Romania Royal Palace Peles Imperial Hall. Peles Castle (Castelul Peles) in Romania. Opening for visitors

Peles Castle and Pelisor in Romania at ski resort Sinai are nearby, which allows them to visit at the same time for 1 day.

Given the time spent in the Peles and Pelisor castles visiting Sinaia in 1 day, you can still have time to see the Sinaia Monastery and the Museum of Natural History of the Bucegi Mountains at the foot of which all this is located.

A visit to each castle as part of a group takes about 1 hour, the total cost of entrance tickets to both castles, taking into account the permission to photograph, is about 30 €, which is not very small for Romania. Carefully study the working hours of both locks, since the schedule for each day is different, as well as a large number of non-working days, and sometimes even whole weeks when the locks are closed.

Road to Peles Castle

From the Sinaia train station to the castles it’s 30 minutes to go uphill, it’s only 2 km in distance, and there will be signs on the entire length of the road. It is enough to leave the Sinai station building and climb the stairs to the Dimitrie Ghica park (Dmitry Gik), and then look for signs.

In the park itself, on the way back, you can peek at 3 Lei in.

Even a little higher on the road will be with an entrance ticket of 5 lei.

A further rise in the mountain will be among residential buildings, most of which are likely to be rented to a resort ski season. Houses in Sinai very often copy the architecture of Peles and Pelisor castles, so don't be surprised if you see a large private house resembling a castle in miniature along the way.

A colorful building will appear on the way to the castles, which in its appearance looks like a castle, and this is just a restaurant and a hotel. Also nearby is a small market with souvenir dealers. It is better to look at the market after visiting the castles, after impressions from what you saw, it is easier to choose souvenirs and magnets.

Peles Castle

From the veranda of the restaurant / hotel shown above you can see the Peles Castle building hidden on a slope in the trees.

My visit to Peles Castle occurred on a large annual two-week preventative maintenance when the castle is closed to the public. Perhaps for the better as entrance ticket and permission for photographing costs 65 lei.

The rules of visiting the castle contain an interesting note that photographs of the interior can only be used for personal archives and are forbidden to upload to the network. A strange decision, but the organizers apparently decided that the fewer photos on the network the more people would want to visit the castle. And the castle, by the way, is registered in Romania as a brand and a trademark, which also diverges from world practice when the more they say and show a brand, the more expensive and more popular it is.

Not even the entire castle can be inspected from the outside, the photo shows that some passages are closed. Walking on the balconies because of this did not work.

This castle was built on behalf of the first king of Romania, Carol I, the castle was erected for a long time from 1873 to 1914, since it was built almost on a bare spot and infrastructure had to be built in parallel. During the construction, they did not forget about modern technologies - this was the first electrified castle not only in Romania but also in the world, for which it was necessary to build a power station.

Also near the castle there is a monument to his wife, Queen Elizabeth, also known by the pseudonym Carmen Silva.

Near the next sculpture, few pass by without taking a photograph. The lion's eyes are very pronounced, which makes all passersby pay attention. The lion is either angry or scared.

Do not forget to look into the courtyard of the castle where the walls are decorated with colorful paintings, there is also a ticket office in the courtyard.

Although I didn’t go into the castle, I found more than 160 rooms in the castle that still found information inside, but not all are available for inspection, only 35.

Not far from Peles Castle is a small Pelishor Castle, whose interiors I also could not see, because I did not have enough time. When approaching the castle there is a tablet with a schedule of work and ticket prices.

In short, a visit to Pelishor Castle with permission to shoot will cost 52 Lei, and if you look at the same information at the official Pelnisch and Peleshor Castle, then a little more expensive than 55 Lei.

The castle is smaller than the previous one, there are only 70 rooms, but due to its compactness it looks cozy. It was built from 1899 to 1903 together with Peles Castle as a summer residence for the heir to the king, nephew Ferdinand.

The ticket office and entrance to the castle itself are also located in the courtyard, as well as in Peles Castle.

If you go around the Pelishor castle on the left, then you just might not recognize it. It will not work to get closer from the facade. everything is enclosed by barriers, chains and warning signs. And for those who will not stop all this there is also a security booth, it was empty on my visit, but I did not want to take risks.

This was the last photo and I want to say that peles and Pelisor castle in Romania it is worth visiting well prepared and finding out not only the working hours in advance, but also take into account possible technical prophylaxis, which is reported in advance on the locks website. Also, be prepared to give morally about 30 € at the exchange rate for this pleasure.

Peles Castle and Pelisor is a very popular and popular place in Romania and the main attractions of Sinai, tourists here in a large number attended even in cool weather in October. So imagine what will be here during the tourist season.

In a picturesque corner Carpathian mountains, on the medieval path that connects Wallachia and Transylvania was built peles Castle (Castelul Peleş).

It is located near the city of Sinai. Capital - is located at a distance of 135 kilometers. The construction of the castle was carried out in the period from 1873 to 1914. The castle got its name in honor of a mountain river flowing in the immediate vicinity.

King Carol I (1839–1914) rejected several of the original castle designs because of the high cost and lack of originality.

However, the architect Johann Schulz was able to design a castle that the king liked: a small castle or rather a spacious Alpine-style palace combining Italian elegance with aesthetics of German neo-Renaissance to serve as summer residencefilled with political, cultural and symbolic meanings.


The architecture of the building is eclectic, a lot of things are mixed here: Rococo, Baroque, and Renaissance.

In addition to the king, his wife Elizabeth was also engaged in the construction, in the letters of which one can find many references to the construction of Peles. The castle only opened in 1883, but immediately began to be reconstructed. Since the castle was built in the second half of the XIX century, during the rapid development of technology, it used all the advanced technologies of that time. A power station was built specifically to supply the castle, and Peles became the first castle in the world to conduct electricity and even install an elevator. A little later, in 1916, a cinema was even made in the castle.

In 1947, after King Mihai was forced to abdicate, the new government confiscated all royal property, including the estate and Peles Castle. Most collections of paintings, furniture, textiles, decorative art objects and books were donated to the National Museum of Art in Bucharest. For some time the castle was open to tourists, and in 1953 it was declared a museum. Office space the castle served as a holiday home for Romanian cultural figures

But at the end of the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu, the Peles castle was closed to visitors and turned into a residence for the leadership of the country. It is worth mentioning the story thanks to which Nicolae Ceausescu himself very rarely visited him. And all because the museum workers started a rumor that the castle has a lot of harmful fungus, and Ceausescu was rather incredulous in terms of his health.

After 1989, Peles was again opened, and in 2006 the Romanian government returned the castle to the royal family. But the dynasty refused Peles for a modest reward of € 30,000,000. The request was fulfilled, and finally Peles received the status of a state museum.

The interior design of the castle is not in the same style.

The castle building has 160 living rooms and 30 bathrooms. The interior looks very rich: ebony, porcelain, leather from Cordoba, oriental carpets, tapestries, gold and silver dishes, paintings, sculptures, ivory.

The king’s library (containing more than 800 rare volumes) and his office (not fully decorated, since the king died in the midst of work, and it was decided to leave everything as it is), a dining room, a hall for spectators (located there cinema), a conference room and halls of Eastern and European weapons. It is also worth a glimpse into the music, Moorish, Florentine, oriental and Turkish halls. Their names give an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat styles the interior of these rooms is made and filled with.

The park ensemble is also worthy of attention. It is very beautiful here: terraces decorated with beautiful fountains, elegant stairs, urns, lions, statues from Carrara marble and various bizarre decorative details.

Peles Castle Collections

Glassware Collection

Glassware Collection Peles National Museum includes more than 1500 exhibits. The initiative to create the collection belonged to King Carol I, and his followers, especially Queen Mary, continued to enrich it. The collection includes German, Italian, Austrian, English, French and Czech crystal vases made in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century.

Collection of Gold and Silver Products

This collection consists of approximately 5500 exhibits, including objects with great artistic and documentary value. The basic collection was created by King Carol I, who ordered items from various craftsmen from,. The exhibits belonged to the king and queen of Romania, other members of the Romanian royal house and their contemporaries. The collection contains many gifts to the Romanian monarchs on anniversaries, birthdays, holidays dedicated to decisive events in the history of Romania. It should be noted that about a third of the silverware collection is represented by German creations: cups, decorative beer mugs, dishes, decorative figurines, cigarette cases, ties, frames, key chains, hair clips, pens, pencils, rings, glasses, decorative plates.

Watch collection

King Karol I was known for his punctuality, so this collection of more than fifty watches from the 18th - 20th centuries: wall, table and floor, miniature and fireplaces, a diverse typology and style, was founded by him with special attention and care. The collection also includes several alarms and pocket watches. The famous Swiss watch company Patek Philippe manufactured in 1881 a pocket watch of the first king of Romania. The watch case is made of pure gold, a monogram engraved on the front cover, crowned with a crown inlaid with diamonds and rubies. This watch is also an exhibit of the museum.

A collection of stained glass.

Revived in the 19th century, the medieval art of stained glass is seen as an architectural demonstration of Christian sentiment, as a means of depicting divine light that reflects on believers. By order of King Carol I, a collection of stained-glass windows was collected from the time of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, as well as specially made between 1881 and 1883 by FX Zettler from Munich. The collection has about 800 stained glass windows, which are distinguished mainly by the original methodology for representing religious scenes.

Weapon collection

It has more than four thousand copies. The most interesting and most valuable exhibit is an original item from: it is half a gun and half a dagger.

Collection of exterior monumental sculpture

Peles Castle of King Carol I is surrounded by a beautiful garden with terraces created between 1881 - 1914. The political context of the reign of King Carol I, as a young monarch, prompted him to surround his residence with an appropriate garden. After much hesitation, the king settled on the classical model of the French monarchy, whose ideology was supported and supplemented in landscape architecture. The gardens contain many beautiful fountains and statues.

Textile Collection

Oriental rugs

Carpets were bought at Peles Castle at the same time as other items; King Carol I was equally interested in painting, sculpture, furniture, weapons, silver, tapestries, etc. The king’s passion for art persisted throughout his life. The collection consists of about 300 oriental carpets, which were made by famous workshops of that time in Persia (the cities of Kirman, Keshan, Tabriz, Isfahan, Khorasan), Turkish Anatolia (Istanbul, Smyrna manufactory), the Caucasus (Shirvan, Karabakh workshop) and Turkmenistan (Bukhara) .

Tapestries

Along with carpets, the textile collection contains some tapestries that are made in famous tapestry centers in Europe (France, Belgium, Italy). The most valuable tapestries from the collection are exhibited in the Hall of Honor, the main reception hall of the castle, made in the Aubusson workshop in France in the middle of the eighteenth century. A valuable Flemish tapestry in the collection is an impressive tapestry (523 × 270 cm) called “Justice of Trajan”, mid-10th century.

Pottery collection.

In this huge art project, the collection of ceramics (ceramic tiles, porcelain) of Peles Castle occupies a rather significant place (the collection has more than 5000 exhibits). The collection includes products of European and Eastern masters who were in fashion in the 19th century.

Official website: http://peles.ro

Peles Castle Address

Aleea Peleşului 2, Sinaia 106100, România.

Coordinates: 45.35966, 25.541697.

Castle Peles (Castelul Peleş) - my love at first sight. Cozy, beautiful, unusual - just a palace from a Disney fairy tale. AND surrounding nature, including announcements of bears walking there, is also fabulous. Very a nice place King Karol (Charles) I chose the palace, it is believed that this place reminded him of his native Germany. Carol I was the longest-playing king of Romania - he was on the throne for 48 years and during the reign he signed the constitution, made Romania an independent country, restored the country's economy and international position. Carol I was married to Elizabeth Neuvidska, already in Peles Castle they had a daughter who died at the age of 4 years. Karol had no direct heirs, and the castle, along with the throne, was inherited by his nephew.

The castle was built several decades between 1873 and 1914, according to the project of several architects who took over the baton of construction from each other. First, the process was commanded by Wilhelm von Doderer (1872-1876), a professor at the Technical University of Vienna, then Johannes Schultz (he was an assistant to Doderea, became the chief architect from 1876 to 1883), and then André Émile Lecomte du Nouy (1890 - 1892) .. .

Doderer proposed several projects of the future castle in the Renaissance style, in the spirit of the lovely castles of the Loire Valley and in the style of the Vienna buildings of the famous Ringstrasse. These projects were rejected by the king, it was then that Schultz appeared on the stage, who built such a wonderful castle-fairy tale. The king liked the castle proposed by Schulz in the Alpine style, elegant and with a clear German influence. The castle is not at all like cold medieval castles. Quite the contrary, Peles is a complete pleasure for the eye, a kind of candy (eye candy). See for yourself what a graceful, restrained beauty

Peles became the first royal castle to be equipped with electricity - the power plant was built immediately. Moreover, the castle made a central heating and air conditioning system, which are functioning to this day. The castle is also equipped with an elevator and a centralized system for a vacuum cleaner (central vacuum). In the photo there is a courtyard, by the way, there are ticket offices, painted with intricate pictures.

Queen Elizabeth wrote about the construction: “Italians were masons, Romanians built terraces, gypsies were laborers. Albanians and Greeks worked on stone, Germans and Hungarians were carpenters. Turks burned brick. Engineers were Poles, and Czechs were stone carvers. Frenchmen painted, the British measured - there were hundreds of people in national costumes who spoke, sang, cursed and chatted in fourteen languages \u200b\u200b... "And now the inhabitants of the walls, apparently belonging to the French brush, are quietly watching visitors

No less silently look at the statues in the neighborhood. Perhaps they can see the Peles River, from which the castle got its name.

In 1947, the castle was confiscated by the Communists (then King Mihai abdicated), but was open to tourists. Later, the castle turned into Peredelkino, and in the period 1975-1990 Ceausescu completely took it over. Only after the revolution in 1989, the locks were again opened for tourists. In 2007, Romania returned Peles to King Mihai I, but only nominally - the castle is still under state control. It is believed that Peles is visited annually by 500 thousand tourists.

If you decide to visit the inner chambers of the castle, keep in mind that the last excursion (and not to get there without an excursion) leaves at 16:15. This tour includes only a tour of the ground floor. If you want to get to the second floor, where the royal bedrooms are located, then come early, before 15:00.

You can take pictures inside the castle, but for this you need to buy a separate permit, which I did not bother with. If you are interested in the interiors of the castle, and they are very attractive, including unusual chandeliers and mirrors in frames made of Murano glass blooming with colorful flowers, and the painting of the walls of the theater / cinema by my favorite Klimt, then take a look here.

Despite the fact that Peles is a palace, there are homeless dogs there. Most of them are quite friendly and not at all afraid of people, but this proud dog chose to stay away, kept him close.

And this one clearly considers himself one of the attractions :)

Next to the main castle, there is a smaller chateau - Peleshor, which opened for tourists not so long ago, in 1993. King Ferdinand I and the favorite of the Romanians, Queen Maria, lived there. Peleshor built in half-timbered style with elements of the Romanian style - the towers are covered with colorful tiles, which is typical for the churches of Bukovina.

Of course, Peleshor is more a villa than a palace, but nevertheless, a visit definitely deserves a visit. According to the project of then Princess Mary, the interior decoration was made in the Art Deco style and does not at all resemble the "palace" chambers.

In a quiet corner palace park we found a souvenir shop with a smiling lace

Even the auxiliary buildings are designed in the style of a palace and look very nice.

Summing up, Peles is a fabulous country residence that you can only dream about :)

Have you seen the movie The Brothers Bloom? There Peles pretends to be a suburban residence in New Jersey :)

The official site of Peles Castle.

Castle Peles (Castelul Peles) in Romania

Romania is not only famous for Count Dracula. There is such a castle here that once seen, it is impossible to forget.

Peles Castle spread out on the shore of a mountain stream, whose name he bears. This is a diamond in the necklace of castles of Eastern Europe, it is the pride of the Romanian kings.

Its exterior decoration is like a castle from a sweet fairy tale. He is somewhat similar to fairytale castle from ice cream and cookies. But at the same time, it is different from all the elaborate and pompous castles Western Europe. His style can be described as a light Swiss chalet. It is incredibly gorgeous, it is simply dazzling architecture, but in some ways, nevertheless, there is restraint, unlike any other castle. Most likely, the confusion of styles is to blame.

Peles is located not far from the city of Sinai. Around the dense forest. The place is quiet and seems lost in the woods. The royal dynasty built it for rest. They planned to spend the summer here.
Castle history

To this day, Peles Castle is the main attraction of Sinaia. If Sinai in Romania is called the “pearl of the Carpathians”, then Peles Castle can be called the pearl of Sinai 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 Italian sculptor Raffaello Romanelli, he also owns statues of Carrara marble, located on seven lovely Italian terraces surrounding the castle and made in the Neo-Renaissance style.

Being a German to the core, but reigning in Romania, Karol really missed his homeland. And having once visited the forests, where the castle stands now, he was captivated by their beauty. They reminded him of his homeland, and he decided to build a castle in these places so that you could come to relax, relax, and hunt, if desired.

Neither the king nor the queen, when the castle was still conceived, wanted to have the same castles in the forest as those that were massively built at that time in Europe, they wanted something of their own, home-like and unlike. But at the same time, so that all styles are present in the new residence.

Architects Wilhelm Doder from Vienna and Johann Schultz from Lviv had to solve a difficult task, but they managed to "cheer". They simply took all the most famous architectural styles at that time and mixed them in one building, so that all this did not look chaotic. The castle was built in 1875, under the strict guidance of these two geniuses.

If we talk about some uniform 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 erected simultaneously with a power station on the river flowing nearby, so Peles is also the first electrified castle in Romania. The castle was built literally by the whole world. Gypsies, and Turks, and Poles, and Czechs worked on it. A true international. During the war of independence, the construction slowed down, but after that, it began to boil with renewed vigor. Karol II was born in this castle. No wonder his father gave the castle the name Peles, which meant the cradle of the nation. When Karol the First was at death, he ordered his son to make a museum from Peles. After the death of his father, Karol II, as an obedient son, fulfilled his dying will. The castle began to work like a museum, remaining a royal possession.

As a royal apartment, the castle did not last long. After the Communists came to power, the castle was confiscated into national property and miraculously not plundered.

The castle after some time becomes a museum. From 1975 to 1990 the castle is closed to the public. As you know, the then leader com. Romanian parties Nocolas Ceausescu suffered a whole set of phobias. So, so that the zealous relatives of the then government would not ruin the castle, museum workers came up with a legend that a fungus was found in the castle that spoils the wood and is very harmful to humans. True or not, Ceausescu never appeared in the castle.

In 1989, Romania became a capitalist country. In 2006, the castle is returned the former king. Mihai entered into ownership, but soon reached a consensus with the authorities and the castle was sold to the state for 30 million euros. Now it pleases all visitors with its beauty and charm. But with special trepidation, filmmakers continue to relate to this castle. Not one famous film was shot here.

A huge number of sculptures, a chic park around, incredible frescoes on the walls, wood carvings that decorate the facade of the house, interior decoration, walls, furniture are legendary. You can talk about this castle for hours. It is ideally blended by its first architect, Johann Schulz, into the landscape surrounding it. A snow-white-cream building with dark wood trim, a pointed turret, many patterns on the windows, on the roofs, on the balustrades. And everywhere there are frescoes. Beautiful lanterns in the park, many sculptures complete the picture.

In the park there is also monument to Queen Elizabeth, depicting the wife of Carol the first for embroidery - traditional Romanian art. Gardens and terraces are decorated with fountains, urns, stairs, lions, beautiful statues and other decorative details.

The castle has a huge number of expositions, they are constantly changing, not all of its rooms are open for visiting. A collection of weapons is considered especially valuable, and this is neither more nor less than 4000 items (15-19 century, 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 one of a kind in Romania.

The interior of the castle

Front lobby- the highest room of Peles Castle - 3 floors, 12 meters high. The hall reproduces the famous German Chamber of Commerce in Lübeck. Furniture in the Italian revival. Originally served as a courtyard. In 1911, it was covered with a mobile ceiling that extends today to air the room. This hall was decorated with wood and you can see 2000 figures in it. On the panels, two rows of alabaster bas-reliefs (marble plaster) - depict mythological, biblical and historical scenes. The rich marquetries on the walls depict 18 castles in Germany and Switzerland - the residence of the Hohenzolern dynasty.

Hall of European weapons - decorated in the German revival. The hall contains European weapons of the 15-19th century. The palace has the second collection in the country - 3500 weapons. Crossbows, halberds, guns, shields, spears stand out on the walls.

Palace Oriental Arms Hall Peles presents different kinds weapons painted with gold, silver, precious stones, corals. The most valuable of them is the Turkish weapon - a half gun, a half dagger.

King's study Peles Palace is decorated with German-style paintings and furniture. Between the stained-glass windows there is a music stand for official audiences, and next to it is a table for which 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. In the hall there is a secret door, which communicates through a spiral staircase with the king’s bedroom on the third floor.

Music hall - a more austere decoration made of spruce wood. Which served and as a hall for creative evenings. The guests of Carola I and Elizabeth were the 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 the Indian prince - is the main exhibit of the hall. Three generations of masters worked on it for 104 years.

Canteen- decoration of various wood species. Furniture in the style of German baroque. Original stained glass windows (XVIII century) made in Munich depict scenes from the life of the German nobility. On the ceiling and on the chairs are covered with Cordoba leather.

All one hundred and sixty rooms castle, do not look like one another. There is a Florentine room, a French room, a theater and training rooms. The collection of dishes includes Meissen and Sevres porcelain.

And one of the most beautiful in Europe. The former residence of the Romanian monarchs was equipped with all the technical innovations of the last century: telephone, cinema, two elevators, central heating. And it was the first fully electrified.

Myths and Facts

IN late XIX century, Romania becomes a kingdom, uniting the three principalities Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldova. The German prince Karol I of the Hohenzollern dynasty was invited to rule the state. They say that he liked the surrounding landscapes of Sinai, reminiscent of his native, that he planned to build a summer residence here.

The demanding ruler rejected several projects that, in his opinion, were not too original. As a result, the work of the architect I. Schulz was chosen and construction began.

The castle was erected from 1873 to 1914 (including finishing work). In total, about $ 120 million was spent on the project. The palace was called Peles (translated “belt”) - by the name of the river flowing nearby.

In 1883, a ball was held on the inauguration of the prince, and in 1893 his son Karol II was born here.

Peles Castle served as a royal residence until 1947, and then the communists who came to power confiscated it, along with other royal property. In 1953, the museum was located in the complex, and in 1975-1989 it was a closed territory intended for recreation and official meetings of the Romanian ruler Ceausescu.

Since 1990, the palace was opened for tourists, and in 2008 it was returned to the royal family - the former king of Romania, Mihai I. After negotiations between him and the government, the latter bought Peles for a decent amount of 30 million euros. Nowadays, a museum is located here, and the building itself is considered a historical monument.

What to see

According to the structure and functions of Peles, it is rather a palace, but it is traditionally called. It was built in the neo-Renaissance style with baroque elements. The area of \u200b\u200bthe structure is 3200 m 2, and the height of its towers is 66 m.

The internal "filling" is a mix of all possible styles:, and the German Renaissance, Rococo. They say that a tour of the palace is a mini-tour of the countries of Europe and Asia. 160 rooms (30 of them are en-suite) have their own unique interior.

The tallest room is the front lobby, 16 meters high. The hall is a copy of the German Chamber of Commerce in Lübeck. It is decorated with wood and marble plaster bas-reliefs depicting biblical, mythological and historical scenes. Interestingly, the glass ceiling of the hall is still being pushed open with the help of an electric motor.

The hall of European weapons contains a collection of the XV-XIX centuries, the exposition has 4000 items - this is one of the richest collections in Europe.

Medieval weapons are also exhibited in the eastern weapons hall. Rich interiors have a king’s study, a conference room, music, Moorish and Florentine halls. Impressive handmade wooden carvings, original stained-glass windows (the richest collection of stained-glass windows in Romania), a collection of valuable paintings, tapestries and statues.

The castle is surrounded by a landscaped park with terraces. Near Pelishor Palace and Sinai Monastery