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Peleş Castle, together with Cotroceni Palace, was the most modern and luxurious of royal residences, being equipped with the facilities and the level of comfort required by King Carol I. Very few other castles in Europe at the time could match Peleş in this regard.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
Peleş Castle stands out not only on account of its beautiful architecture, but also its splendid interior decorations.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
The interior decoration of the castle (plastering, painting, sculpted ceilings, panelling, painted windows, etc.) was carried out between 1881 and 1884.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
The most notable decorators to work on the castle were August Bembé and the cabinetmaker Bernhard Ludwig Jr., who was the main decorator of Peleş Castle.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
The furniture was commissioned from foreign firms, such as Heymann of Hamburg, Bembé of Mainz and Ludwig of Vienna.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
King Carol and Queen Elizabeth were great art lovers.
They amassed at Peleş an impressive collection of paintings, tapestries, sculptures, weapons, books, carpets, tableware, Gobelin tapestries, etc.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
The palace hosts one of the finest collections of art in Eastern and Central Europe.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
The collection of paintings compiled by the King included works by famous names, such as El Greco, Zurbarán, Murillo, Velázquez, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Tintoretto, Clouet, Van Dyck, Carpaccio, Raphael, Bruegel, Jacques-Louis David, Correggio and Tiepolo.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
The wealth of the castle's art collections is impressive: 298 major paintings, 487 secondary paintings and etchings, 1,062 paintings “of no value”, 15 icons, 1,988 display objects, 4,879 arms and medals, 343 carpets, 429 items of furniture, 210 items of stained glass, 331 sculptures and 9,370 books.
In his will, Carol I left his entire collection to the Romanian people.
Uplifting fantasies of the King
With typical German meticulousness, King Carol I carefully oversaw the building works, while making many changes to the initial designs. Indeed, the King imposed his own style both in terms of the exterior design of the castle and its interior decoration, with the result that Peleş strongly reflects his tastes, ideas and penchant for modern inventions.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
Wishing his castle to be as modern as possible, Carol installed fireplaces only as decorative objects - a hot air central heating system was installed in the basement of the building in 1881.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
Eleven radiators were used to provide ventilation and heating, seven of which used coal and four water, all being built into the walls.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
These appliances were the most modern available at the time. They won awards at the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
This system provided heating and ventilation for 44 rooms, 2 corridors and a vestibule.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
In order to facilitate communication within the castle, an electric bell system was installed in December 1884, with almost all of the rooms containing one or more buttons.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
As the castle, in addition to a basement and ground floor, also had a first floor, two mansard roofs and high towers, a lift was installed in 1903 by the Viennese firm of Wilhelm Brückner.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
Although only a summer residence, Peleş had a decisive influence on the lives of the Romanian royal family, being the place where the majority of the affairs of the Royal Court took place, with all that entailed.
Peles Castle, interiorPeleș National Museum
In 1953 Peleş Castle became a museum, being awarded the status of national museum after 1990.
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