Peles Castle

Peles Castle is a historical monument Neo-Renaissance castle placed in an idyllic setting in the Carpathian Mountains near Sinaia in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia built between 1873 and 1914. The inauguration was held in 1883. It is also called as Castelul Peles in Romania. The details of Peles Castle are explained in world tour guides below.

King Carol I who is one of the great Romanian kings and conqueror of National Independence first visited the region and future site of castle in 1866. In 1872 one thousand pogoane which is approximately 1,300 acres was purchased by King and Piatra Arsa region becomes Royal Domain of Sinaia, destined to be a royal hunting preserve and summer retreat for monarch. On August 22, 1873 the foundation for Peles Castle city of Sinaia and certainly for country of Romania was established. Several other buildings are invaded to castle were built concurrently are Guards Chambers, Economat Building, Foisor Hunting Chateau, Royal Stables. The Power Plant was also constructed then, and Peles became worlds first castle fully operated by electric power.

Peles Castle has 3200 sq. meters of floor plan, over 170 rooms, 30 bathrooms, many with dedicated themes from world, themes that can vary by function or by style are extremely lavishly furnished and decorated to the slightest detail. The establishment hosts one of the finest collections of art in East and Central Europe, consisting of statues, paintings, furniture, arms and armour, gold, silver, stained glass, ivory, fine china, tapestries and rugs. The collection of arms and armour has over 4000 pieces, divided between Eastern and Western war, ceremonial or hunting spreading over four centuries in history. Oriental rugs come from the finest sources Bukhara, Mosul, Isparta, Saruk and Smirna, porcelain from Sevres and Meissen, leather from Cordoba but perhaps the most acclaimed are the hand painted stained glass vitralios.

A towering statue of King Carol I by Raffaello Romanelli overlooks the main entrance but many other statues are present on the seven Italian neo-Renaissance terrace gardens, mostly of Carrara marble executed by the Italian sculptor Romanelli. The gardens also host fountains, urns, stairways, guarding lions, marble paths and other decorative pieces. This has many different kinds all over the world, till today we still do not know. Peles Castle shelters one of the most important and most valuable painting collections in Europe almost 2,000 pieces. An interesting account about Peles Castle remains the one that comes from Angelo de Gubernatis an Italian writer who arrived in 1898 in Sinaia as a guest of the Royal Family.

Inaugurated in 1883, Peles Castle is not only a pleasant place during summer time. It has been conceived to be also a national monument, meant to keep the trophies of the Plevna victory, which explains the simple but majestic style. The castles courtyard Bramantes type with a fountain in the middle, in the most accurate Renaissance style, pleasantly surprises the visitor. The courtyard has a merry decoration, made out of plants and flowers all round the buildings facades are animated by elegant drawings. The interior of the castle is a true wonder, due to the beauty and richness of the sculpted wood and the stained glass windows.

There are 168 rooms in the castle only 35 are accessible to the public. While an important area is in the upper levels, this is off limits. Only the museum in the basement and the rooms on the first floor can be visited. The visiting hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Wednesday through Sunday. On Mondays the castle is closed and on Tuesdays the hours are till 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. These visiting hours are subject to change by the Romanian Culture Ministry. Each year in November the castle is closed to public for whole month, during which time it undergoes maintenance and cleaning. Admission fee is 20 RON for adults, 5 RON for school-age children. Additionally you must check your camera or pay 30 RON to take photos or 50 RON for video.

The location of Peles Castle is northwest of the town of Sinaia, 60 km from Brasov and 135 km away from Bucharest which is Romania capital. Nested in the south-eastern Carpathian Mountains, the complex is composed of three monuments Peles Castle, Pelisor Chateau and Foisor Hunting Chateau. The notable Grand rooms are Honour Hall, Imperial Suite, Grand Armory or The Arsenal, Small Armory, Playhouse, Florentine Room, Moorish Salon and Turkish Parlor.