2 Peles, Sinaia
web page: www.peles.ro
 Located
in Sinaia (44 km from Brasov),
Peles Castle is considered by many one of the most beautiful
castles in all Europe. 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
Wilhem 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. 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.
Several other buildings,
annexed to the castle, were built simultaneously: The Guard's
Chambers, The Economat Building,
The Foisor Hunting House, The Royal Stables, and the Electrical
Power Plant. The Sipot Villa was constructed later.
This would serve as the work site of architect Karel Liman.
Liman would later supervise the building of Pelisor (1889-1903,
the future residence of King Ferdinand and Queen Mary of Romania).
as well as of the King's Ferdinand Vila in the Royal Sheepfold
Meadow
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 Armory Room, the small Armory 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.
Other exquisite attractions such as the statues, the ceramics,
the gold and silver plates, the Meissen and Sevres porcelain,
the Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows,
walls covered with Cordoba leather, ebony and ivory sculptures,
as well as the extensive weapon collections are worth mentioning.
It
is also important to know that Peles Castle shelters one
of the most important and most valuable painting collections
in Europe, almost 2.000 pieces.
Almost adjacent to Peles Castle
is Pelisor ("Little Peles").
King Ferdinand, who succeeded Carol I, intended to use Peles
Castle as a summer residence. Supposedly he found Peles too
big and overwhelming, so he commissioned the smaller, art-nouveau
style, Pelisor Castle. Pelisor's 70 rooms feature a unique
collection of turn-of-the century Viennese furniture and Tiffany
and Lalique glassware.
Near Peles castle there is Foisor,
a kings' residence with 42 rooms designed in the Swiss style.
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