Through our Romanian lessons we look to facilitate the cultural integration of the learners, by integrating in the courses not only simple etymologies, but also historical, literary, and cultural arguments.
In August 1866, Carol I, while searching for a location to build his summer residence, arrived for the first time in a mountain village located in the Prahova Valley, called Podul Neagului. Because he liked the place very much, he returned several times to these lands until he decided to buy, in 1872, 1000 square meters of land near the Sinaia Monastery. The choice of this location was also influenced by the fact that this village was on the border with the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time. Thus began the story of the Peleș Royal Domain and the future town of Sinaia.
The area where Sinaia is located today was uninhabited until the end of the 17th century. The first inhabitants were the monks from the Sinaia Monastery, which was founded by the Great Chamberlain Mihai Cantacuzino, between 1690-1695. In other words, Carol I’s decision to build his summer residence here influenced the appearance of the locality whose nucleus was this monastic settlement. And because the Sinaia Monastery appeared first, the locality naturally took its name.
After the king established his summer residence in this place, many wealthy people decided to buy land here and later build holiday villas, to be near the members of the Royal House. Thus, the most important figures of Romanian political, economic or cultural life called upon the most well-known and respected architects of those times to design the desired holiday villas. But none of this would have been possible if behind the appearance of the town of Sinaia hadn’t been the vision of the members of the Eforia Spitalelor Civile foundation, which was the administrator of all state hospitals in Muntenia and Moldova. It is said that in reality, they influenced Carol I to choose this location for the construction of Peleș.