Peleș Castle (Castelul Peleș) is a castle on the foot of the Bucegi Mountains in Sinaia, on a medieval route that was linking Transylvania and Wallachia. The castle is a real masterpiece in the Neo-Renaissance style and is considered one of the most beautiful castles in Romania.
History Of Peleș Castle
Peleș Castle was built between 1873 and 1914 under the reign of King Carol I, who fell in love with the magnificent scenery of the surrounding mountains. King Carol I rejected the first three designs for a lack of originality and finally, the German architect Johannes Schultz won the project with a design that satisfied the king: a grand palatial alpine castle that combined different features of classic European styles. It was also the first castle in Europe to be powered entirely by locally produced electricity. At a later stage, the Czech architect Karel Liman also made some additions to the castle, including the 66-meter-high main tower and the other towers.
King Carol I and his wife Queen Elisabeth lived in the castle and later, in 1893 this is also where Queen Marie (the wife of King Michael I) gave birth to their son, who later became King Carol II. The castle was therefore also referred to by King Carol I as the “cradle of the dynasty, cradle of the nation”.
In 1947, King Michael I was abdicated by the communist regime and all royal property, including Peleș Castle, were seized. During the communist regime, the castle shortly became a museum, but was later closed again and only occasionally used for official purposes. After the December 1989 revolution, Peleș Castle became a heritage site again, and it was opened as a museum for the public. After negotiations, the castle has officially returned to the royal family in 2007, but it was leased back by the Romanian state.
Visiting Peleș Castle
Peleș Castle is a popular tourist attraction and receives between a quarter and half a million visitors per year. You can visit the gardens and observe the beauty of the castle’s exterior for free, but you probably don’t want to miss out on the incredible inside of this masterpiece. There are three floors you can visit and you can buy a ticket for only the first floor, both the first and second floor, or for all three the floors. For more information about the latest ticket prices and opening hours, you can visit the official website of the castle.
How To Get To Peleș Castle
Peleș Castle is located just outside Sinaia, about 46 kilometers from Brașov and 141 kilometers from Bucharest. The castle can easily be visited on a daytrip from both cities, but if you want to see more of Sinaia and the surrounding area, you might want to opt to stay the night in one of the many hotels. Sinaia is easily reachable by car but there is also a train station with direct connections to Bucharest North Train Station and Brașov.
