th to 19th centuries are collected here. Also in Peles Castle there is a hall of oriental weapons. Here are various types of weapons decorated with gold, silver, precious stones, and corals. The most valuable of them is a Turkish weapon - half pistol, half dagger.

The first architect of the castle was the German Johann Schulz (1876-1883), his successor was the Czech architect Karel Liman.

In terms of its structure and functions, Peles is a palace, but everyone lovingly calls it a castle. The main architectural style is Neo-Renaissance, but the half-timbered courtyard facades with their sumptuously painted walls show Saxon influence, and the interiors, decorated with rich wood carvings and fine fabrics, show Baroque influence.

Peles Castle has 3200 m² of area, more than 160 rooms, 30 bathrooms, luxuriously furnished and exquisitely decorated.

A secret door from the library leads through a spiral staircase to the king's bedroom on the third floor. The library at Peles Castle contains about 800 volumes. The rest of the books, about 10,000 of them, were kept in the permanent royal residence in Bucharest.

The design and decor of the dining room is made using a huge number of different wood species, including exotic wood. Furniture in the German Baroque style. The original stained glass windows, made by Munich craftsmen, depict scenes from the life of the German nobility. The ceiling and chairs are covered in Cordoba leather.

It has one of the finest collections of art from eastern and central Europe, which includes sculpture, paintings, furniture, weapons and armour, gold and silverware, ivory, porcelain, carpets and tapestries. The collection of weapons and armor includes more than 4,000 items.

The highest room in Peles Castle is the main entrance hall. Its height is 12 meters, which is equal to the height of three floors of the castle. The main entrance hall is the highest room of Peles Castle - 3 floors, 12 meters high. The front lobby reproduces the famous German Chamber of Commerce in Lübeck. The furniture here is in Italian Revival style. Initially, the front vestibule served as a courtyard, but at the request of the owners, in 1911 it was covered with a mobile roof, which even today can be moved apart to ventilate the room.

On the panels of the front vestibule are two rows of alabaster bas-reliefs (marble plaster), which depict mythological, biblical and historical scenes. Rich marquetry on the walls depict 18 castles in Germany and Switzerland - the residence of the Hohenzolern dynasty. Oriental carpets were produced in the best workshops of Bukhara, Mosul, Isparta and Smyrna. The collection of Sevres and Meissen porcelain and leather from Cordoba is amazing, but the most impressive thing is the hand-painted stained glass windows from Switzerland.

The study of King Carol I in Peles Castle is decorated with paintings and furniture in the German style. Between the stained glass windows there is a music stand for official audiences, and next to it is the table where the king worked. The room in which the library is located is decorated with oak wood panels with carvings. A secret door from the library leads through a spiral staircase to the king's bedroom on the third floor. The library at Peles Castle contains about 800 volumes. The rest of the books, about 10,000 of them, were kept in the permanent royal residence in Bucharest.

At the main entrance stands a statue of King Carol I by the Italian sculptor Raffaello Romanelli, who also owns the Carrara marble statues located on seven beautiful Italian terraces surrounding the castle and made in the neo-Renaissance style. The park also contains a monument to Queen Elizabeth, depicting the wife of King Carol I doing embroidery, a traditional Romanian art.

The gardens and terraces are decorated with fountains, urns, staircases, lions, beautiful statues and other decorative details.

The museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm from Wednesday to Sunday. In November the castle is closed to visitors.

Of the 168 rooms of the castle, 35 are open to the public. Visits are only possible with a guide in groups selected by language. There are excursions in Russian for excursion groups

Since everything in Peles Castle smacks of originality, the architects could not ignore even the ceilings. Instead of standard ceilings, the castle has stained glass ceilings. And not just stained glass, but sliding stained glass. They do not spoil the overall ensemble, but only complement it. These stained glass windows still provide natural ventilation to the castle.

The Florentine Hall is the main hall of Peles Castle, where lavish receptions were held. The design of this hall is made in the Italian neo-Renaissance style. The rich decor of the Florentine hall is made of marble and carved gilded wood. Murano glass chandeliers. The floor is covered with magnificent oriental carpets made of natural silk

The Moorish Hall is the third reception hall of Peles Castle. Made in the Arabic style with numerous ivory and mother-of-pearl inlays. On the walls are oriental weapons from the 15th to 18th centuries.

Location

The castle is located in the northwest of the city of Sinaia, 60 km from the city of Brasov and 135 km from Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Buses run from Brasov to Sinaia every half hour to an hour, from Bucharest Gara de Nord station there are regular trains to Brasov, stopping in Sinaia, the travel time is about 2 hours.

The Sinaia tourist complex also includes Pelisor Castle, located next to Peles Castle.

Peles Castle is located on the banks of a mountain stream, whose name it bears. This is the diamond in the necklace of the castles of Eastern Europe, this is the pride of the Romanian kings. Its external decoration looks like a castle from a sweet fairy tale. It is somewhat similar to a fairytale castle made of ice cream and cookies. But at the same time, it differs from all the pretentious and pompous castles of Western Europe. Its style can be described as a light Swiss chalet. It is incredibly chic, the architecture here is simply dazzling, but in some ways there is still restraint, unlike all other castles. Most likely, this is due to a mixture of styles?

Architects Wilhelm Doder from Vienna and Johann Schulz from Lvov had to solve a difficult task, but they did it with a bang. They simply took all the most famous architectural styles of that time and mixed them in one building, so that it all did not look chaotic. Construction of the castle began in 1875, under the strict guidance of these two geniuses.

The castle was built simultaneously with a power plant on the river flowing nearby, so Peles is also the first electrified castle in Romania. It was not for nothing that Carol gave the castle the name Peles, which meant the cradle of the nation. When Carol the First was dying, he ordered his son to make a museum out of Peles. After the death of his father, Carol II, like an obedient son, fulfilled his dying will. The castle began to work as a museum, remaining a royal domain.

If you are looking for a castle that is rich both externally and internally, then you won’t find a better place than Peles! A huge number of sculptures, a gorgeous park around, incredible frescoes on the walls, the wood carvings that decorate the façade of the house, the interior, walls, and furniture are legendary. This is the richest castle in Europe. A year is not enough to explore all its treasures.

You can talk about this castle for hours. The architect fits it perfectly into the surrounding landscape. A snow-white building with dark wood trim, a pointed turret, many patterns on the windows, on the roofs, on the balustrades. And there are frescoes everywhere. The picture is complemented by beautiful lanterns in the park and many sculptures.

I love palaces. This is not only an opportunity to feel like a nonentity and see the life of kings, but also a chance to see a large number of outlandish gizmos. Today we are going to the Peles palace castle, where no less than the king of Romania lived. And I have to tell you, it’s a really cool house! The boys knew how to live well, and I can confidently say that if you haven’t visited Peles, you haven’t visited Romania at all, or rather, you haven’t learned anything about it. After all, there...But first things first :)

How to get to Sinaia and Peles Castle

My journey began from the capital of Romania - . I have already written about him before. It was in Bucharest that I boarded one of those scary, big-eyed locomotives and rushed to a small mountain town.

However, there was no need to yawn: the trains were passing, so I kept my eyes open so as not to miss my stop.

Advice from Gav! A special feature of Romanian railways is that tickets can be purchased online. If you buy online, the price is significantly lower. I advise you to go to the website and find out the terms of purchase. It’s better to go early in the morning to see everything and leave in the evening for the next city in Romania – Brasov.

It was gloomy on the platform in Sinai, and the city was met with rain. But not for long!
The Romanian locomotive with eyes turned out to be very comfortable inside

Excursions here

If you want a tour of the sights of the cities of Transylvania, including Sinai, here are a couple of the most popular:

Mountain town of Romania – Sinaia

So we found ourselves in place. As you may have already noticed, Sinai is a word that is well known to Russians who visit Egypt, because there is Sinai there too, and this coincidence is not accidental.

Sinaia today is a popular ski resort

Egyptian and Romanian Sinai are closely connected, because in the 17th century the Romanian prince Mikhail Cantacuzino made a pilgrimage to the holy places of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and also visited the Sinai Peninsula, where he visited the Monastery with the Church of St. Catherine. Inspired by the extraordinary beauty of the monastery, the prince built something similar in his country. So, back in 1695, the Sinaia Monastery appeared in the mountains of Romania.

It's funny that no one from Russia sells tours to Romania. Everyone sells tours to Transylvania.

Sinai later became a city. And now it is a ski resort with stunning scenery and interesting architecture, somewhat reminiscent of Bavarian buildings. It's cozy, clean and beautiful here.

We headed towards Peles Castle, twirling our mustaches along the way and capturing the interesting architecture.

The architecture in Sinai is truly unusual. It's a mixture of styles...
...from the times of the English Renaissance, German Baroque and French Rococo. At least make a movie!

Sinaia Monastery

My path to Peles Palace went through the famous monastery. As I wrote above, it was thanks to him that the city received its name. The monastery itself is famous for the fact that, firstly, it was the very first electrified in Romania, and, secondly, it has a huge bell weighing 1700 kg. It is located on the bell tower-gate.

There is a legend: when the Turks came to plunder Transylvania, they reached Sinai. The monks did not want to be robbed, so they collected all the gold and valuables, put them under the bell, and removed the bell itself. The Turks came, saw that the monks were some kind of beggars, did not think of lifting a bell that weighed 1,700 kg, and left with nothing. This is how the monks retained their charm.

Advice from Gav! The cost of entry to the monastery is 5 lei. Now everyone who is not too lazy makes money from everything. However! If you get there too early, there will be no one at the entrance, you can just walk in and have a look. By the way, this applies to all open complexes in Romania. Arrived early and got in for free. Take note :)

From the monastery to the Peles Palace, I found a wonderful pedestrian road, which I advise you to take too: wonderful views open up, and the path here is the shortest, you don’t need to make a huge detour. In addition, various souvenirs and sweets will be sold along the way.

Peles Castle. Those who get up early get a Russian guide!

And here it is - Peles Castle. You can call it a palace – it’s really beautiful! This architectural miracle was built at the beginning of the 20th century for King Carol I.

A little Wikipedia: 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 purchased by the king, and became known as Royal Domain of Sinai, destined to become royal hunting grounds and the monarch's summer residence.

The first three architectural designs for the castle actually copied other Western European palaces, and Carol I rejected them because they were too expensive and not original enough. Architect Johann Schulz presented a more interesting design that pleased the king: a small palace, or rather a spacious mansion, in Alpine style, combining Italian elegance with German neo-Renaissance aesthetics. The cost of construction (over the period between 1875 and 1914) was estimated at approximately 16 million gold Romanian lei (approximately 120 million modern US dollars).

The castle is open daily from 9 to 5, Wednesday to Sunday. The cost of one floor is 20 lei/person, for two floors – 50 lei/person. Photo and video shooting – 30 lei. Entrance in strictly organized groups.

Having decided on the choice of style, the castle was built. It took more than one year to build. And then its ordeals began: initially intended to become “the cradle of a dynasty, the cradle of a nation,” the castle did not fulfill its purpose, and it was nationalized and turned into a museum.

Under Ceausescu (the communist dictator of Romania, if anyone didn’t know), it was completely closed to visitors. After the “Romanian Revolution” of 1989, it was reopened to the public. And in 2006 it was returned to the royal house of Romania. King Micaiah (who is still alive and lives in Bucharest in his small palace) made a museum out of it. Now it is open to tourists almost the whole year, except November.

In front of the palace is a very beautiful palace and park complex. Not Versailles and Peterhof, of course. But very cute and cozy. Be sure to go

Who gets up early...
...that’s a Russian tour guide :)

There is also a monument to Elizabeth, the wife of Carol I. As the guide told us, she loved to do needlework, so the statue captures the moment when she embroiders. She probably darns her husband’s socks :)

Elizabeth the needlewoman. She sews socks for my husband :)

Entrance to the castle is only for organized groups with excursions. Unfortunately, singles are not allowed in at all.

As for the cost, you can only visit two floors in the castle itself. The third one is closed for now. Therefore, tickets are divided by price. Those who want only 1 floor - 20 lei per person, 2 floors - 50 lei.

I highly recommend taking it for 50! You will not regret it and see all the delights of the complex. Photo and video shooting also costs an additional fee – 20-30 lei.

Boys and women. Take your student card - instead of 50 lei you will pay 12 lei. The savings are huge! The cashiers do not really look at what is written in it, but check the fact of its availability (not like in the Parthenon in Athens, everything is checked thoroughly there)

There is one whole Russian-speaking guide. By the way, the group I joined was incredibly lucky and we ended up with him. Why? And for those who get up early,… a tour in Russian 🙂 Well, let’s go have a look?

Peles Castle. Who was the king hiding from?

The Russian-speaking guide (we were surprised by her Russian, in which she even joked) gave a very good tour. As a mouse who has seen a lot of things, I definitely recommend it.

I took the photo on sneakers in economy mode, so excuse me.

The ceiling in the castle is modeled after the ceiling in the Palace of Parliament.
However, this ceiling also moves apart for ventilation!

As a male mouse, I really enjoyed the weapons room. The King is simply the best! Collected cool stuff from all over the world: here are sabers, halberds, armor from Europe and Asia. There are even ones from Africa! I just walked around with my mouth open, my mustache didn’t move. They, too, froze from the exposure.

The palace is very beautiful inside, each room is decorated in its own way and is very interesting. Here, for example, is a library. It’s probably not worth saying that behind the books there is a secret passage to the king’s bedrooms. To quote the guide: “The king loved to hide. Especially from the queen…” (sly smile). I don’t know why he was hiding from her. Maybe he didn’t want to try on the sewn socks.

- Dear, I sewed you new socks!...
... And in response there was silence :)

Apart from its internal beauty, the palace was truly innovative and ahead of the curve. As I already said, Peles Castle was the first electrified building in Romania. The whole city of Sinai, by the way, is similar. The elevator still works here (!). Just 120 years. The elevator has been in operation for 120 years! But that's not all.

There is also a boiler room here, which heats the entire castle (air ducts with warm air directly blow on you when you walk along the corridors). And, Carl, you won't believe this, but there was a vacuum cleaner that works too!

Along the corridors there are special sockets where the tube from the vacuum cleaner was connected and the castle workers could vacuum the fleecy surfaces.

In general, this is so far the best I have seen in castles of this format. Definitely a must see. If you haven't been to Peles, you haven't been to Romania.

Pelesor Castle

Having thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of Peles, we went to Pelesor Castle, which is located nearby. Compared to its big brother, Pelesor, of course, lags behind. It was built by King Carol I for his heir, Prince Ferdinand. It is less pretentious, and quite small.

Here you can walk on your own, without a guide. For those who wish, there is an audio guide to help, which I took and, to be honest, regretted. There are a lot of mistakes and other absurdities, so I don’t recommend taking it. Come and see for yourself.

And this is considered the most beautiful room - the golden room of Peleshor. On the ceiling is the monogram of the royal couple, and all the walls are covered with gilded carvings:

The cost of a trip from Bucharest to Sinaia is lei. The entire journey is approximately 120 km or 2 hours of your time. The train rushes with the breeze, the seats are comfortable for the butt, soft.
The entrance fee to the Sinaia Monastery is 5 lei. I came early in the morning and got in for free.
Entrance to Peles Castle - from 20 to 50 lei, depending on the program (how many floors you will go to). Discounts for students. There is a student one, be sure to take it!
You can eat in the city center. There are many cafes and a huge supermarket there. On average - 30-50 lei per person (the town is touristic, so prices are higher than in Bucharest)
It is better to buy train tickets online - they are cheaper this way.

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More wonderful travel reviews!

Peles Castle in Romania- one of the most beautiful and fabulous castles in the country. Romania, as you know, is the birthplace of the world famous Count Dracula. There are many interesting and beautiful castles in the country, but Peles Castle stands out among them. The castle does not have a specific style or direction. The architect of this castle, Johann Schulz, combined styles such as Baroque, Rococo and Renaissance in his creation. There are several towers on the roof of Peles Castle, and fountains and columns on the terraces.

The interior of Peles Castle in Romania also does not have a specific style. Each owner left a piece of himself and his culture here. Therefore, Moorish patterns combined with the Renaissance, Turkish patterns combined with the Baroque style came together in the castle. These combinations do not interfere with each other and look very impressive. The Romanian castle has 30 bathrooms and 160 regular ones. The interiors of all rooms used ivory, ebony, tapestries, paintings, silver and gold dishes.

Peles Castle has the king's library, which contains a large number of interesting books. The office was not fully completed, since the king died, and the office was left as he saw it. The dining room, meeting room and armory are also worth a visit. There are a lot of weapons in the castle; the collection numbers more than 4 thousand items.

The castle got its name from the river flowing nearby. The history of Peles Castle begins at the moment when King Carol I of Romania decided to build his summer residence near Sinai in the Carpathians. Construction of Peles Castle began in 1873 and ended in 1883. But after its opening, the castle continued to be rebuilt. The king's wife Elizabeth and her husband participated in the construction of the castle. In her letters you can read many references to construction. Since the Romanian Peles Castle was built in the 19th century, it used the latest technologies at that time. Electricity was installed there and an elevator was installed, and in 1916 a cinema was built in the castle.

After World War II, a museum was opened at Peles Castle in Romania. But after a certain time it was closed, and the castle became the residence of the country's top leadership. In 1989 the museum was reopened.

In 2006, Romanian authorities returned Peles Castle to the royal family, but the family offered to sell it to the state for thirty million euros. Having fulfilled this request, Peles Castle received the status of a state museum. About five hundred thousand people visit the castle every year.

There is an entrance fee to the castle, and prices vary depending on the time of the tour. You can only walk around the castle with a tour group. Tours of Peles Castle in Romania are most often conducted in English.

Situated at the foot of Mount Bucegi in the picturesque town of Sinaia, Peles Castle (Romania) is a masterpiece of German New Renaissance architecture, and is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful castles in Europe.

After Peles, it is considered the second most visited museum in the country. In 2006 alone, two hundred and fifty thousand visitors from the countries of the former Soviet Union, as well as the United States of America, Australia, Japan and New Zealand crossed its threshold.

The importance of the castle is also emphasized by the existing security measures - the presence of a large number of guards and video cameras.

Short story

Construction of Peles Castle began in 1873 by order of King Carol I, under the direct supervision of the Viennese architect Wilhelm Doderer, and continued until 1876 with his assistant Johann Schulz de Lemberg. During the war (1877-1879), builders refused to work. Therefore, the castle was opened only on October 7, 1883. It was supposed to serve as the summer residence of the royal family. Until 1947, he performed this function.

(photo above) became the first European castle to have heating and electricity. His own power plant was located on the banks of Peles Brook.

The castle occupies three thousand two hundred square meters, and the height of each tower is sixty-six meters.

Castle interior

Peles Castle has one hundred and sixty fully furnished rooms. This includes bedrooms, an armory, libraries, offices, game rooms (for playing cards), thirty bathrooms, a hookah room, galleries, tea rooms, children's playrooms, conference rooms, breakfast rooms, dining rooms, kitchens. And that's just the main part.

Each of these rooms, as well as the halls and hallways, are decorated in an individual style. Therefore, when you walk around the castle, you don’t even know what style awaits you behind the next door. Decor ideas were taken from Turkish, Venetian, Florentine, French, Moorish and other styles.

The interior of the castle is amazing with spiral staircases, internal balconies, massively decorated mirrors, countless statues, doors that are hidden inside cabinets, a glass roof that opens in summer, and so on.

Today, only about ten rooms out of the total number can be visited by tourists.

What can tourists see on an excursion?

The first room you enter is the lobby. Its walls are decorated with carved walnut panels.

Royal Library. A collection of rare valuable books is collected and stored here, some even with leather covers with engraved gold letters. Also in the library, in one of the cabinets, there is a secret door through which, according to legend, the king could get into different rooms of the castle.
Music room. All the furniture that furnished the room was a gift from the Maharaja of Kapurthala.
The recreation room, called the Florentine, impresses with its carved linden ceiling, two gilded chandeliers and Italian neo-Renaissance decorations. The doors for it were specially ordered and brought from Rome.
A meeting room that resembles one of the city hall rooms in
An office with an impressive size desk.
Dining room. It is decorated in a rustic British eighteenth century style.
Guest room in Turkish style. Within its walls is a collection of Turkish and Persian brass pots. Previously, it served as a place to relax and smoke a pipe.
A bedroom that is illuminated by a chandelier.
The auditorium seats sixty, which is decorated in the French style of the times of Louis XIV. Since 1906 it has become a home cinema. The ceiling paintings and decorative frescoes were painted by famous Austrian artists Gustav Klimt and Franz Matsch.
Moorish living room. It received this name due to the fact that it is decorated in a mixed style - Spanish-Moorish and North African. The interior of the living room is somewhat reminiscent of the Alhambra Palace in Grande (Andalusia).

Some rooms and corridors are decorated with stunning stained glass windows, which were purchased and installed between 1883 and 1914. Most were brought from Switzerland and Germany.

Tourists can also stroll along seven terraces, which are decorated with stone sculptures, marble fountains and decorative flower pots.

Tourists are also invited to take a walk in the castle grounds. The style of landscape design has remained the same, and numerous fountains still operate today.

Armory

The armory, which is called the hall of European weapons, deserves special attention. All the weapons that are located here are decorated with gold, silver, corals and various precious stones. The hall was built from 1903 to 1906, and it is decorated in the neo-Renaissance style.

In total, the collection contains more than four thousand pieces of hunting equipment, military weapons and knightly equipment. All this was collected between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. Tourists can get acquainted with such weapons and uniforms as chain mail armor, helmets, scimitars, daggers, spears, muskets, pistols, shields, axes and so on.

Some items were received as gifts from India from the King-Emperor's many friends.

Working hours

You can visit Peles Castle (Romania), the photo of which is presented below, on the following days and times:

from June to September - from Tuesday to Sunday (from 10 am to 16 pm), day off - Monday;
from October to May - from Wednesday to Sunday (from 10 am to 16 pm), days off - Monday and Tuesday.

The museum is closed in November.