What's up in Europe? | Page 131

What you can see in... ROMANIA Peles Castle By Iona HISTORY OF PELES CASTLE: One of the most beautiful castles in Romania, Peles is a fairy-tale building, with slender towers and elegant decorations, hidden in the middle of a thick forest at the foot of the mountains. In the fresh winter air, Peles rises above the valley like a witness of royal glory. You might expect princes and princesses to walk out of its doors, on their way to a romantic ball. Peles Castle was built at the initiative of King Charles I of Romania. It is situated in Sinaia, in a beautiful spot of the Prahova Valley. The Castle was nationalized in 1948, but until then it was a royal residence between 1883 and 1947. It became a museum from 1953 to 1975 and from 1990 until today. It has been owned by King Michael I of Romania since 2007. An important event hosted by Peles Castle was the celebration of its semi-centenary in 1993. In the period of January-March 1948, the castle was closed by the Communist authorities and the biggest part of the art collection was transferred to the Art Museum in Bucharest. In 2007, after five years of negotiations between the Romanian State and the Royal Family, an agreement was reached and the Peles and Pelisor Castle were transferred into King Michael’s I property.