Peles Castle (Castelul Peles) in Romania
Romania is famous not only for Count Dracula. There is a castle here that once you see, it is impossible to forget.
Peles Castle spread out 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 fairytale castle from ice cream and cookies. But at the same time, it is different from all the pretentious and pompous castles 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.
Peles is located not far from the city of Sinaia. There is a dense forest around. The place is quiet and seems lost in the woods. The royal dynasty built it for recreation. They planned to spend the summer here.
History of the castle
To this day, Peles Castle is the main attraction of Sinaia. If Sinaia in Romania is called the “pearl of the Carpathians,” then Peles Castle can be called the pearl of Sinaia itself. The founding father of this luxurious and unusual castle was the King of Romania, Carol de Hohenzollern-Sigamren the First.
At the main entrance stands a statue of 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.
Being a German to the core, but at the same time ruling in Romania, Karol really missed his homeland. And having once visited the forests, where the castle now stands, he was captivated by their beauty. They reminded him of his homeland, and he decided to build a castle in these places so that he could come to rest, relax, and hunt, if desired.
Neither the king nor the queen, when the castle was still being conceived, wanted to have castles in the forest, the same as those that were being built en masse at that time in Europe, they wanted something of their own, homely and different. But at the same time, so that all styles are present in the new residence.
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.
If we talk about a single style, then Peles Castle is closest to the Neo-Renaissance. The construction period of Peles lasted from 1873 to 1914. The opening ceremony of the castle took place in 1883.
The castle was built simultaneously with a power plant on the river flowing nearby, so Peles is also the first electrified castle in Romania. The castle was built by literally the whole world. Gypsies, Turks, Poles, and Czechs worked on it. A true international. During the War of Independence, construction slowed down, but after that it began to boil with new strength. King Carol II was born in this castle. It was not for nothing that his father 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.
The castle did not last long as a royal apartment. After the communists came to power, the castle was confiscated into public property and miraculously was not looted.
After some time, the castle becomes a museum. From 1975 to 1990 the castle was closed to visitors. As you know, the then leader of Com. Romanian Party Nocolas Ceausescu suffered from a whole range of phobias. So, to prevent the castle from being ruined by the zealous relatives of the then government, the museum workers came up with a legend that the castle had a fungus that spoils the wood and is very harmful to humans. Whether this is true or not, Ceausescu never showed up at the castle.
In 1989, Romania becomes a capitalist country. In 2006, the castle was returned to the former king. Mihai took ownership, but soon reached a consensus with the authorities and the castle was sold to the state for 30 million euros. Now it delights all visitors with its beauty and charm. But filmmakers continue to treat this castle with special reverence. More than one famous film was shot here.
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. You can talk about this castle for hours. It was perfectly integrated by its former architect, Johann Schulz, 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.
In the park there is also monument to Queen Elizabeth, depicting the wife of King Carol I at embroidery, a traditional Romanian art. The gardens and terraces are decorated with fountains, urns, staircases, lions, beautiful statues and other decorative details.
The castle has a huge number of exhibitions; they are constantly changing; not all of its rooms are open to the public. The collection of weapons is considered especially valuable, and this is no more or less than 4,000 items (15-19 centuries, from the East to Europe). Another pearl of this castle is the collection of Maximilian equipment for horses and knights. This collection, by the way, is the only one of its kind in Romania.
Castle interior
Front lobby- the highest room of Peles Castle - 3 floors, 12 meters high. The hall reproduces the famous German Chamber of Commerce in Lübeck. Italian Revival furniture. Initially it served as a courtyard. In 1911 it was covered with a mobile ceiling, which can still be moved today to ventilate the room. This hall was decorated with wood and you can see 2000 figures in it. On the panels there are two rows of alabaster bas-reliefs (marble plaster) - depicting mythological, biblical and historical scenes. The rich marquetry on the walls depicts 18 castles in Germany and Switzerland - the residence of the Hohenzolern dynasty.
Hall of European weapons- decorated in German Revival style. The hall contains European weapons from the 15th to 19th centuries. The palace has the second collection in the country - 3,500 weapons. Crossbows, halberds, cannons, shields, and spears stand out on the walls.
Hall of Oriental Weapons of the Palace Peles presents different kinds weapons painted with gold, silver, precious stones, corals. The most valuable of them is a Turkish weapon - half pistol, half dagger.
King's office The Peles Palace 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.
King's library in the palace Peles has about 800 volumes. The rest of the books (about 10,000) were in the permanent royal residence in Bucharest. The library has oak wood carvings. There is a secret door in the hall, which communicated through a spiral staircase with the king's bedroom on the third floor.
Music hall— more austere decoration, made of spruce wood. Which also served as a hall for creative evenings. The guests of Carol I and Elisabeth were great figures of Romanian culture such as George Enescu, Vasile Alexandri, Mihai Eminescu and other artists. The furniture set, a gift to the king from an Indian prince, is the main exhibit of the hall. Three generations of craftsmen worked on it for 104 years.
Dining room- decoration from various wood species. Furniture in the German Baroque style. The original stained glass windows (18th century), made in Munich, depict scenes from the life of the German nobility. The ceiling and chairs are covered with Cordoba leather.
All one hundred and sixty rooms castle, are not similar to each other. There is a Florentine room, a French room, a theater room and study rooms. The tableware collection includes Meissen and Sevres porcelain.
Between 1873 and 1914, his inauguration took place in 1883. The name was given to it by a nearby mountain river. Currently the castle is historical monument. On the territory of the castle there is National Museum Peles.
| Lock | |
| Peles Castle | |
|---|---|
| Castelul Peles | |
| Peles Castle in winter |
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| 45°21′35″ n. w. 25°32′34″ E. d. HGIOL | |
| A country | Romania Romania |
| City | Sinaia |
| Architectural style | neo-renaissance |
| Founder | Carol I |
| Date of foundation | |
| Construction | - years |
| Website | peles.ro |
| Media files on Wikimedia Commons | |
Peles Castle in summer
Castle courtyard
Story
Description
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 Baroque influence is noticeable in the interiors, decorated with rich wood carvings and fine fabrics.
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. 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. Oriental carpets were produced in the best workshops in 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.
During the construction of the castle, the most modern technologies of the time were used - built in 1883, the castle was initially equipped with a central heating system and was fully electrified. The height of the castle clock tower is 66 meters
In my last review, I showed this beautiful castle from the outside. And today I want to show what is in the many halls and rooms of this castle; in addition, at the very bottom of the report there will be a video from there.
Entrance to the castle is paid and to get there you need to stand in a rather long line. It took me about 30 minutes. The ticket price is 50 lei and does not include photo and video shooting. A separate ticket is required for this. I didn’t buy and pretended to be a fool, they would definitely ask him in the castle, I answered in Russian and they left me behind. Yes, and this is an extended ticket, not all halls are simpler, but cheaper.
1. When you first enter, you already understand that not everything is so simple here. Everything is done quite beautifully and expensively. Lots of details.
2. Traditionally for castles and museums, it’s dark inside and the camera didn’t want to focus and there were a lot of blurry photos. I’ll try not to show the worst ones, but there are almost no good ones. 
3. Gorgeous glass ceiling. I don't think I've seen anything like this before. 
4. The castle has its own theater. The brightest room of all. 
5. The theater stage is very small 
6. It even has its own organ 
7. Another hall with a lot of seats. 
8. There are many exhibits in the castle itself. But if you consider that the castle is not ancient, then all the objects here are only relatively ancient. 
9. A beautiful spiral staircase that is not accessible. 
10. How do you like this table? 
11. Huge vase with dragons. Ofigenskaya 
12. In fact, if you listen to the guide, who is here and included in the price, the walk will take 2 hours. But in Russian, no, I didn’t bother and walked on my own. Moreover, walking in a group is a problem; they always stick their hands and heads into the frame. 
13. The bathroom looks quite modern and interesting. 
14. Picture. I ask for some more for not very much interesting pictures forgiveness. The reason is the same. I didn’t pay for the photo and they constantly attacked me and tried to ban me. Therefore, all the photos are because of people and so that the control does not see. 
15. Almost all the furniture in the castle is carved. Moreover, they are of fairly high quality and interestingly made. I love this 
16. The paintings are not signed, so I cannot give any comments on them at all. As in other subjects. They just stand there, according to the facts. Only a guide can tell you, but you can’t understand him. 
17.
18. I don’t really like this style, like the last one and these are photographs 
19.
20. And this is like a tourist’s room with plates. 
21. Another bathroom 
22. In fact, each hall and room has a name. Even on the same Wikipedia. Therefore, I propose to interactively compare the photographs with the descriptions there. At the same time, you will better learn and read where the theater, halls, office, bedrooms, etc. are and what is interesting in them. 
23. And now something unusual that was not in other photos. In fact, whenever I took photographs. There were such crowds of people behind me. The traffic here is simply huge, it’s always difficult to take photos without people. That's why I'm showing this option. 
24. Based on the recommendations, I will definitely say that the castle is worth visiting, not for the exhibits, but specifically for the rooms and halls. Walk around it, feel the atmosphere and don’t even have to go into details, read everything and study it. 
25. Find me 
26. Style all together. I don't like this anymore 
27. They admire and show this room the most. Armory hall. It's really cool and there's a lot of stuff on the walls, but there are more tourists here, just the ceilings and taking pictures 
29. 
30. This wall is cool, there are just so many weapons here, tear them all down into meat. 
31. And I almost forgot, there are very beautiful doors everywhere, wherever they are 
32. Stained glass windows are also beautiful, although there are not very many of them 
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34. 
35.
36. Almost all the halls have a fence on both sides and it turns out to be a narrow passage with a bunch of tourists. Which if they get up, they create traffic jams. 
37. Very cool chest of drawers 
38. Turkish room with stained glass windows, pretty cool. 
39. That's all. In fact, these are not all the halls and rooms, but only a part and only what was filmed. If you are in this city, take your time and set aside 2-3 hours for the castle. 
And here is the video that I promised:
Previously from a trip.
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 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, on the territory of 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, in different time year it looks very organic.
Despite the fact that the castle began to be built at the end of the 19th century, even then there were quite Hi-tech. 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 park ensemble, which contains 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 design 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, and Ivory and ebony occupy a separate 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.
The weather in the mountains has two news in store for us. The good thing is that the views, thanks to the low-lying clouds, were just like illustrations to Bram Stoker.. And the bad thing is that the clouds and views were accompanied by a fair amount of rain, which was not conducive to walking.
The rain, upon approaching Sinai, turned into a real flood. Therefore, despite the breathtaking views, we trotted to the palace and preferred to immediately begin inspecting the interior :)
The palace was built at the end of the 19th century, remarkably preserved during the years of communism, despite the fact (or because) Ceausescu did not like it and never used it as a personal residence. Now it is open to tourists.
At the entrance, we willingly put on dry museum shoe covers and shuffled inside :)
The inside of Peles Castle is somewhat overwhelming. A mass of dark wood, all surfaces are covered with carvings and decorated with numerous bas-reliefs and sculptures.
The ceiling in the large hall immediately reminded us of the glass ceilings of the Palace of Parliament. Edward, confirming our observation, said that the ceilings in the Parliament were made according to his model, and the design of the ceiling in Peles, despite its age, is even more perfect, allowing it to move apart for ventilation.
Now the Palace is in the process of transferring it to its rightful, historical owner - King Michael, heir to the Romanian dynasty of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen...
The castle has completely preserved its furnishings, including a collection of weapons with more than 4,000 exhibits!
Among them is a complete set of armor for a mounted knight...
And the oldest set of armor seems to be from the 14th century.
The collection includes samples of Western and (probably trophy! ;)) Eastern weapons - combat, hunting and even ritual.
But the rooms of the castle are not limited to the armory. Here, for example, is the castle library.
Here, behind one of the shelves there is a secret passage to the king's boudoir. You can't see him in the photo - he's secret! :)
Music salon. Here, among other celebrities, we already knew from Bucharest, George Enescu, visited the royal couple.
A suite of halls for ceremonial receptions. The Florentine hall is decorated with luxurious Murano crystal chandeliers.
Dining room in German style. A fully served table awaits the royal banquet :)
The Moorish Hall with a collection of oriental weapons closes the enfilade.
The Turkish hall is a smoking room.
Instead of a home cinema - a modest home royal theater!
While we were exploring the castle, the rain subsided slightly.
Everything on the patio is guarded by dogs!
We really wanted to take a walk in the garden, but the rain kept coming back, pushing us forward. We had to limit ourselves to the view from the terrace and make short dashes to the Peleshor Palace, located very nearby.
Peleshor Castle was built by order of King Charles I, for his heir, the future King Ferdinand and his wife, Queen Mary. It is less luxurious than Peles, since we had nowhere to rush, and it made sense to postpone exploring the streets of Brasov until better weather, we decided to see Pelesor from the inside.
For some reason, in my mind, Romania has always been associated with dragons. In the lobby of the castle we met the first (of two :)) Romanian dragon... True, he was no longer in the best shape...
There is a lot in this castle that bears the memory of its former owner, Queen Mary.
Peleshor Castle is not at all as pompous as its older brother. Many modest rooms in a style reminiscent of art nouveau are open for inspection, looking much more comfortable than the halls of Peles. I won’t bore you with a bunch of photos of the decor, I’ll limit myself to just the two rooms we liked the most.
Queen Mary Studio. One of the rooms that retains the presence of the owner. Not a ghost, which is required for a Gothic castle, but simply an image of a living real woman...
The most luxurious room of the castle is the Golden Room. All walls are covered with solid gilded carvings. On the ceiling there is a Celtic cross - the symbol of Queen Mary. According to her wishes, the last hours of her life passed in this room.
And here it is :) Looking ahead, I will say that he showed himself to be an excellent organizer, guide and translator, for which he repeatedly suffered for us in many museums, castles and even in supermarkets!
After visiting Pelesor, we went to check into the hotel where we planned to stay for the entire duration of our stay in Romania. You can take a look at Vila Krokus, find out if the continuous rain has stopped tormenting us and go with us on a trip to Southern Bukovina!
And if you want to take a better look at the surroundings of the castle, you can do it with our friend offreal
in his story about Sinai and Peles!
In this entry:
Rain and "Transylvanian" landscape.
State halls of Peles.
Home comfort of Peleshor.
