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Photo
Gallery: Romania
Peles
Castle and Pelisor
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photos are copyright protected. Please do not download any of these images. Contact the
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good netizen! |
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| The lavishly ornate
Peles (PEH-lesh) Castle, built in the late 1800s in Sinaia (sin-EYE-ah) by Prince Karl of
Hohenzollern -- later to be known as King Carol I -- and his wife Elizabeta (a writer and
poet also known as Carmen Sylva, or "the poet of the forest"). Among the rich
treasures at Peles, it was the home of the first movie theatre in Romania -- used
exclusively by the monarchs, their family, and their guests. Sinaia is named for a stone
from Mount Sinai that was brought to the area. (June/July 1998) |
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Another
view of Peles Castle, with the surrounding park and countryside. (June/July 1998) |
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| Pelisor (PEH-lee-shor)
Palace, the summer residence of King Ferdinand, nephew of Carol I, his wife Queen Marie,
and their family. Built around the turn of the century, it is less ornate than Peles --
more homey, in a regal sort of way! Queen Marie was very fond of Art Deco style, and the
furnishings at Pelisor reflect her taste. (June/July 1998) |
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| Here are King
Ferdinand's study, above, and Queen Marie's bedroom, below, at
Pelisor. Marie was quite fond of horses. When the Ceaucescus -- notorious for
stealing doorknobs and bathroom fixtures when they visited the homes of foreign
dignitaries -- indicated that they wanted to use either Peles or Pelisor as a residence,
they were quickly told that the walls of the castles contained spores that could leach out
and damage their health. Paranoids that they were, they decided against using these
castles for anything more than occasional state functions. Thus the many irreplaceable
treasures and rich history these estates contain were preserved. (June/July 1998) |
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| Camera de Aur, or
the Golden (Guilded) Room, below. This main chamber of Pelisor has walls of
golden stucco decorated with thistle leaves. These leaves, emblem of both the French town
of Nancy and of her own homeland of Scotland, were very special to Queen Marie. The
furniture features both Byzantine and Celtic elements, including a ceiling skylight in the
shape of a Celtic cross. Truly an exquisite room! (This image is somewhat larger and
slower-loading than the rest so the magnificent detail will be clear.) (June/July
1998) |
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| We close
this tour of Pelisor and Romania with a nonsense verse from Dorothy Parker: Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong,
And I am Marie of Roumania.
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We hope you enjoyed
your visit ... we'll be adding new photos from our recent (June/July 2000) trip very soon,
so please stop by again! Meanwhile, why not visit our Book Shop
and browse through the books about Romanian culture, language, and history, including a
very interesting volume about Queen Marie. Or cook up a tasty and authentic Romanian dish
from our vegan recipe collection. And don't forget to send a
free picture postcard "from Romania" to the folks back
home :-).
Return
to the Photo Gallery lobby |
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1997-2002 The Cat-Tea Corner/JPB unless
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All rights reserved. For design or reprint information please contact the webmaster.
This page last updated 27 July 2004
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