Taken 21-Dec-09
Visitors 19


12 of 44 photos
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Photo Info

Dimensions3335 x 2794
Original file size2.24 MB
Image typeJPEG
Color spacesRGB
Date taken21-Dec-09 14:24
Date modified6-Aug-10 23:36
Shooting Conditions

Camera makeNIKON CORPORATION
Camera modelNIKON D3
Focal length24 mm
Focal length (35mm)24 mm
Max lens aperturef/2.8
Exposure1/100 at f/18
FlashNot fired
Exposure bias0 EV
Exposure modeAuto
Exposure prog.Shutter priority
ISO speedISO 500
Metering modePattern
Digital zoom1x
Monastery of Sinaia. Royal Estate of Sinaia. Romania 2011© Nora de Angelli / www.noraphotos.com

Monastery of Sinaia. Royal Estate of Sinaia. Romania 2011© Nora de Angelli / www.noraphotos.com

Sinaia is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. The town was named after Sinaia Monastery, around which it was built; the monastery in turn is named after the Biblical Mount Sinai. King Carol I of Romania built his summer home, Peleş Castle, near the town.
Peleș Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914. Its inauguration was held in 1883. King Carol I of Romania (1839–1914), under whose reign the country gained its independence, first visited the site of the future castle in 1866 and fell in love with the magnificent mountain scenery. In 1872 the Crown purchased 1,300 square kilometres (500 sq mi) of land near the Piatra Arsă River. The estate was named the Royal Estate of Sinaia. The monarchy commissioned the construction of a royal hunting preserve and summer retreat on the property, and the foundation was laid for Peleș Castle on 22 August 1873. Several auxiliary buildings were built simultaneously with the castle: the guards' chambers, the Economat Building, the Foişor hunting lodge, the royal stables, and a power plant. Peleș became the world's first castle fully powered by locally produced electricity.
Artists like George Enescu, Sarah Bernhardt, Jacques Thibaud and Vasile Alecsandri visited often as guests of Queen Elizabeth of Romania (herself a writer also known under the pen name of Carmen Sylva). In more recent times, many foreign dignitaries such as Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Muammar al-Gaddafi, and Yasser Arafat were welcomed at the Castle.
The castle was featured in the 2009 film The Brothers Bloom. The exterior of the castle is used to represent a large estate in New Jersey, the home of a eccentric billionaire played by Rachel Weisz.
The city is a popular destination for hiking and winter sports, especially downhill skiing. Among the tourist landmarks, the most important are Peleş Castle, Pelişor Castle, Sinaia Monastery, Sinaia Casino, Sinaia train station, and the Franz Joseph and Saint Anne Cliffs. Sinaia was also the summer residence of the Romanian composer George Enescu, who stayed at the Luminiş villa.