Foișor Castle

Foișor Castle is a royal residence attached to the estate of Peleș Castle, situated at Sinaia, in Romania. An important political and symbolic place, it hosts royal events of national importance and is visited by many political figures from around the world.

Its construction lasted from 1896 to 1897, under the reign of King Carol I. The castle has served various purposes over time: built initially as a hunting lodge and observation post, it then served as the residence of the royal family during the restoration of Peleș Castle until 1883 (notably Carol I and Elisabeth of Wied, as well as Ferdinand I and Marie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha). On the death of Elisabeth of Wied in 1916, the building was abandoned. Michael I of Romania was born there in 1921. Carol II, then king of Romania, lived there between 1930 and 1940. The building was the victim of a fire in the spring of 1932 and was almost entirely consumed.

It was rebuilt at that time. In the 1960s Nicolae Ceaușescu had the building enlarged by nearly two thirds of its length. Access to it was completely forbidden in 1975 and it was guarded by military personnel until 1990. Unlike Peleș and Pelișor castles, which were returned to the royal house, Foișor Castle has remained the property of the Romanian state.

Its architecture is characterised by a Neo-Romanesque style with Alpine influences. The interior, comprising 42 rooms, offices, drawing rooms, dining rooms and a theatre hall, recalls the period of the Romanian monarchy, with period furniture, works of art and tapestries. The castle is distinguished by its tall tower, which offers a view over the Prahova valley.

Machine-translated from “Château de Foișor” on the French Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Foișor Castle ranks #6,339 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #62 of the 121 mapped in Romania. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Brașov, 33 km away. It is stop 1 of 26 on the Transylvania castle route, Bran to Cluj-Napoca. See how Romania compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia (in French) ↗