Peles and Pelesor Castles , Sinaia Romania

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the people found themselves without a king. The ruling elite had just performed a coup to depose the ruling prince who was just too liberal for them. Freeing the serfs was a step too far.

So they invited a German guy to come and be a prince and then later voted him into becoming their King. That's the back story of how King Carol I became king of Romania in 1866.

He and his wife Elisabeth built Peles Castle in Sinaia, about an hour south of Brasov by train. They had one daughter who died at age 4, so the crown later passed to his nephew Ferdinand.

The castle was completed in the late 1800s and they brought in expert woodworkers from Hamburg to adorn the castle. It's absolutely stunning. I've seen a lot of castles and palaces throughout Europe and this is one of the best. That's probably because it's one of the most recently built and most livable. It was not damaged in war or fire and a lot of the original furniture is intact.

Just up the hill is the smaller castle and home called Pelesor. Carol and Elisabeth built it for Ferdinand, who became the next king. It was completed in 1903 and the furnishings are from the first couple decades of that century.

Ferdinand married Maria, a granddaughter of England's Queen Victoria and Russia's Tsar Alexander II. No less than seven of Queen Victoria's grandchildren became monarchs throughout Europe.

These are some of the most popular sites in Romania. The entries are timed and even with that, it took over half an hour just to enter. But it was well worth it!

While Pelesor is not a castle and it's debatable whether Peles is, they are at least grand mansions. Queen Marie was into the current fashions and had Pelesor decorated with modern art and furnishings, including some Secessionist (Art Nouveau) pieces from Austria and Hungary. There's even a very early painting by Gustav Klimt. It's a portrait and looks nothing like his spectacular later work.

The tour of Pelesor was fairly quick but very interesting to see the original furnishings.

More photos and videos are here.

Peles Castle
https://photos.app.goo.gl/twk4oCNYQp4asntA7

Pelesor Castle
https://photos.app.goo.gl/DA3fNVzBLvMHgeZ77Read more