Muzeul National Peles
Str. Pelesului 2
About
Easily the most beautiful palace in Romania and one of the finest in Europe, magnificent Peles Castle -- the summer residence of Romania's first king, Carol I (it's his statue at the entrance) -- looks from a distance like something out of Harry Potter. Begun in 1875 and inaugurated in 1883, it's a triumph of German neo-Renaissance architecture, with various modern conveniences added over time: This was the first palace in Europe to be completely served by electricity, the first to be centrally heated, and the first castle with a central vacuum-cleaning system. Peles sports around 170 rooms, and the handful on public display are spectacular examples of "tasteful opulence"; the reception rooms, libraries, studies, bedrooms, and ballrooms are decorated with carefully selected works of extreme quality and value. Alongside the 2,000-strong collection of paintings are imported statues, chandeliers, exotic furniture, gigantic mirrors, and phenomenal hand-woven carpets; each room suggesting the ambience of a different country or region, and perfectly preserved. Although Ceausescu claimed to have little regard for Peles, he did use the palace to entertain; Nixon, Qaddafi, Ford, and Arafat were some of his notable guests here. While they no doubt got to experience the palace in a completely different light (you may, for instance, have to wait for the next available English tour), you will almost certainly be delighted by the guided hour-long tour, the best in the country.
