Located in Sinaia (44 km from Brasov and 122 km from Bucharest), Peles Castle is one of Romania’s most important museums since it was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914.

The building of the castle began in 1873 under the direct order of the Viennese architect Wilhelm Doderer and was continued in 1876 by his assistant, Johann Schultz de Lemberg. During 1877-1879 because of the war they abandoned work. That’s why the castle was inaugurated only on October 7, 1883. To the initial castle the Czech architect, Karel Liman added, during 1896-1914, Pelisor, a small castle with 70 rooms.

The location for the castle was chosen by the German prince Carol I de Hohenzollern, who was to become a king and it draws its name from the neighboring brooks which passes through the courtyard.

The castle was built in wood, stone, bricks and marble and comprises more than 160 rooms. The representative style used is German Renaissance, but one can easily discover elements belonging to the Italian Renaissance, Gothic, German Baroque and French Rococo style.

Peles is surrounded by seven terraces decorated with statues (sculptured by the Italian, Romanelli), stone-made-wells, ornamental vases and Carara marble. The architects used an abundance of wooden decoration, both for the exterior and for the interior of the castle, which confers a very special quality to the building.

Quite outstanding are the Big Armoury Room, the small Armoury Room, the Florentine Room, the Reception Room (where paintings and wooden sculptures depicting 16 castles of the Hohenzollerns are exhibited), the Moresque Room, The French Room, the Turkish Room, the Council Room, the Concert Room as well as the Imperial Suite.

It is also worth mentioning other exquisite attractions such as the statues, the ceramics, the gold and silver plates, the Meissen and Sevres porcelain, as well as the extensive weapon collections.

Near Peles castle there is Foisorul, a kings’ residence with 42 rooms designed in the Swiss style.

Pelisor Castle

In the museum complex at Sinaia, besides Peles Castle, which Queen Maria used to call “The Big Palace”, one can visit Pelisor Castle. Built between 1899 and 1902 by Czech architect Karel Liman and decorated by the Viennese Bernhard Ludwig, Pelisor was, starting since 1903, the summer residence of Romania’s second king, King Ferdinand of the Hohenzollern dynasty. His wife, Maria, asserted herself as a proeminent personality of her time, earning the surname of Artist Queen.

A refined aesthete, Maria created an original style. In the decoration of Pelisor, Art Nouveau elements borrow Byzantine and Celtic features giving rise to “The Golden Bedroom”, “The Chapel” and “The Golden Chamber”. The Art Nouveau decorative art collection comprises works by such artists like E. Galle, brothers Daum, J. Hoffman, L. C. Tiffany, and Gurschner.

The official hall, simple and bright, is decorated with oak-wood cassetons. The paintings, drawings and water-colours feature Maria with her children. King Ferdinand’s solemn study resembles the German Neo-Renaissance from Peles. “The Golden Bedroom” is furnished with pieces made in 1909 in the arts and crafts workshops at Sinaia, to the Queen’s plans and drawings. Maria’s study, arranged in an interior dominated by Brancovan-style columns, has a fireplace that is specific to Romanian interiors. The chairs and desk are decorated with Maria’s symbols: the lily and the Celtic cross. It was the Queen’s wish to spend the last moments of her life in the Golden Chamber. Here, the gilded walls are decorated with thistle leaves that resemble the emblem of Scotland, Maria’s native land.

Address of the Peles and Pelisor Castle: Muzeul National Peles, Str. Pelesului, Nr. 2, 106100 Sinaia, Jud. Prahova.
Phone: 0040-244-310.918, Phone/Fax: 0040-244-312.416
Email: museum@peles.ro
Web: www.peles.ro
Opening hours at Pelisor Castle:
Summer (15 May – 15 September)
Monday closed, Tuesday 11.00 – 17.00, Wednesday – Sunday 09.00 – 17.00
Winter (16 September – 14 May)
Monday, Tuesday – closed, Wednesday 11.00 – 17.00, Thursday – Sunday 09.00 – 17.00