Peleș Castle, Neo-Renaissance palace in Sinaia, Romania
Peleș Castle is a palace in the mountain resort of Sinaia in the Romanian Carpathians, set on a forested slope above a river. The interior rooms feature furniture, glass chandeliers, and artworks collected over several centuries from across Europe.
King Carol I began construction in 1873 as a summer residence and chose an architect who incorporated Alpine design elements. The royal family occupied the rooms until the abolition of the monarchy in Romania after World War II.
The castle's name comes from the Peleș valley where it stands, not from a river. Queen Elizabeth invited Orient Express passengers from Paris in 1883 to watch King Carol I lay the last brick, and the inauguration ball followed on 7 October 1883.
Visitors reach the site by train to Sinaia and then walk uphill through the forest for about 20 minutes. The path is marked and passes through spruce woods with views down into the valleys.
The building had its own hydroelectric plant on the river that generated power for lighting and the heating system. This technical installation was among the earliest of its kind in Europe and supplied all rooms in the palace.
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