Peleș Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peleș CastleCastelul Peleș |
|
|---|---|
Peleș Castle in autumn
|
|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Renaissance |
| Town or city | Sinaia |
| Country | Romania |
| Coordinates | 45°21′35″N 25°32′34″E / 45.35984°N 25.54265°E |
| Construction started | 1873 |
| Completed | 1914 |
| Cost | 16,000,000 gold Romanian (approximate) lei (approx. $US 120 million today) – Cost is until the castle's opening in 1883. Further major improvements were made until 1914. |
| Client | King Carol I of Romania |
| Owner | Romanian Royal Family |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Johannes Schultz Carol Benesch Karel Liman |
Peleș Castle (Romanian: Castelul Peleș) is a beautiful Neo-Renaissance palace in Romania. It's located in the Carpathian Mountains, near the town of Sinaia. This amazing castle was built between 1873 and 1914 for King Carol I of Romania. It officially opened in 1883.
Contents
Where is Peleș Castle?
Peleș Castle is found in the town of Sinaia, Romania. Sinaia is about 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Brașov. It is also about 124 kilometers (77 miles) from Bucharest, the capital city. The castle complex includes Peleș Castle, Pelișor Castle, and the Foișor Hunting Lodge.
The Castle's Story
King Carol I of Romania first saw this area in 1866. He loved the stunning mountain views. In 1872, the Crown bought a large piece of land. It was near the Piatra Arsă River. This area became known as the Royal Estate of Sinaia.
The King wanted a royal hunting lodge and a summer home. Construction for Peleș Castle began on August 22, 1873. Other buildings were also built at the same time. These included the guards' rooms, stables, and a power plant. Peleș Castle was the first castle in the world to be fully powered by its own electricity!
The King didn't like the first castle designs. He wanted something unique and not too expensive. German architect Johannes Schultz won the job. He designed a grand alpine castle. It mixed different European styles, like Italian elegance and German Renaissance ideas. Architect Carol Benesch also helped with the work.
Later, Czech architect Karel Liman made more additions. This was between 1893 and 1914. He designed the towers, including the main central tower. This tower stands 66 meters (217 feet) tall. Liman also helped build the nearby Pelișor Castle. This was for King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie.
Building the castle was a huge project. It cost about 16 million gold Romanian lei. This is like $120 million today! Between 300 and 400 people worked on it. Queen Elisabeth of Wied wrote about the many different workers:
Italians were masons, Romanians were building terraces, the Gypsies were coolies. Albanians and Greeks worked in stone, Germans and Hungarians were carpenters. Turks were burning brick. Engineers were Polish and the stone carvers were Czech. The Frenchmen were drawing, the Englishmen were measuring, and so was then when you could see hundreds of national costumes and fourteen languages in which they spoke, sang, cursed and quarreled in all dialects and tones, a joyful mix of men, horses, cart oxen and domestic buffaloes.
Construction slowed during a war in 1877–1878. But it sped up afterward. In 1883, the famous Orient Express train came to Bucharest. Passengers from Paris were invited to Peleș Castle. King Carol I placed the last brick to celebrate its completion. The castle had its official opening party on October 7, 1883.
King Carol II was born at the castle in 1893. This led King Carol I to call Peleș Castle "the cradle of the dynasty, the cradle of the nation."
After 1947, the castle became property of the state. It was opened as a museum in 1953. Later, Nicolae Ceaușescu closed the castle from 1975 to 1990. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Peleș Castle reopened to the public. Today, it is a popular museum. The Royal Family owns it, but it is leased to the Romanian state. Many people visit Peleș Castle every year.
The castle has hosted many important people. Kaiser Franz Joseph I of Austria visited in 1896. He wrote about the castle's beauty and its collections. He also enjoyed a picnic with Gypsy music.
The Royal Castle amongst other monuments, surrounded by extremely pretty landscape with gardens built on terraces, all at the edge of dense forests. The castle itself is very impressive through the riches it has accumulated: old and new canvases, old furniture, weapons, all sort of curious, everything placed with good taste. We took a long hike in the mountains, afterwards we picnicked on the green grass, surrounded by the Gypsy music. We took many pictures, and the atmosphere was extremely pleasant.
Artists like George Enescu and Sarah Bernhardt visited often. They were guests of Queen Elizabeth of Romania. More recently, leaders like Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford have been welcomed.
Peleș Castle has also appeared in movies. It was in the 2009 film The Brothers Bloom. It was also featured in the Netflix films A Christmas Prince and its sequels. The Hallmark Channel movies A Princess for Christmas and Royal Matchmaker also used the castle.
What Does Peleș Castle Look Like?
Peleș is a palace, but it is often called a castle. Its style mixes Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival architecture. It looks a bit like Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. The inner courtyards have beautiful hand-painted murals.
Peleș Castle is huge, with over 170 rooms. It covers about 3,200 square meters (34,000 sq ft). Many rooms have special themes from different cultures. There are offices, libraries, and armories. Some rooms are designed in Florentine, Turkish, or Moorish styles. All rooms are richly furnished and decorated. The castle has 30 bathrooms.
The castle holds amazing collections. These include statues, paintings, and furniture. There are also arms and armor, gold, silver, and stained glass. The collection of arms and armor has over 4,000 pieces. They show weapons from the 14th to the 19th century. You can see armor for horses and riders. There are also swords, muskets, and spears.
Oriental rugs from places like Bukhara and Isparta decorate the floors. The porcelain is from Sèvres and Meissen. The hand-painted stained glass windows are mostly Swiss.
A tall statue of King Carol I stands at the main entrance. Many other statues are in the seven Italian neo-Renaissance gardens. These gardens also have fountains, stairs, and marble paths.
The castle has almost 2,000 paintings. An Italian writer, Angelo de Gubernatis, visited in 1898. He described the castle's beauty:
Inaugurated in 1883, Peleș 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 castle's 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 building's 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. As you get in the vestibule, you are on the Honor Staircase, in front of the most important rulers of old Romania: Holy Stephen the Great, and Michael the Brave. In a proud attitude, wearing whether a fur cap or with the gold crown on their heads, they impress through the brilliant dressing, in which the white of ermine blends with the emerald green or the red of the large mantle. On the right and on left side of the two rulers, as servant knights, four shield bearers carry the Romanian Provinces' escutcheons. Inside the Queen's library, over the groups of children symbolizing poetry and science, there is the image of Ulfilas (311–383 AD) a Goth religious ruler, from the northern side of Danube River, translating the Bible in their language and bringing his contribution in spreading Christianity, a Christian apostle of the Romans, and the image of Dante Alighieri, the creator of western poetry. Passing the library and getting into the dormitory, we will meet the image of Genies and Allegories of Painting and Music, as well as a series of legendary themes. Inside the apartments reserved for the honor guests, a number of coat-of-arms were shining through their heraldic abundance, speaking about the ancestors of the Royal Family. But among all, the glass paintings from the Peleș Castle are, beyond any doubt, the most profound and shining. Here, the subjects are taken out of Alecsandri's poetry.
Visiting the Museum
.jpg)
You can visit Peleș Castle with a guided tour. There are different tours available. One tour covers the ground floor. Another includes the first floor. The complete tour shows you the second floor too. There is a fee to enter and an extra fee if you want to take photos.
The castle is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM. On Tuesdays, it's open from 11 AM to 5 PM. It is closed on Mondays. The castle also closes every November for cleaning and maintenance.
Here are some of the most famous rooms:
The Hall of Honour
This grand hall was finished in 1911. It spans three floors. The walls are covered in beautifully carved wood. There are also sculptures and stained glass panels.
The Imperial Suite
This room is thought to honor Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. He visited the palace as a friend of the Romanian Royal Family. It is decorated in a rich Austrian Baroque style. A rare, 500-year-old leather wall covering is a special feature.
The Grand Armory
This room displays 1,600 pieces of weapons and armor. It's one of Europe's best collections. You can see hunting and war tools from the 14th to the 19th century. There's a complete Maximilian armor for a horse and rider. You can also see swords, firearms, and axes.
The Small Armory
This room mainly shows weapons and armor from the East. Many pieces are made of gold and silver. They are often decorated with precious stones. You can find chainmail armor, helmets, and curved swords here.
The Playhouse
This theater room is decorated in the Louis XIV style. It has 60 seats and a special Royal Box. The decorations and paintings were done by Gustav Klimt and Franz Matsch.
The Florentine Room
This room brings back elements of the Italian Renaissance. The solid bronze doors are very impressive. They were made in Rome. The large marble fireplace has designs inspired by Michelangelo.
The Moorish Salon
This room shows elements of North African and Spanish Moorish style. It has furniture with mother-of-pearl designs. There are also beautiful Persian rugs and Oriental weapons. The salon even has an indoor marble fountain.
The Turkish Parlor
This room feels like an Ottoman "joie de vivre" (joy of living) space. It's filled with Turkish rugs and copperware. It was used as a smoking room for gentlemen. The walls are covered in handmade silk fabrics.
Interestingly, unlike many royal families, the monarchs at Peleș shared a bedroom.
Peleș Castle Today
Peleș Castle was once the personal property of the Romanian royal family. In 1947, it became state property. In 2007, the castle was returned to the Royal Family. King Michael I said the castle should remain a museum. He also wanted it to be used for royal ceremonies sometimes.
Today, Princess Margareta of Romania, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, uses the castle for events. These include receptions and special ceremonies. On May 10, 2016, the Royal Family held a big party at the castle. This was to celebrate 150 years of the Romanian Royal Dynasty. A Royal Standard flag flew from the castle that day. It was the first time since 1947.
In 2016, the body of Queen Anne of Romania was placed in the Hall of Honour. This was part of a special ceremony. Many important leaders attended. In 2017, King Michael I's body was also placed there. This happened before his state funeral in Bucharest.
Images for kids
-
Peleș Castle in summer
-
Terrace
-
Peleș Castle in the winter, 2014
See also
- List of castles in Romania
- Seven Wonders of Romania
- Tourism in Romania
- Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania
