- In 1873, Prince Charles I of Hohenzollern, who came to the throne of Romania in 1866, began the construction of Peles Castle in Sinaia (at that time the village was called Bridge Neagului), on the place known as Flamed Stones.
The site chosen by the prince was wild but picturesque, and that is what probably attracted him. Charles came for the first time in Sinaia in 5 to 6 August 1866, being hosted at the local monastery, built in 1695 by Mihail Cantacuzino.
In 1872 the prince buys the land, 1,000 acres, and is asking the architect Wilhelm Doderer, of German school, to make the plans of the future residency.
The work at the castle began in autumn 1873, but the foundation stone of the castle will be put on 10/22 August 1875. After 1876 the Peles works are in the care of the architect Johannes Schultz, Doderer's assistant, easier to be convinced to modify the original plans. On 7 October 1883 is officially inaugurated. At this time actually ends the first phase of constructions to the castle. Te activity continues, Peles being transformed and amplified to reach its present form in 1914. Works between 1893-1914 were entrusted to the Czech architect Karel Liman who put a strong imprint on the castle and other buildings in the complex.
Peles Castle exterior architectural features are specific to German Neo-Renaissance style: sharp profiles, vertical slender, irregularly shaped, fragmented facade composition, asymmetry bodies, heavy carved wood and decorative elements.
The castle terraces, in the Italian Neo-Renaissance style, are decorated with statues, vases, columns, fountains, all these contributing to the overall landscape architecture.
Foto: atlass.ro
