Pelisor Castle

Pelisor Castle, also called Pelisor Palace or Little Peles, in Sinaia in Southern Romania was built for the Romanian Royal Family and was an important royal home in the early 20th century.

Pelisor Castle history

The palace was constructed between 1899 and 1903 by order of King Carol I, who wanted a home for his nephew, the future King Ferdinand. It is located near the far larger Peles Castle.

Though it was designed by the Czech architect Karel Liman, Ferdinand’s wife – Queen Marie – is said to have played an important role in styling the Art Nouveux interior. It was built in a personal style combining Art Nouveau with Byzantine and Celtic elements. The so called “Golden room” was designed by the queen herself. Its walls are covered in oak-timber and a Scottish floral emblem – the thistle – in order to remind Queen Marie of her homeland.

Pelisor has known more than one stage of interior decoration which will show the evolution of Queen Marie’s taste. The castle is exactly the contrary of King Carol vision, him being a supporter of Germans.

Queen Marie died in 1927, after trying to intervene in a dual between her sons and being fatally injured.

During the communist era, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu liked to stay in Pelisor Castle. After Ceaușescu’s fall, Pelisor was returned to the royal family along with Peles, who opened the complex to public tours.

Pelisor Castle was opened for visitation in 1993. In 2006 the Romanian state decided to give back Peles and Pelisor to their rightful owners, the royal family of Romania, but it was sold back to the state for a considerable amount of money.

Pelisor Castle today

Visitors to Pelisor today can explore its ornate interior which includes a unique collection of early 20th century Viennese furniture and Tiffany and Lalique glassware.

Getting to Pelisor Castle

Some visitors choose to drive. The town of Sinaia also has the main train line running through it,  Sinaia can be reached by train and visitors can then walk up to the castles. There are also lots of day tours that include a visit to Sinaia from Bucharest.