Castles & Fortresses
Romania's numerous castles perhaps best illustrate the country's medieval
heritage. Many castles and fortresses in Romania feature unique
architectural elements and styles that reflect local traditions, customs
and purpose. While castles built from the 14th to the 18th Centuries are
strong and austere fortresses built mainly for
defense against invaders, those erected beginning in the late 1800s are imposing
and luxurious.
Universal literature found valuable sources of inspiration in some of
Romania's castles, with the most famous novels written about them being
"The Castle from the
Carpathians" by Jules Verne and "Dracula" by Bram Stoker.
Romania's best known castles are:
Peles Castle
Considered by many one of the most beautiful castles in all Europe, Peles
Castle is a masterpiece of German new-Renaissance architecture.
Commissioned by King Carol I in 1873 and completed in 1883, Peles'
interiors are an opulent display of elegant design and historical artifact.
Its 160 rooms are adorned with the finest examples of European art, Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows, walls covered
with Cordoba leather, Meissen and Sevres porcelains, ebony and ivory
sculptures.
The town of Sinaia (elevation: 2,500 ft.), home to the Peles and Pelisor
castles, is nestled at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains, in the Prahova
Valley.
Almost adjacent to Peles Castle is Pelisor ("Little Peles"). King
Ferdinand, who succeeded Carol I, intended to use Peles Castle as a summer
residence. Supposedly he found Peles too big and overwhelming, so he
commissioned the smaller, art-nouveau style, Pelisor Castle.
Pelisor's 70 rooms feature a unique collection of turn-of-the century
Viennese furniture and Tiffany and Lalique glassware.
Peles and Pelisor are located 3 miles northeast of the centre of Sinaia.
Opening Hours:
June through September
Open:
Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Closed: Monday
October through May
Open:
Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Closed: Monday and Tuesday
Please note that Peles Castle is closed during the whole month of November.
Access to Sinaia: road and rail.
Nearby attractions: the city of Brasov (30 miles), Bran (Dracula's)
Castle (35 miles), Rasnov Fortress (28 miles), the ski resorts in Predeal (14
miles) and Poiana Brasov (35 miles), Bucharest (78 miles), Sighisoara (88
miles), Sibiu (105 miles).
Bran Castle
This fortified medieval castle, often referred to as Dracula's Castle, was
built in 1377 to protect nearby Brasov from invaders. It also served as a
customs station.
The castle's rooms and towers surround an inner courtyard. Some rooms are
connected through underground passages to the inner court. In 1920, the
people of Brasov who owned the castle offered it as a gift to Queen Maria
of Romania, and the castle soon became her favorite residence.
Bran is home to a rich collection of Romanian and foreign furniture and
art items from the 14th-19th Centuries. The castle sits high atop a 200
ft. tall rock overlooking the picturesque village of Bran. On the grounds
below there is an open-air ethnographic museum of old village buildings
with exhibits of furniture, household objects and costumes.
Location: the village of Bran, 16 miles southwest of Brasov.
Open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Access: road.
Nearby attractions: the city of Brasov (16 miles), Peles Castle
(35 miles), Rasnov Fortress (7 miles), ski resorts in Predeal (15 miles)
and Poiana Brasov (10 miles), Bucharest (110 miles), Sighisoara (88
miles), Sibiu (96 miles).
Accommodation near Bran Castle:
www.eBran.ro,
www.inMoeciu.ro
Corvinesti Castle
The greatest Gothic style castle in Romania, Corvinesti was built in the
14th Century on the site of a former Roman camp. It served as a fortress
until mid the 1400s when it became the residence of Transylvania's ruler,
Iancu de Hunedoara. Iancu upgraded the fortress and it soon it became the
most beautiful castle in Transylvania.
Highlights include the Gallery, the Maces' Tower, the
Knights' Hall, the Council Hall and the Chapel. The courtyard features
a 100 ft. well dug into stone.
Location:near the city of Hunedoara, 9 miles south of
Deva.
Open: daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Access to Hunedoara: road and rail.
Nearby attractions: Sibiu (69 miles), Timisoara (90 miles), Cluj
(108 miles), Retezat Natural Reserve (65 miles).
The Royal Palace, Bucharest
The former official royal residence.
Built in the Neoclassic style, between 1927-37.
The Royal Palace is today home to Romania's National Museum of Art.
Highlights include works by Romanian and foreign artists such as Constantin
Brancusi, Theodor Aman, Nicolae Grigorescu, Ioan Andreescu, Stefan
Luchian, Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco, Messina, Titian, Tintoretto,
Velasquez, and others.
Open: Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Cotroceni Palace, Bucharest
The residence of Romania's President.
Built in the German neo-Renaissance style, between 1893 1895.
Designed by the French architect Paul Gottereau and renovated by the
Romanian architect Grigore Cerchez. Cotroceni Palace features a rich
collection of medieval art.
Visits by appointment only.
The Palace of Parliament, Bucharest
The world's second largest
building after the U.S. Pentagon.
Commissioned by Romania's last communist leader, Nicolae Ceausescu this
magnificent, yet controversial, building of 6,000 rooms reflects the skill
of Romania's best architects and craftsmen. Nicolae Ceausescu personally
oversaw the work of more than 400 architects and 20,000 workers who used
exclusively Romanian made materials, accessories and decorations as
marble, cherry and walnut paneling, crystal chandeliers, hand-woven
tapestries, carpets and draperies. Construction began in 1984 and ended in
1989. However, finishing work continued after 1989.
Open: daily, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Sutu Palace, Bucharest
Former residendence of Romania's Foreign Affairs
Minister (Secretary of State), Costache Sutu.
Built in the Neo-Gothic style with Art Nouveau additions.
The Russian writer Tolstoi lived in the palace during the Crimean War.
The palace now houses a museum with archaeological finds, engravings,
photos, furniture, costumes coins and art.
Open: Tuesday through Sundat, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Cantacuzino Palace, Bucharest
Former residence of Grigore Cantacuzino,
who, at the beginning of the 1900s, was considered the richest man in Romania. Built in 1900 in the French Baroque style with Rococo elements.
The palace is now home to the Museum of the Romanian Music and headquarters Romania's Association of Musicians.
Open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Mogosoaia Palace, Mogosoaia
Nine miles from Bucharest.
Built in 1698, by Wallachia's ruler, Cosntantin Brancoveanu, the palace
reflects a new architectural style ("Brancovenesc") featuring
traditional Romanian staircase balconies, arcades and columns.
The palace is today home to "Muzeul Brancovenesc" (Brancovenesc Museum).
Exhibits include paintings, wood and stone sculptures, gold and silver
embroideries, rare books, and precious miniatures.
Open: daily, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Brukenthal Palace, Sibiu
Transylvania's finest art museum,
Bruckenthal Palace was commissioned by the German governor of
Transylvania, Samuel Bruckenthal, during late 1700s. Its somber exterior
bears little resemblance to its rich interior and extensive art.
This Palace is great example of late Baroque Viennese architecture, built between 1778-1788.
The great art lover and collector Samuel Bruckenthal wished his palace to
become a museum.
The art collection includes paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, Frans Snyders,
Jordaens and Teniers as well as works of German, Austrian and Romanian
masters. The museum also features a valuable silverware collection
bearing the signature of the great 16th century master Sebastian Hann, a
collection of old pictures of Sibiu, glass painted icons, a rare
collection of buterflyes and about 350 incunabula and rare books.
Open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Baroque Palace, Oradea
A small replica of the Belvedere Palace in
Vienna.
This Baroque palace was built between 1762-1770.
The palace's 117 rooms, decorated with frescoes are home to the Museum of the
Oradea area ("Muzeul Tarii Crisurilor") which includes an art section,
library, ethnography section and natural history section. The palace has
365 windows, one for each day of the year.
Open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Banffy Palace, Cluj
This late Baroque palace also has some Rococo Viennese elements and was built between 1774-1785.
Home to the Cluj Art Museum, Banffy Palace's rooms feature exhibits of icons,
Persian carpets, Oriental weapons, medieval tools and furniture as well as
works by Romanian and foreign painters and sculptors.
Open: Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00AM to 5:00 PM.
Dinu Mihail Palace, Craiova
Built in the early 1900s in the neo-classic, this
palace is home to the Craiova Museum of Art.
Highlights include sculptures by native son, Constantin Brancusi, as well
as paintings, original Venetian mirrors, Murano chandeliers and Lyon silk wall hangings.
Open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Palace of Culture, Iasi
A neo-Gothic style palace, built in stages from 1905 until 1925, is home
to the Iasi Museum of Art, Museum of History, Museum of Ethnography,
Polytechnic Museum and Public Library.
Open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Other castles and fortresses worth visiting include:
Vlad Tepes' Poenari Fortress near Aref
Ruginoasa Palace in Ruginoasa
Suceava Citadel
Neamt Citadel
Princely Court in Targoviste
Entire contents © 1998-2008 the Romanian Tourist Office
All rights reserved. RoNTO's prior written permission is required before parts of this Website may be reproduced in any form. The contents of this Website are for information purposes only and are not to be taken as endorsements or warranties of any kind. RoNTO shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies of the information contained in this Website or for any interpretations of that information.
|
