Pelishor Castle is located in a picturesque place of the Carpathian Mountains, at the foot of the Bucedezh mountain range, not far from the Romanian city of Sinaia. 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 sights of Romania.
The 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 the local places, which seemed to him like his native Bavaria. In 1872, Carol I bought 5.3 km 2 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, construction of the Peles castle and its palace and park ensemble, which finally ended in 1914, shortly before the death of the king, began on this site.
In parallel with the construction of the main building of the complex, work was underway on other buildings - the royal stables, a hunting lodge, a guard house and Pelishor Castle. The construction of Pelishor began in 1899 and ended four years later, in 1903.
Also, a private power station was built on the territory of the palace complex, and Peles and Pelishor became the first electrified castles in the world. During the war of 1877-78. for the independence of Romania, construction was suspended, but after its completion continued at an accelerated pace.
Residents of Pelisor Castle
Pelishor Castle can only be called conditionally. Its original features and architectural features say that it is a magnificent royal palace. Compared to the spacious Peles, the castle of Pelisor is quite 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, ascended to 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 Pelishor.
Ferdinand and Maria passionately loved the small castle, and after the coronation, the crowned couple continued to live here. In one of the rooms of the Pelishor castle in July 1938, Mary's life was tragically cut short. During the quarrel of her sons, the elder took out a gun, and the mother, hoping to end the scandal, closed the younger one. The gun fired, and the queen was mortally wounded. Now it is reminiscent of a sculpture in the park depicting Queen Mary for embroidery.
Stylistics and architect
Pelisor was erected by the project of the Czech architect Karel Liman. For the building, in contrast to the classical aesthetics of the Neo-Renaissance of Peles Castle, the Art Nouveau style was chosen, striving for natural forms and a combination of elegance and utilitarianism. The stone walls of the palace, bearing a mass of wooden details, and bright asymmetric turrets give the building a fabulous look.
Pelishor Interior
Furniture and most of the interiors were designed by Vienna fashion designer Bernard Ludwig. Princess Maria, who possessed a sense of beauty and refined artistic taste, also took an active part in the design of the castle. Under her leadership, the decorators managed to create a cozy and unique interior, full of lovely details, made up of elements of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, interwoven with Celtic and Byzantine symbols. The decoration and furniture of the most beautiful premises of the castle - the Golden Room, decorated with ornaments in the form of a thistle - is completely made according to the sketches of Mary herself. The collection of decorative art collected in the castle includes works by prominent artists: Tiffany, Gurschner, Halle, Hoffmann and the Daum brothers.
The architects did not forget 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 impressive representative part - the front hall and the large dining room impress with elegance and richness of decoration. The front hall, three stories high, floods light from huge windows and a glass ceiling decorated with stained-glass windows. The walls of the hall are lined with oak panels, numerous paintings depict Mary and children.
Park ensemble
The Peles and Pelishor castles are surrounded by a common park ensemble, which is an ennobled stretch of wild forest. Thanks to the efforts of architects, paths and paths appeared here, and next to the palaces are seven charming Italian neo-Renaissance terraces. The park is decorated with statues from Carrara marble, 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 infinite 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 Mihai I and the establishment of the communist regime, in 1947 the castle of Pelisor and the entire palace complex were nationalized. At first, castles were available for tourists, but in 1953 the royal estate 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, denied access to the territory of the palace complex and only security and attendants remained here. It is noteworthy that, having deprived people of the opportunity to visit the Peles and Pelishor castles, Culescu himself did not like these places and appeared here extremely rarely.
In 1989, with the advent of the revolution, which freed the Romanian people from communist rule, the entire palace complex again became open to tourists. In 2006, as part of the 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, the palace complex can be visited by anyone. Tourists can freely walk through the parks and terraces, take photos of the castles of Pelisor and Peles. However, you can visit the castles themselves only at a certain time. If Pelishor Castle can be explored on its own, then Peles can only be accessed as part of an organized group.