Peles Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914. Its inauguration was held in 1883. It was constructed for King Carol I.
The former summer residence of King Carol Ist and Queen Elisabeth, Peles Castle became “the origin of the national dynasty”, a place for political decisions and an important European cultural centre at that time.
Prince Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was brought from Germany to the Romanian throne in 1866 and ruled the country until 1914, the year of his death.
Peles Castle was built between 1873-1914, following the plans of German architects Wilhelm Doderer and Johannes Schultz, then amplified and modernized after 1890 by the Czech architect Karel Liman. The first shape was inaugurated in the year 1883. At that time Peles Castle was the first building in Romania to have central heating, electric system, central vacuum cleaner, ducted air heating system and electric elevator. Since 2007 Peles Castle is the property of the Romanian Royal House and it is rented by the state and open as a public museum.
Peles Castle has an extraordinary value as a monument of European architecture, typical for late 19th and early 20th century.
Its interior decoration revealed by the halls, is a remarkable stylistic synthesis: German Neo-Renaissance, Italian Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Baroque, with elements of Louis XIV, Louis XV, Rococo, Empire, oriental styles and the Style of 1900.