Pelishor Castle and Peles Palace Complex – the Pearl of the Carpathians

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Pelishor Castle is located in a picturesque place in the Carpathian Mountains, at the foot of the Buchedezh mountain range, not far from the Romanian city of Sinai. Pelisor is part of the palace complex built around Peles Castle and is located within walking distance from it. According to the reviews of tourists, the castles of Pelisor and Peles deservedly occupy the first place among the attractions of Romania.

History of the construction of the palace complex

The construction of castles began by order of the first king of Romania, Carol I of Hohenzollern. He first visited this area in 1886 and was forever fascinated by the beauty of these places, which seemed to him similar to his native Bavaria. In 1872, Carol I bought 5.3 km2 of land here, which began to be called the Royal Domain of Sinai, intended for a summer family residence and royal hunting grounds. On August 22, 1873, the construction of Peles Castle and its palace and park ensemble began on this site, which finally ended in 1914, shortly before the death of the king.

In parallel with the construction of the main building of the complex, work was carried out on other buildings - royalstables, hunting lodge, guard house and Pelisor castle. The construction of Pelisor began in 1899 and ended four years later, in 1903.

Also, a private power plant was built on the territory of the palace complex, and Peles and Pelisor became the world's first electrified castles. During the war of 1877-78. for the independence of Romania, construction was suspended, but after its completion it continued at an accelerated pace.

Pelishor Castle Residents

Pelisor Castle can only be called conditionally. Its original functions and architectural features say that it is a luxurious royal palace. Compared to the spacious Peles, the Pelisor castle is very small - it has only 70 rooms, and even its name means "little Peles".

The palace was built as a summer residence for the family of the royal nephew and heir to the throne, who ascended the Romanian throne as Ferdinand I after the outbreak of the First World War. Together with Ferdinand, his wife Princess Maria and their children, the future Romanian monarch Carol II, Maria, Elizabeth, Nikolai, Ileana and Mircea lived in Pelisor.

Ferdinand and Maria loved the little castle dearly, and after the coronation, the crowned couple continued to live here. In one of the rooms of the Pelisor castle in July 1938, Mary's life was tragically cut short. During a quarrel between her sons, the elder took out a gun, and the mother, hoping to stop the scandal, covered the younger one with herself. The gun went off and the queen was lethalwounded. Now, a sculpture in the park depicting Queen Mary embroidering reminds of her.

Stylistics and architect

Pelishor was designed by the Czech architect Karel Liman. For the building, in contrast to the classical neo-Renaissance aesthetics of Peles Castle, the Art Nouveau style was chosen, striving for natural forms and a combination of elegance and utility. The stone walls of the palace, bearing a mass of wooden details, and bright asymmetrical turrets give the building a fabulous look.

Interior decoration of Pelishor

The furniture and most of the interiors were designed by Vienna-based fashion designer Bernard Ludwig. Princess Mary, who had a sense of beauty and refined artistic taste, also took an active part in the design of the castle. Under her guidance, the decorators managed to create a cozy and unique interior, full of lovely details, made up of Art Nouveau and Art Deco elements, intertwined with Celtic and Byzantine symbols. The design and furniture of the most beautiful room of the castle - the Golden Room, decorated with ornaments in the form of thistles - is completely made according to the sketches of Mary herself. The castle's collection of decorative arts includes works by outstanding masters: Tiffany, Gurschner, Halle, Hoffmann and the Daum brothers.

Architects have not forgotten that for Romania, Pelisor Castle is, first of all, a symbol of royal power and the residence of the future monarch. The palace has an impressivethe representative part - the front hall and the large dining room impress with elegance and richness of decoration. The front hall, three stories high, floods the light from huge windows and a glass ceiling decorated with stained-glass windows. The walls of the hall are lined with oak panels, and numerous paintings depict Mary and the children.

Park Ensemble

The castles of Peles and Pelisor are surrounded by a common park ensemble, which is an ennobled piece of wild forest. Thanks to the efforts of the architects, paths and paths appeared here, and seven charming Italian neo-Renaissance terraces sprawled next to the palaces. The park is decorated with Carrara marble statues, fountains and waterfalls, stairs and figures of lions. Near the main entrance, visitors are greeted by a statue of Carol I by Raffaello Romanelli. An endless number of small decorative details will make a walk through the parks and terraces even more exciting.

Modern history

After the fall of the monarchy, the abdication of King Michael I and the establishment of the communist regime, in 1947 the Pelisor Castle and the entire palace complex were nationalized. At first, the castles were accessible to tourists, but in 1953 the royal manor was declared a museum, and until 1975 it served as a holiday home for Romanian cultural workers. Later, the head of communist Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu, forbade access to the territory of the palace complex, and only security and maintenance personnel remained here. It is noteworthy that, depriving people of the opportunity to visit Peles and Pelisor castles, he himselfChusescu did not like these places and appeared here very rarely.

In 1989, with the advent of the revolution that liberated the Romanian people from communist rule, the entire palace complex again became open to tourists. In 2006, as part of a restitution, the Romanian government returned the palace to the royal family. After the restoration of ownership, the government and former King Mihai entered into negotiations, as a result of which the castles again became the property of the nation, and the royal family received 30 million euros.

Today, everyone can visit the palace complex. Tourists can freely walk through the parks and terraces, take photos of the Pelisor and Peles castles. However, you can visit the castles themselves only at certain times. If you can visit Pelisor Castle on your own, then you can get to Peles only as part of an organized group.