Peles Castle, Romania (photo). Three castles that are worth a trip to Romania Opening for visitors

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

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

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

Peles became the first royal castle equipped with electricity - a power plant was built immediately. Moreover, the castle was equipped with a central heating and air conditioning system, which still functions today. The castle is also equipped with an elevator and a central vacuum system. In the photo - the courtyard, by the way, where the ticket offices are located, is painted with intricate pictures.

Queen Elizabeth wrote about the construction: "Italians were masons, Romanians built terraces, Gypsies were laborers. Albanians and Greeks worked in stone, Germans and Hungarians were carpenters. Turks fired bricks. Poles were engineers, and Czechs were stone carvers. The French painted, the British were measuring - there were hundreds of people in national costumes who were talking, singing, swearing and chatting in fourteen languages...” And now the inhabitants of the walls, apparently belonging to the French brush, are quietly watching the visitors

The statues gaze no less silently at the surroundings. They probably can see the Peles River, from which the castle got its name.

In 1947, the castle was confiscated by the communists (at the same time King Michael abdicated the throne), but was open to tourists. Later the castle turned into “Peredelkino”, and in the period 1975-1990 Ceausescu completely took it over. It was only after the revolution in 1989 that the castles were reopened to tourists. In 2007, Romania returned Peles to King Michael I, but only in name - the castle is still under state control. It is believed that Peles is visited by 500 thousand tourists annually.

If you decide to visit the castle's interior, keep in mind that the last tour (and you can't get there without a tour) leaves at 16:15. This tour only includes a tour of the first 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 photographs inside the castle, but for this you need to buy a separate permit, which I didn’t bother with. If you are interested in the interiors of the castle, which are quite attractive, including the unusual chandelier and mirrors in Murano glass frames 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, and it has its own stray dogs. Most of them are quite friendly and are not at all afraid of people, but this proud dog preferred to stay on the sidelines and wouldn’t let you get close.

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

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

Of course, Peleshor is more of a villa than a palace, but nevertheless, it is definitely worth a visit. According to the design of the then Princess Mary, the interior decoration is made in the Art Deco style and does not at all look like “palace” chambers.

In a quiet corner of the palace park we found a souvenir shop with a smiling lacemaker

Even the outbuildings are designed in the style of a palace and look very nice

To summarize, Peles is a fabulous country residence that you can only dream about :)

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

Official website of Peles Castle.

Peles Castle in Romania (Royal Palace of Carol I) - historical monument in the neo-Renaissance style, built between 1873-1914. It is located near the city of Sinaia, on the way from Transylvania to Wallachia.

The spacious castle of King Carol I was designed by a group of architects - Schulz, Benes and Liman; German and Austrian masters worked on its decoration.

This architectural monument is also known as the first castle in the world with electricity. Simultaneously with its construction, the adjacent territory was being developed: utility rooms and a power station were being built, park ensemble.

Part of the complex is also the Art Nouveau castle of Pelisor, built in 1899-1903 as a summer residence for the family of the royal nephew Ferdinand I.

Museum at Peles Castle in Sinaia

The castle became accessible to tourists as a museum in 1953. Between 1975 and 1990, under Nicolae Ceausescu, the complex was temporarily closed to the public.

Currently, Peles Castle in Sinaia receives almost 500 thousand tourists every year. Its exhibition area covers an area of ​​3200 sq. m includes over 4,000 thousand items - mainly historical weapons and armor, not counting impressive artworks, carpets, tapestries, furniture, paintings and sculptures. Of the 168 palace rooms, 35 are accessible to visitors.

The park ensemble of the former royal palace includes Italian terraces with intricately decorated fountains and exquisite statues, and a monument to Carol I.

Peles Castle opening hours

• Monday: closed
• Wednesday: 11:00 - 16:15

During the winter holidays:

• December 24, December 25, December 31 and January 1 are days off
• December 23 to January 5, 2020: 9:15 - 16:15

The summer program usually starts in May and lasts until the end of September:

• Monday: closed
• Tuesday: 09:00 - 16:15 (visiting on the first floor only)
• Wednesday: 11:00 - 16:15
• Thursday-Sunday: 09:15 - 16:15

Tickets to Peles Castle

How to get to Peles Castle

To get to Peles from Bucharest or Brasov, you need to drive to Sinaia. The optimal transport from Brasov is buses running every 1.5-2 hours. Regular trains depart from Bucharest Gara de Nord railway station to Sinaia. From Sinaia station you can get to the place by taxi, bus or on foot, but it is worth considering that you will need to walk uphill.

Google panoramas of Peles Castle

Video of Peles Castle

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. Ivory was used in the interiors of all rooms, 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 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.

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 pelesh, since we had nowhere to rush, and it made sense to postpone exploring the streets of Brasov until better weather, we decided to see Peleshor 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 cast required for gothic castle, but just 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.

Romania is not only Dracula, Ceausescu and gypsies (although they too!), but also stunning architecture and castles - medieval and not so. We have selected three of the most impressive of them, which you should definitely include in your route if you are going to those parts.

Peles Castle

Aleea PeleSului 2, Sinaia

From the outside, Peles resembles German half-timbered houses, and for good reason. The castle was built by order of the first king of Romania, Carol I: German by origin, he saw similarities in these places with his native land and bought these lands for a summer residence and hunting grounds.

The monarch turned out to be a very strict critic in architectural terms: he rejected the first few projects, which were too similar to existing foreign palaces. In the end, Carol I chose an idea that combined the aesthetics of different styles, including the German neo-Renaissance. Construction of the castle began in 1873. Peles received its name in honor of the mountain river of the same name, on the banks of which it was built. In parallel with the construction of the building, a power station was built on it, so Peles became the first fully electrified castle in the world. Its construction resembled Babylonian pandemonium: several hundred people from more than a dozen states worked here. In 1883, the castle was inaugurated, but it was finally ready only more than thirty years later - in 1914.

After World War II and the Socialists came to power, Peles was nationalized and turned into a museum. However, towards the end of the reign of Romanian leader Nicolas Ceausescu, access to the public was closed: only museum staff and people from military and government circles could be on the territory. After the Romanian revolution of 1989, the authorities first made the castle a museum again, then returned it to its previous owner, the last king of Romania, Michael I, and then bought it from the royal house for 30 million euros.

Looking from the outside at the elegant castle, more reminiscent of an Alpine mansion, it is difficult to believe that it has about 160 rooms. Tourists are only allowed on the ground and first floors. The tour is like a short trip: there are rooms in Turkish, English, Italian, German, French, Spanish-Moorish and other styles.

Next door is another castle - Pelisor, whose name can be translated as “little Peles” - it has “only” 70 rooms. It was built for Ferdinand I, the nephew of King Carol I.

How to get there: Sinaia can be reached from Brasov (by train - from € 2.3) or Bucharest (by train - from € 4.8).

Prices: tour of the basement and first floors – € 13 or € 3.2 for students; only on the ground floor - € 6.5 or € 1.6 for students.

Bran Castle

Strada General Traian Mosoiu 24, Bran

The 14th-century castle in the town of Bran became famous throughout the world as the domain of the vampire Dracula from the novel by Irishman Bram Stoker. Bram himself had never been to Romania and formed an idea of ​​the country from books and engravings. As a result, Bran turned out to be the only castle in those parts that corresponded to the description of his hero’s estate. “On both sides there was a huge abyss. The castle was built on the edge of a large cliff, so that it was completely impregnable on three sides. To the west was a large valley, and beyond it, in the distance, rose jagged cliffs, one after the other; they were covered with mountain flowers and thorns, the roots of which clung to the cracks and ruins of the stone,” the book says about the vampire’s residence – and it really resembles the fortress at Bran.

However, the historical prototype of Dracula - Prince Vlad III Dracula - never lived in Bran. He ruled Wallachia, a medieval principality in the south of modern Romania, in the 15th century and owned Poenari Castle, the ruins of which remain near the stunningly picturesque Transfagarasan. Dracula waged an irreconcilable struggle against the Turkish conquerors, but was betrayed by his allies and imprisoned. Through the efforts of one of them, the Hungarian king Matthew I Corvinus, the prince went down in history as a bloodthirsty tyrant under the nickname Tepes - “the impalementer,” which inspired Bram Stoker several centuries later. Some historical sources connect the treachery of the Hungarian ruler with the waste of funds allocated by the Pope for the fight against the Ottomans, which he wanted to hush up by accusing Dracula of secret connections with the Turks and blaming him for military failures. It was then that the Prince of Wallachia visited Bran, but not of his own free will: according to the castle staff, Matvey Corvinus kept him captive here for several months.

There is only one exhibition hall dedicated to the famous ruler of Wallachia and his literary incarnation in the fortress. The exhibition is dedicated primarily to the last owners of the castle - Queen Mary, who received it as a gift for her efforts to unify Romania, and her descendants, who own the fortress today. Those who are more interested in the legends of Dracula should check out the fair at the foot of Bran: they sell “vampire” souvenirs for every taste.

How to get there: The most convenient way to get to Bran is from Brasov (bus – € 1.5).

Prices: adult ticket – € 8.6; student – ​​€ 5.4.

Corvin Castle

Strada Castelului 1-3, Hunedoara

The Corvin Castle in the industrial town of Hunedoara is the largest Gothic castle in Romania. The fortress, the first mention of which dates back to the 14th century, was received for military merits by the grandfather of the above-mentioned Hungarian king Matthew Corvinus (Hunyadi). His son, Janos, rebuilt the fortification and added seven towers to it, and Matvey Corvin completed his work.

The Hunyadi family owned the castle until 1508, after which it changed more than twenty owners, each of whom changed something in the architecture of the building. In the mid-19th century, a fire destroyed all wooden structures, including the roofs, which were previously flat. The fortress was restored and reconstructed, and in 1974 it became a museum and opened its doors to visitors.