English Connection

Peles Castle

Built between 1875-1914, the Peles castle it was the summer residence of the romanian royal family. It was built by the orders of the king Carol I, the first king of our country. He was born and raised in Germany and because of that the influence of the german arquitecture and style it is very preasent inside the castle. Will find joined together different style of arquitecture, and all the objects from inside made in workshop from Austria, Germany, France and Italy. In that times the castle it was a very modern one for its time because here existing running water, electricity, elevator,central vacuum cleaner imperial bedrooms, and organ. It is a beautiful combination of modernity with style and many piece of art.

When the king Carol was come for the first time in Sinaia he was impressed by this places and he decided to bought a big place from the bushes. The place it was situated in a splendid area close to the Peles river. The name Peles, came probably from the Romanian word "plesuv" (bold). Transformed from plesuv - pelesuv - peles the name is reffering to the bold pick of the mountains ( without trees and vegetation) from the neighborhood.

Walking on the alley to the main entrance in to the tour of Peles Castle, will see first a building, built in the same old style as the castle itself. It is a restaurant now and on the porch exists two old cannons which are the same types as those use by the Romanian army in the independence war between 1877-1878 in the north of Bulgaria where our army was covered of glory in the battles from Rahova, Grivita, Pleven, or Smardan.

Arriving finally in to the yard of the castle, will observe much better the splendid architecture and going to the ticket office will discover surprisingly 2 beautiful frescoes representing knights and images from the XVII-een century. Entering inside of the castle leading by the guide will enter first in to the Hall of Honour. The rom was built on the place of a inner yard, in 1911. At the foot of the stairs exists two busts of the king Carol I and his queen, Elisabeth. Climbing the stairs, will arrive in to a place where usually the king waiting for his guests, on the top of the stairs. Looking up, will see a mobile ceiling which is open electric or manual from the war to peace. I mean from a statue which represent a man to a sword, (the war) to another one, which represent an angel to a tromphet ( peace). On the walls, close to the ceiling we have many pictures representing medieval castles. Are not pictures painted but, inlaid wood. Different pieces of wood glued together.

On the next level, are many small picture made from alabaster representing biblical images or stories for childrens. On the right and left side of the stairs exists 2 statues which are representing 2 of the ancestors of King Carol I-st. The one from the right have just half from his beard and around his neck hanged a chain with a lock. The man it was one of the most trustable and capables officers of Carol Quintul and he initiate a real fashion for the next tree generations in his family with the beard a the neck chain with a lock. Because the king it was a passionate collectionar he had many collections but the only one which resisted here in to the Peles Castle is the weapon collection.

The weapon collection room was decorated between 1903-1906 in a space decorated in to the style of the german newrenaissance. On the left is a showcase where we can admire a copy after the original crown of the king. The crown was made from steel obtain from a Turkish cannon captured in to the independence war. Around of the crown are many badges and knights orders received by the king. One of them have the neck chain decorated with swastikas.

No my friends, our king was`nt a nazi even he was a german. Swastika it is a very old symbol derived from the Sanskrit word svastika meaning any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on persons and things to denote good luck It is composed of su- (cognate with Greek ??-, eu-), meaning "good, well" and asti, a verbal abstract to the root as "to be" (cognate with the Romance copula, coming ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *h1es-); svasti thus means "well-being." The suffix -ka forms a diminutive or intensifies the verbal meaning,[dubious - discuss] and svastika might thus be translated literally as "that which is associated with well-being," corresponding to "lucky charm" or "thing that is auspicious."[1] The word in this sense is first used in the Harivamsa.[2] The Hindu Sanskrit term has been in use in English since 1871, replacing gammadion (from Greek ?????????).

Continouing the tour of Peles Castle downstairs will see closely all the 4000 oriental and occidental weapons from the XIV-een and XVII-een century. The ceiling is made from oakwood, and have coat of arms of noble families from Romania and Germany. Under a chandelier will be able to see the Romanian Royal family coat of arms and his motto : "Nihil Sine Deo" which is mean in latin "Nothing without God" . In the room exists armours from the XV-XVI-een century and a complete maximilian armour for horse and knight. Inside of room exists a fake fire place because from the beginning this castle had central heating system. Above the fire place is a bronze carving representing a scene from the Nicopol cruciade ( 1396) where participate an ancestor of the king. Below of the carving is a executionary sword for german nobiles. The sword have engraved on the blade this words : "where it will rise above your head God will gave you eternal life".

The next room is dedicated to the oriental, weapons. On the walls we have Turkish weapons, japans weapons and inside of a showcase, arabic weapons covered with green snake skin, or a weapon half dagger, half pistol. The door which make the connection with the next room, have two different sides: one of them it is fit to the oriental weapon room and the other one to the next one which is the waiting room for the king office.

The king office it is decorated in the Heynmann workshop from Hamburg in 1883 in german newrenaissance style. On the windows exists stained glass made in the XVII-een century which representing the coat of arms of the swiss regions. Entering in the king office will be connected in this Peles Castel tour to the personality of the king. Kings office is very elegant and sober. On the left side in the room is the office of the king. In front of his office is a small statue of his father Karl Anton of Hohhenzolern. Above of his table on the wall exist a portret of kings mother. Also in front of the table is a audience desk where the king was standing to have the possibility to cut the conversation. Next to the audience desk is a corner for long and private discussions.

On the right side of the room it is on the walls two pictures. The first one represent the quuen Elisabeth with the daughter of the royal family which was died t 5 years old by scarlet fever. The next one represent the king Carol dressed into the uniform of the Romanian Army. Close to the door to next room we have another fake fire place which have above it the coat of arms of Romania before 1918.

The next room is the castle library. As any royal library have a secret stairs on the right side in a showcase where 4 books are aranged on the horizontal not vertical. Exists books in many languages as french, english, german, romanian, from many domains as medicine, military tactics, biology, poetry. In the middle of the room exists a letter box painted by the queen Elisabeth. The queen was a protector of the arts and a very succesfull writer under the pen name Carmen Sylva which it means in latin The Forest Song. Now, will leaving the library and will enter in to a hall. Here, on the left, it is a room where was decided the participation of Romania to the Great War (WW 1) in august 1916. On the same hall you will see a big piece of furniture. It is not a closet as you can believe but a music box. Continouing the Peles Castle tour will enter in the music room of the queen.

Here we have on the walls pictures painted by a friend of the queen the american Dora Hitz and represent in order from the right to the left, The Spring , the summer, the fall, a lonely lady, the muse of music, and a princess kidnaped by the pirates which are playing dices for her. Exists on a easel a portret of the queen dressed into a traditioonal romanian suite. Also the stained glass windows representing images from the romanian fairy tales, and the piano is the original one used by the queen. These room was used by the queen for cultural evenings inviting here personalitys of the romanian culture as the poet Vasile Alecsandri or the composer George Enescu which was the teacher of Yehudi Menuhin. Living this room will pass trough a door made from bronze in the workshops Luigi Magni from Rome.This room is the first ballroom of the castle.

The 2 thrones was never used by the king and queen and the rugs from the foot of each throne was made in India from silk and each rug have almost 500 nodes on square cm. The all room is decorated in the italian newrenaissance style. The fireplace made from Paunazio marble have to the superior part reductions after Michelangelo Buonaroti. The ceiling is made from lime wood, gold plated, and have in the center a painting , copy after Georgio Vasari. This painting can be seen in to the big miror from the wall. The chandeliers are made from coloured Murano glass. The next hall from our Peles castle Tour, is called the hall of mirrors because the mirrors from here are the biggest from all the castle. The legend said that this mirrors was brought straight from Venice Italy, by the sea untill Giurgiu on the Danube near Bucharest and from there untill here at Peles Castle, by a cart with oxes. The next room on the right side is the dining room prepared for lunch. All the dishes are original from the XIX-een century.

Another spectacular room from the Peles Castle is the moorish room decorated in a moor style. Chandeliers in a minaret shape, a rug made in oriental style and on the walls oriental weapons from the collection of the king. On the other side of the room it is a piece of marble whicyh have to the superior part 5 houls. Trough that halls was flowed and even now can flowes the water of the river Peles as the tears on a chick, reason to name this fountain "the crying fountain". This room is also the room where was kept the body of the dead king before to be transportated to Curtea de Arges where is the royal necropolis of the romanian royal family.

Now, trough a small hall decorated in a french style will visit the last room wich is the turkish room having even a narghile. When the doors of these room are closing from inside you can read on them some arabic words written on the 2 doors : " in the name of Mahomed the allmighty". Now will going to the theater room and will observe that all the trip was one around of the hall of honour. Now in the fron of the hall which is going to the theater room is the highest mirror from the castle having 5 meters high. The thatre room is painted by the famous austrian painter Gustav Klimt and it is also the place where was watch the first romanian movie ever about the independence war. Receintly the famous romanian director Nae Caramfil made a movie about this firts romanian movie. From here will continue our tour in the Peles Castle to the next floor.

If you want to discover the royal bedroom, the imperial bedroom and other splendors at the second floor of the Peles Castle, please come here and see it with your own eyes.

Most popular tourist attractions of Romania :

Sighisoara City, Brasov City, Peles Castle, Bucovina Painted Monastries, Bucuresti / Bucharest - The capital of Romania, Bran Castle - Dracula's Castle, Danube Delta, Carphatians Mountains, Bear's Cave, Retezat National Park, Praid Salt Mine.

Most popular tours and vacations in Romania :

Romania UNESCO tour, Classic Transylvania tour, Medieval cities and castles tour, Dracula and Transylvania tour, Transylvanian castles tour, Medieval Transylvania tour, Dracula tour on Halloween, Northern regions of Romania - Bucovina and Maramures tours, Danube Delta tour - The nature paradise from Romania, Moldova tour, Hiking and cultural tour, Real romanian traditional life tour.

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