Tourist Attractions

Peles Castle History
King Carol I of Romania (1839-1914), one of the great Romanian kings and conqueror of the National Independence, first visited the region and future site of the castle in 1866, when he fell in love with the rugged but magnificent mountain scenery. So, in 1872, a total of one thousand "pogoane", approx. 1,300 acres (5.3 km2), is purchased by the king and Piatra Arsa region becomes The Royal Domain of Sinaia, destined to be a hunting preserve and summer retreat for the monarch. On August 22, 1875, the foundation for Peleş Castle, the city of Sinaia, and indeed for the country of Romania itself was established. Several other buildings, annexed to the castle, were built simultaneously: The Guard's Chambers, The Economat Building, The Foişor Hunting Chateau, The Royal Stables. The Power Plant was also constructed then, and Peleş became world's first castle fully operated by electric power. The "Sipot" Villa was constructed later. This would serve as the work site of architect Karel Liman. Liman would later supervise the building of Pelişor chateau (1889-1903, the future residence of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania), as well as of the King's Ferdinand Vila in the Royal Sheepfold Meadow (the actual Sheepfold Meadow). First three initial design plans for Peleş were copies of other palaces from western Europe but king Carol I rejected them all as they were too costly and unoriginal. Second architect, Johannes Schultz won by presenting a more original plan, something that appealed to the king's taste: a grand palatial alpine villa combining different structures of classic European styles, mostly following Italian elegance and German aesthetics in Renaissance lines. The cost of the castle itself between 1875 and 1914 was estimated to be 16 000 000 gold Romanian lei (approx. $US 120 million today). Between three and four hundred men worked consistently on it. Queen Elisabeth of Romania, during the construction phase, wrote on her journal:

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 on all dialects and tones, a joyful mix of men, horses, cart oxen and domestic buffaloes.

Construction has seen a slight halt during the Romanian War of Independence in 1877-78, but soon afterwards plans grew in size and growth was rapid. Peleş Castle has seen its official Royal Ball of inauguration in 7 Oct. 1883. Until the castle was built, King Carol I and Queen Elizabeth lived in Foişor Villa (where King Ferdinand and Queen Mary also resided during the construction of Pelişor Castle). Even King Carol II lived in Foişor Villa when he was King of Romania (1930-40, except in 1932-3 when the hunting house was destroyed by fire). King Carol II of Romania was born at the castle in 1893, giving meaning to the phrase "craddle of the dinasty, cradle of the nation" that Carol I bestowed upon the Peleş Castle.

After King Michael's forced abdication in 1947, the Communist regime seized all royal property, the whole Peleş complex except the homonymous castle which was opened for tourism became, for a short time, a creation and resting place for Romanian cultural personalities. The castle was declared a museum in 1953. During the last years of the communist regime, between 1975-1990, Nicolae Ceauşescu closed the entire area. The only persons accepted in this area were maintenance and military guard personnel. The whole area was declared a state protocol interest area.

It is interesting to note that Ceauşescu did not like the castle very much and visited rarely. According to some that is due to the wicked resident museographers, whom , counting on Ceausescu couple's paranoid health phobias, declared the building is infested with dangerous fungus Serpula lacrymans, whom, in 1980s was true to a certain extent but was only affecting the timber. After the December 1989 Revolution, Peleş and Pelişor Castles were re-integrated into the tourism circuit. At this moment, The Foişor Castle remains - like in the past times - a presidential residence, unlike the Economat Building and the Guard's Chambers Building where hotels, restaurants and terraces have been established. The other components of Peleş complex became either tourism villas or state protocol buildings. In 2006, the Romanian government announced restitution of the castle to king Michael I of Romania. Soon after re-obtaining the title, negotiations begun and Peleş re-became national treasure open to public as historic monument and museum. In exchange the Romanian Government granted 30 million euros to the Casa Regala (The Royal House of Romania). The sum for the remaining villas and surrounding chalets and chateaus are still being negotiated but will eventually remain in possession of the state and touristic circuit after repurchasing (2007). Every year since opening, Peleş Castle received between a quarter to almost half million visitors every year.

Peleş Castle was host to grand figures guests from royalty and politicians to artists. One of the most memorable visits was that of Kaiser Franz Joseph I of Austro-Hungary, then one of the world's most powerful men, on 2 October 1896, who later wrote in a letter: 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 curios, everything placed with good taste. We did 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 Enesco, Sarah Bernhardt, Jacques Thibaud or Vasile Alecsandri visited often as guests of Queen Elizabeth of Romania (known to literature as Carmen Sylva). Even after the fall of the monarchy, alongside Romanian prominent figures from political and artistic life, other foreign demnitaries like Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Yasser Arafat were all entertained here.

The castle was featured in the 2009 film release The Brothers Bloom. The exterior of the castle is used to represent a large estate in New Jersey, the home of the eccentric billionaire Penelope played by Rachel Weisz.

Description
The first architect was the Viennese Wilhelm von Doderer (1825-1900) and then German Johannes Schultz (1876-1883). Later additions were made between 1893 and 1914 by the Czech architect Karel Liman, who added designed the towers, including the main central tower, 66 m in height.

By form and function, Peleş, is truly a palace but affectionately and consistently called a castle instead, by all. Its architectural style is a Neo-Renaissance of romantic inspiration that can find a corespondent in 19th century ideals with the monumental Gothic Revival of Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, ironically called a castle as well. A Saxon influence can be observed in the interior courtyard facades that have rich and ornated fachwerk similar to northern Europe alpine architecture and allegorical hand painted murals. Interior decoration is mostly a Baroque influence with heavy carved woods and exquisite fabrics.

Peleş Castle has 3200 sq. meters of floor plan, over 170 rooms,30 bathrooms, many with dedicated themes from world cultures (in similar fashion with other Romanian palaces, like Cotroceni Palace for example), themes that can vary by function (offices, libraries, armouries, art galleries) or by style (Florentine, Turkish, Moorish, French, Imperial) all extremely lavishly furnished and decorated to the slightest detail. The establishment hosts one of the finest collections of art in East and Central Europe, consisting of statues, paintings, furniture, arms and armour, gold, silver, stained glass, ivory, fine china, tapestries and rugs; the collection of arms and armour has over 4000 pieces, divided between Eastern and Western war, ceremonial or hunting spreading over four centuries in history. Oriental rugs come from the finest sources: Bukhara, Mosul, Isparta, Saruk and Smirna, porcelain from Sevres and Meissen, leather from Córdoba but perhaps the most acclaimed are the hand painted stained glass vitralios, mostly Swiss .


A towering statue of King Carol I by Raffaello Romanelli overlooks the main entrance but many other statues are present on the seven Italian neo-Renaissance terrace gardens, mostly of Carrara marble executed by the Italian sculptor Romanelli. The gardens also host fountains, urns, stairways, guarding lions, marble paths and other decorative pieces.

Peleş Castle shelters one of the most important and most valuable[citation needed] painting collections in Europe, almost 2,000 pieces. An interesting account about Peleş Castle remains the one that comes from Angelo de Gubernatis (1840-1913), an Italian writer who arrived in 1898 in Sinaia as a guest of the Royal Family:

Inaugurated in 1883, Peleş 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 a.d.) 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 Peleş Castle are, beyond any doubt, the most profound and shining. Here, the subjects are taken out of Alecsandri's poetry.

The Museum
Of the 168 rooms in the castle, only 35 are accessible to the public. While an important area is in the upper levels, this is off limits. Only the museum in the basement and the rooms on the first floor can be visited. The visiting hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Wednesday through Sunday. On Mondays the castle is closed and on Tuesdays the hours are till 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. These visiting hours are subject to change by the current owners of the castle. Each year in November the castle is closed to the public for the whole month, during which time it is used solely by the owners. Admission fee is 15 RON. Additionally you must check your camera or pay 30 RON to take photos or 50 RON for video.

Location
Northwest of the town of Sinaia, 60 km from Braşov and 135 km away from Bucharest, Romania's capital. Nested in the south-eastern Carpathian Mountains, the complex is composed of three monuments: Peleş Castle, Pelişor Chateau and Foisor Hunting Chateau.

Most notable grand rooms are:

Holul de Onoare (The Honour Hall) was finished completely only in 1911, under the guidance of Karel Liman, it spreads over three flours. Walls are dressed in exquisitely carved woodwork, mostly European walnut and exotic timbers. Bass-reliefs, alabaster sculptures and retractable stained glass panels complete the decor.

Apartamentul Imperial (The Imperial Suite) Believed to be a tribute to the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, who visited the palace as a friend of the Romanian royal family. Hence why, decorator Auguste Bembe preferred the sumptuous Austrian Baroque in style of Empress Maria Theresa. A perfectly preserved five hundred years old Cordoban tooled leather wall cover is the rarest of such quality.

Sala Mare De Arme (The Grand Armoury or The Arsenal) is where sixteen hundred of the four thousands Peleş Castle's pieces of weaponry and armour reside, one of Europe's finest collection of hunting and war implements, timelined between 14th and 19th century, are on display. The king himself added pieces from his victory against the Ottoman Turks during the War of Independence. Famous are the complete Maximilian armour for horse and rider and a 15th century German "nobles only" decapitation broadsword. Also a wide array of polearms (glaives, halberds, lances, hunting spears), firearms (muskets, blunderbusses, snaphaunces, flintlocks pistols), axes, crossbows and swords (rapiers, sabers, broadswords and many others).

Sala Mica De Arme (The Small Armoury) is where predominantly Oriental (mostly Indo-Persian, Ottoman and Arab) arms and armour pieces are in exhibit, many of them made in gold and silver, inlaid with precious stones. Including chainmail armours, kulah khud helmets, scimitars, yataghans, daggers, miquelets, matchlocks, lances, pistols, dhal shields, axes and spears.

Sala De Teatru (The Playhouse) decorated in "Sun King", Louis XIV style, with sixty seats and a Royal Box. Architectural decoration and mural paintings are signed by Gustav Klimt and Frantz Matsch.

Sala Florentina (The Florentine Room) combines revived elements of the Italian Renaissance, mostly Florence. Most impressive are the solid bronze doors executed in Rome ateliers of Luigi Magni and the Grand Marble Fireplace executed by Paunazio with Michelangelo motifs.

Salonul Maur (The Moorish Salon) was executed under the guidance of Charles Lecompte de Nouy, and as the name suggests it is meant to embody elements of North-African and Hispanic Moorish style. Mother of pearl inlaid furniture, fine Persian Saruk and Ottoman Isparta rugs, Oriental weapons and armour are perhaps the most expressive elements, complete with an indoor marble fountain.

Salonul Turcesc (The Turkish Parlor) emulates Ottoman "joie de vivre" atmosphere, a room full of Turkish Smirna rugs and copperware from Anatolia and Persia. Walls are covered in hand-made textiles like silk brocades via Siegert shops of Vienna.

source : wikipedia.org

Red Lake (Lacul Rosu) is natural storage lake at 980 m altitude, near Bicaz Gorges, at approximately 26 km from Gheorgheni city (Harghita County), on the national road 12/C, in the resort with the same name.
The lake has "L" form, is 10 m deep (maximum depth is 10.5 m), an area of 12.7 ha, and a 2830 m circumference.

Once lived in Lazarea a very beautiful girl with the name Estera. One day she went to the fair in Gheorgheni. Here she met a handsome and strong lad (he could fight with a bear). They felt in love immediately. The lad asked her to be his bride. But the wedding did not take place because the lad was taken to army. The girl waited for him. On the evenings, when he went for water to the spring, she sang so saddly that even the mountains were touched.
In a Sunday afternoon she was seen by a thief. The thief had lifted her and run away as quickly as he could to Suhardul Mic, the rocks with a thousand faces, were he lived. He promissed to Estera gold and silver only to love him, dut she did want nothing. The thief lost his patience and forced her to marry him. He have cryed to the mountains, begging for help. The rocks responded by thunders. A big rain had started, wipping all in its way.
Under the rocks remaind the girl and the thief. After that the water from the mountaind were gathered here forming the lake (Red Lake or The Killer).

An oter legend says: On the meadow between the mountains was a sheepfold. The shepherds, seeing the coming of a storm, have tried to shelter, but the Killer Mountain crushed down and burried them together with the sheeps.

Passing through the city of Rasnov, you cannot miss the Rasnov Fortress, located on a rocky hilltop in the ancient Carpathian Mountains, 200m above the town. It is 15 km southwest Brasov and also about 15 km from Bran Castle, commonly known by foreigners as Count Dracula’s Castle. The fortress is on the Bran Pass, a trade route connecting legendary Wallachia with mythical Transylvania. The view from the top of the castle hill makes you travel through time into medieval times; the wind still carries the dust raised by the Teutonic Knights while defending the people. For the armies invading Transylvania through the Bran pass, the first important settlement was the city of Rasnov.

The prosperous fair city, near the town of Brasov, was destroyed in the Middle Ages by the numerous invasions. The sole chance of survival for the inhabitants under the mounting Postavarul was to take refuge in the castle erected on the hill dominating the road to the city of Bran. This castle was meant to be a place of refuge for the commoners from sieges over extended periods of time. As such it had at least 30 houses, a school, a chapel, and other buildings more commonly associated with a village. The first written record for the fortress dates from 1331. In 1335, when the Tartars invaded, Rasnov Fortress was already strong enough to offer resistance.
The castle has an upper and lower section, with polygonal perimeter walls reaching an average height of 5m. The most heavily fortified part is the east side and the walls on both that side as well as the northwest side are doubled. The defenses include 9 towers, 2 bastions, and a drawbridge. As Transylvania has always been disputed, arms were stockpiled in the defense corridors at the walls.

The legend says that, during a particularly long siege of the fortress, the citizens of Rasnov were concerned about the lack of available drinking water. Two Turkish soldiers, having been captured earlier, were put to the task of digging a well in the centre of the fortress. These two men were assured that they would be given their freedom once the well was completed. According to local legend, it took them 32 years to finish the well, but they were still killed afterwards. This famous well still sits in the centre of Rasnov Fortress, and is 143 meters deep.
After a long time, the fortress rises proud again. She waits to be rediscovered and appreciated. Hidden behind the ancient walls, the museums waits silently for its visitors. “La piece de resistance”is a skeleton buried under a glass floor. Most surely, you  can find a lot of other interesting artifacts . The inner rooms are looking more like a maze, with several wood ladders linking them and a few secret passages. The landscape is breathtaking, the feeling is unique. The height gives you the feeling you are the lord of the world, the master of puppets.

For accommodation, you can find plenty of rooms down in the city, and at the bottom of the fortress. The city provides you hotels, motels, restaurants, clubs and bar, anything you need to have a great time.
sourse unseenromania.com & wikipedia.org

In the Hussars’ yard, at the bridgehead, the visitors can see a niche with the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk, the saint protector of bridges and of passages across waters. A wood bridge sustained by four stone piers that were built in the Zlasti riverbed makes the access to the castle

The first important sight of the tour is the New Gate Tower. This is one of the rectangular, very massive towers built by Ioan of Hunedoara. The entrance area is actually a vaulted space were it used to be the guard’s place, with a fireplace and a chimney. Today here is the booking office. From here one can arrive at the dungeon of the castle, where one can see a wooden door that is allegedly preserved since the 15th century.

The Matia loggia is beyond the New Gate Tower, to the left. This loggia is considered to be the first manifestation of Renaissance in the architecture of Transylvania. At the second level of the loggia there is still visible the only laic fresco in the 15th century Transylvania.

The Chapel is on eastern side of the castle; the entrance is from the inner staircase of the Matia loggia and to the second level of the chapel, where the owners of the castle used to attend mass.

The Princesses’ Living room is at the first level of the New Gate Tower, above the entrance into the castle. Initially this was only a defense level, but in the 17th century it was transformed into a living room for the ladies that lived in the castle. In this room there is some furniture dating back from the 19th century, carved in the eclectic style: a table, a sideboard and a cupboard.
From here, across the spiral staircase, one reaches the Council Hall. It is placed on the second level of the Main Palace. The Council Hall is built in a late gothic style, but Gabriel Bethlen radically altered its architecture in the 17th century. He dismantled all the gothic arches and transformed it in a two-leveled space, with three rooms on each level. On the walls of this hall there are still some traces of a 17th century fresco that represents noblemen and the image of Transylvania at that time.


When exiting the Council Hall the visitor finds a staircase that leads to the Capistrano Tower, the room of John of Capistrano.
The exit from the Capistrano Tower is on the same staircase and than, to the right there is another staircase that leads to the second level of the Southern Palace, to the rooms that were used in the 18th century as offices for the iron mines Administration. Presently the museum holds here an ethnography exhibition ethnography exhibition.

From the ethnography exhibition one crosses to the room known as the Platform of the Old Gate Tower, that was built in the 17th century as an ammunition dump. Today this room holds the archaeology exhibition

From here the visitor passes again trough the ethnography exhibition and descends on a wooden staircase to the first level of the Southern Palace, where in the 18th century were the workshops.

The next sight, back in the inner yard, is the, reachable trough a vaulted corridor. This tower is rectangular one and it is built on two defense levels. The Old Gate Tower was painted in fresco during king Matia’s time. Traces of this fresco are still visible on the northern side of this tower. Gabriel Bethlen also altered this part of the castle. He eliminated the old entrance and he built in front of the tower a bulwark named the.
Facing the neogothic gallery the visitor can see a three living rooms that are at the first level of the Eastern Palace. These rooms still preserve some architectural elements belonging to late Renaissance. That a monumental staircase will lead to the dining room of this palace, space that nowadays holds the temporary exhibition named “Cultural Assets From the Collections of the Corvins’ Castle Museum” the Bethlen dining room.

The visit continues with the well and the presentation of the Turkish inscription.
Than follows the artillery terrace, slightly modified in the 19th century. From the terrace the visitor can see the bear pit, the northern palace, the chapel, the well and the contemporary town of Hunedoara.

The last sight is the Knights’ Hall, one of the most interesting laic spaces in the 15th century Transylvania . This hall now holds the Weapons Exhibition, with objects that range between the 15th and the 19th centuries . On the second column in this Hall one can see yet another inscription that states the moment of this hall’s construction.

sourse: castelulcorvinilor.ro & wikipedia.org