Peles Castle

Peleș Castle is a representative building witch mirrors parts of Romanian history. This ‘Swiss chalet’ looking castle will amaze you with its looks, evoking great figures from Romanian history. Located in the geographical center of Romania, on a valley in the Carpathian Mountains, in Sinaia, at 120 km distance from Bucharest, this Neo-Renaissance Palace was buit between 1873 – 1883. Latter in the 19th century, Peles became an entire complex of buildings, featuring Pelișor Castle, Foișor Hunting Chalet, Guard Pavilion, the Power plant, Economat Villa, Sipot Villa and the Royal Stables.

Elegant and chic, Peles Domain, was the background for many important chapters of modern Romanian history. Built by King Carol I of Romania, the first Romanian monarch, as a summer residence for the Royal Family, became one of the most treasured national monument. The castle’s exterior is displaying a mock-Tudor half-timbered effect beneath pointed towers. Considered the second most expensive building built in 19th century, the alleged amount for the construction of Peleş Castle was over 16.5 million lei-gold equivalent of 198 million dollars at the time, money that come out of the King’s own pocket.

Since its inauguration, in 1883, the castle went under several stages of modernisation, being the first electrified castle in Europe, and from 1897 it has its own power plant. Keeping to the fashion of the age, Peles Castle combines classical charm of a mountain castle with modern elements of confort and utility such as an elevator, the electric glass ceiling of the Honor Hall, the central vacuum cleaner (which is currently functional) and since 1912 a cinema hall with the first movie projector in Romania.

Peles Castle was home to the Crown Councils in which capital decisions of the country’s foreign and local policy were made. It is also the death place of King Carol I and the birth place of King Carol II and King Michael I of Romania. This architectural jewel is one of the most beautiful castles in the world and that makes it “a must see” if traveling to Romania.