Construction on the castle began in 1873 by Prince Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The official inauguration was in October 1883 but changes and extensions continued until 1914.
It is constructed of wood, stone, brick and marble and has more than 160 rooms. The abundance of wooden decoration, both inside and out, gives a special quality that was responsible for what we thought made it so beautiful.
The Dining room was decorated in a German neo-Renaissance style. Impressive!
This is the large armory and contains swords, knives, shields, helmets and body armor from Europe and the Orient dating from the 14th to 18th centuries. The collection contains more than 4,000 pieces! Even though there is a fireplace in the room, the castle has had central heating ever since 1863.
Perhaps the single most impressive space inside the castle is the Hall of Honour. It occupies three levels in the center of the main building. Statuettes representing mythological, Biblical and historical subjects complement the rich carvings. All of the wood decorations and much of the furniture were manufactured in the Viennese Bernhard Ludwig's workshops, the main decorator of Peles. Notice the confessional on the wall at the upper left and the non functional spiral staircase at the right.
These pictures and comments were from the Peles National Museum booklet purchased at the Museum bookstore.
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