Invitation to the castle

What could be more fitting for a May 10 day than a walk through the Peles Castle? We invite you to visit it to discover the wonderful walnut panelling, the coffered ceilings, the special beams, the spiral staircases, the furniture in different styles. All the more reason to tell his story.

A castle built with craftsmen from all over Europe

As early as 1866, his first year as Prince of Romania, Carol I visited a mountain village near the border with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Podul Neagului, the old name of the resort of Sinaia. He is delighted with the place and decides to build a castle to be the cradle of the new dynasty.

For this purpose he bought a piece of land in 1872 in the Piatra Arsă area, a more remote area. In 1873 work began. The architects who drew up the plans and supervised the work were Johannes Schultz, Karel Liman and Emile Andre Lecomte du Nouy. Between 1873 and 1875 the site is consolidated, as it is quite uncertain and difficult. In 1875, construction of the castle began and Charles I laid several hundred 20 lei coins, the first coins bearing the face of the new ruler.

The work lasted until 1883, during which time it was permanently supervised by the ruler. According to Queen Elisabeth (poet and writer Carmen Silva) the workers who worked on the castle were of different nationalities - Romanians, Albanians, Greeks, Turks, Italians, Germans, Hungarians. Apparently 14 languages were heard among the workers, a veritable Babylon.

Vasile Alecsandri, present at the inauguration

At the official inauguration of the castle - on October 7, 1883 - among many personalities of the moment was present the poet Vasile Alecsandri. He wished the ruling family a new home:
"How many bricks and beams
So many greatnesses and successes
How much sand in these buildings
So much happiness and brightness."

Between 1883 and 1914 (the year of the death of Prince Charles I) the castle was extended. Two other smaller buildings were built, the Pelișor and Foișor. King Michael I was born in Foișor in 1921.

The castle was decorated by J.D. Heymann, August Bembe and Bernhard Ludwig, very famous and appreciated at that time. An attempt was made to give each room its own personality, using several styles: German and Italian Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Rococo, German Neo-Baroque, Biedermeier, Turkish, Moorish. We can mention here the Hall of Honour, with walnut panelled walls with inlays of noble essences, the Hall of Arms, decorated in Neo-Renaissance style, with oak panelling and a coffered ceiling, the King's study, where there are pieces of Heymann furniture, the Old Music Room, decorated with teak furniture received as a gift from the Maharajah of Kapurtala.

Europe's first electrified castle

What is absolutely remarkable is that in 1914 when it was opened for visits, the castle had an indoor lift, vacuum cleaner, central heating, modern bathrooms. Peles was the first electrified castle in Europe.

On 30 December 1948 the castle was confiscated by the communist regime as "property of the people". On 3 January 1949, King Michael left the castle, which had become a museum in 1852. In the same year, some of the heritage assets inside were transferred to the Museum of Art in Bucharest.

In 1975 the Ceaușescu regime closed the Castle to the public and it was reopened after the revolution in 1990. A story about the wood inside dates from this period. It seems that the Ceaușescu family wanted to make Peles Castle their personal residence. For fear of being damaged by their questionable taste, the museographers said that a fungus that was very dangerous to humans had got into the wood. In fact, there really was a fungus, but it only targeted the wood. In the 1980s, a team from ICPIL (Institute for Research and Design in the Wood Industry), where I worked for a while, worked hard to save the affected wood. Unfortunately, some of the beams in the entrance hall and the dining room on the ground floor had to be replaced.

In 2007 Peles Castle was returned to the royal family, the deed of return was signed on 20 February. King Michael I decided at the time that it should remain on the tourist circuit. "The gates of Peles will remain open to Romanians for eternity" said Her Majesty.

I highly recommend a visit to Peles Castle, you will be absolutely delighted. I visited it not long ago with some foreign friends and collaborators, and their reactions convinced me that we have one of the most beautiful castles in Europe.