Sinaia and the Peles Castle, Brasov Old Town

Before WWII Romania was allied with Germany.  Not wanting to fight with the Germans nor with the Russians, Romania declared itself to be a neutral state.  But Germany then bombed their refineries which left the door open for Russian to eventually invade and occupy Romania from 1950 to 1990.  Earlier in that century many Hungarians and Germans migrated to Romania, especially in the Transylvania region.  So today we saw many homes and towns with Germany names and architecture as well Hungarian names.

Our tour today took us to the town of Sinaia (pronounced Sin-Eye-Uh), named for a monastery that has a stone from Mount Sinai.  In 1866 Prince Carol I (Carl) discovered the area around Sinaia and liked the woodlands, river, and hunting.  He decided to build his summer home here. It took over 40 years to complete the building and by then he was King Carl, the first king of Romania. When his wife could not carry a pregnancy, they adopted his nephew who became the second king, his son the 3rd king and his son the 4th and last king in 1947.  In 1965 the monarchy was abandoned and they became a socialist republic.

Now the fun part.  The Peles (pronounced Pelesh) Castle was mostly completed in 1883 except for the addition of an elevator in 1914.  Every room was elaborately decorated with wood carvings, tapestry, artwork and mirrors.  The armory room is filled with ceremonial weapons, the Turkish room was fabric and tapestry from ceiling to floor, and several rooms were transformed from open courtyards by the addition of glass ceilings.

After we left Sinaia, we stopped in old town of Brasov and had a short tour of the main square surrounding the Council Tower built in 1420.  The Black Church, a catholic turned Protestant  church, was burned in a fire 1689 and has recently been renovated. 

The Germans left Romania following the fall of the Berlin Wall but there are still some in the area.  A few Jews have settled here and they have a lovely synagogue.  And what would an old town be without the narrowest street in the area.