Heating problem at famous Romanian castle risks to seriously affect the heritage objects inside

The Peles Castle in Sinaia mountain resort, Prahova county, one of the most well-known castles in Romania, has been without heating for one month due to a malfunction at its heating system. The problem can seriously affect the heritage objects inside the castle, as they are likely to deteriorate due to condensation. The Ministry of Culture, which rented the Peles Castle from the Royal House, says the owner has to make repairs. The castle is currently open to the public, being a National Museum. The castle’s heating system, which was installed 27 years ago, stopped working one month ago and can’t be repaired, according to the Peles Museum spokesperson Dana Voitescu, local News.ro reported. Thus, the representatives of the museum announced both the Ministry of Culture, which is the tenant, and the Royal House of Romania, which is the owner of the building. The Ministry of Culture said the owner is obliged to make capital repairs. “Current repairs are made by the tenant, the capital repairs are the duty of the owner, according to the law, the Ministry said,” Dana Voitescu explained. The temperature inside the castle is below five degrees Celsius, and the heritage objects inside may be damaged by the condensation produced by the visitors’ breathing, given that the number of visitors remained constant in this period, the museum’s spokesperson also said. Peles Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in Romania. It is a Neo-Renaissance castle built in the 19th century. It was built at the initiative of King Carol I of Romania (1839 – 1914). He decided to build the castle here after he visited the site and fell in love with the beautiful mountain scenery. After King Michael I’s abdication in 1947, the Communist regime seized the property and in 1953 it was declared museum. Nicolae Ceausecu closed the entire estate in 1975. After the revolution in December 1989, the whole estate was re-established as a heritage site, and the castle and its ground were reopened to the public. Read more about the Peles Castle and other beautiful castles in Romania here. Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com