The first page of Sinaia city was written in the 17th century by Mihail Cantacuzino. Impressed by what he had seen on a visit to Mount Sinai, he decided to build a monastery that was named after the holy mountain. In this way, Sinaia became known as the ‘Cathedral of the Carpathians’ with the historical identity of the town tied forever to the monastery.
Two centuries later, the lines of the city we know today began to take shape around the monastery. The major development started in the second half of the nineteenth century when Prince Carol de Holhenzollern – Sigmaringen built Peles castle, the summer residence of the Royal family. Engineers, artists, merchants, skilled craftsmen from all over Europe came here and built the castle. Many of these artisans settled in the town and founded the vibrant, multicultural community of Sinaia.
Thus, the city welcomed the beginning of the twentieth century with broad cultural variety, woven onto a special social texture that draws from its history. Sinaia today still has an elegance and beauty as a legacy of these days and still has the shy charm from times passed.