When King Carol I of Romania (1839–1914), under whose reign the country gained its independence, first visited the site of the future Peleș Castle in 1866, he fell in love with the magnificent mountain scenery. In 1872, the Crown purchased the nearly two sq. miles of land that the castle would be built on near the Piatra Arsă River. The King commissioned the construction of a royal hunting preserve and summer retreat on the property, and the foundation was laid for Peleș Castle on August 22nd, 1873.

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