Peles Castle, Sinaia, Romania

Peles Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. It was built between 1873 to 1914 for King Carol I. Peles Castle is actually a complex of many buildings, including Peles Castle, Pelilsor Castle, the Foisor Hunting Lodge, guards' chambers, royal stables, a building called "The Economat" (now a popular hotel on the estate), and a power plant. Peles Castle was the first castle in Europe that used electric power from locally produced electricity.

The entire estate encompasses about 1,216 acres and includes both castles, many gardens, and the lavishly furnished rooms, include a combination of many classical European designs. And, the estate was built by designers and laborers from all over Europe.

Peles Castle consists of 34,000 sq. ft. in over 170 rooms and 30 bathrooms. Within the castle are collections of paintings, statues, arms and armor, stained glass, gold, silver, porcelain, rugs, and tapestries. The formal gardens are designed in the English garden style.

The estate and castles were homes to King Carol I and his Queen, Elizabeth. Their son, Carol II, was born at Peles Castle, and King Carol I dubbed the castle "cradle of the dynasty, cradle of the nation". Peles Castle was also the royal residence of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie of Romania, and King Michael I, who was forced to abdicate the throne in 1947, when the Communist regime seized all royal property, including the Peles estate.

Over its history, the estate was visited by Kaiser Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary in 1896, actress Sarah Bernhardt, Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and Yasser Arafat. Peles Castle was also featured in the movie, "The Brothers Bloom", as well as several feature television movies.

After the Revolution of December 1989, the estate was re-established as a heritage site, and opened to the public. Today, it serves as a presidential residence, and some of the buildings serve as "state protocol buildings", hotels, and restaurants. Peles estate, including Peles Castle, and Pelisor Castle, has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Romania, and has made the town on Sinaia a popular and prosperous town.

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