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Pelisor Castle

In the museum complex at Sinaia, besides Peles Castle, which Queen Maria used to call "The Big Palace", one can visit Pelisor Castle. Built between 1899 and 1902 by Czech architect Karel Liman and decorated by the Viennese Bernhard Ludwig, Pelisor was, starting since 1903, the summer residence of Romania's second king, King Ferdinand of the Hohenzollern dynasty. His wife, Maria, asserted herself as a proeminent personality of her time, earning the surname of Artist Queen.

A refined aesthete, Maria created an original style. In the decoration of Pelisor, Art Nouveau elements borrow Byzantine and Celtic features giving rise to "The Golden Bedroom", "The Chapel" and "The Golden Chamber". The Art Nouveau decorative art collection comprises works by such artists like E. Galle, brothers Daum, J. Hoffman, L. C. Tiffany, and Gurschner.

The official hall, simple and bright, is decorated with oak-wood cassetons. The paintings, drawings and water-colours feature Maria with her children. King Ferdinand's solemn study resembles the German Neo-Renaissance from Peles. "The Golden Bedroom" is furnished with pieces made in 1909 in the arts and crafts workshops at Sinaia, to the Queen's plans and drawings. Maria's study, arranged in an interior dominated by Brancovan-style columns, has a fireplace that is specific to Romanian interiors. The chairs and desk are decorated with Maria's symbols: the lily and the Celtic cross. It was the Queen's wish to spend the last moments of her life in the Golden Chamber. Here, the gilded walls are decorated with thistle leaves that resemble the emblem of Scotland, Maria's native land.

Address of the Pelisor Castle: Muzeul National Peles, Str. Pelesului, Nr. 2, 106100 Sinaia, Jud. Prahova.
Phone: 0040-244-310.918, Phone/Fax: 0040-244-312.416
Email: museum@peles.ro
Web: www.peles.ro
Opening hours at Pelisor Castle:
Summer (15 May - 15 September)
Monday closed, Tuesday 11.00 - 17.00, Wednesday - Sunday 09.00 - 17.00
Winter (16 September - 14 May)
Monday, Tuesday - closed, Wednesday 11.00 - 17.00, Thursday - Sunday 09.00 - 17.00

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