Sinaia () is a town and a

mountain resort A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in an elevated and typically at least relatively isolated area. The term resort implies integral hotel or inn accommodations, restaurants, and either or both sports facilities or scen ...

in Prahova County,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. It is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery of 1695, around which it was built. The monastery, in turn, is named after the

Biblical Mount Sinai Mount Sinai (, ''Har Sīnay'') is the mountain at which the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God, according to the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible. In the Book of Deuteronomy, these events are described as having transpired at Mount ...

. King

Carol I of Romania Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

also built his summer residence,

Peleș Castle Peleș Castle ( ro, Castelul Peleș ) 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 inaugu ...

, in Sinaia in the late nineteenth century. Sinaia is about northwest of

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commune ...

and south of

Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a pop ...

, in a mountainous area on the Prahova River valley, just east of the Bucegi Mountains. The town's altitude varies between above sea level. The city is a popular destination for hiking and winter sports, especially downhill skiing. Among the tourist landmarks, the most important are

Pelișor Castle The Pelișor Castle (Romanian: ''Castelul Pelișor'', ) is a castle in Sinaia, Romania, part of the same complex as the larger castle of Peleș. History The castle was built in 1899–1902 by order of King Carol I, as the residence for his ...

, 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 George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history, Enescu is featured on the Romanian five lei. Biogr ...

, who stayed at the Luminiș villa.

Climate

Sinaia has a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfb'' in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

). The climate is a characteristic of low-altitude mountain passes. Annual average temperature: Average temperature in June: Average temperature in January: . Summers are bracing and very rainy at the beginning of the season. Winters are relatively mild, with heavy snow. Average annual rainfall is . The maximum monthly registered rainfall was in June (173 mm). The minimum rainfall was recorded in September and February . A uniform layer of snow is deposited usually in November and it melts from March to April, sometimes at the beginning of May. The thickness of the snow layer varies between and in higher elevations. In recent years, Sinaia has felt the effects of global climate change.

Nature preservation

In the town of Sinaia and its surroundings restrictions are in place regarding cutting down or picking

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

. The felling of trees is not allowed. It is forbidden to pick any alpine plants. Severe punishments are enforced for anyone who gathers : the Mountain Peony (''Rhododendron Kotsky''),

Edelweiss EDELWEISS (Expérience pour DEtecter Les WIMPs En Site Souterrain) is a dark matter search experiment located at the Modane Underground Laboratory in France. The experiment uses cryogenic detectors, measuring both the phonon and ionization signal ...

(''Leontopodium alpinum''), and the Yellow Gentiana (''Gentiana lutea''). Tourist camping is only authorized in designated places, following necessary and compulsory protection standards. The mountainous area in which Sinaia is located is in the

Bucegi Natural Park The Bucegi Natural Park ( ro, Parcul Natural Bucegi) is a protected area ( natural park category V IUCN) situated in Romania, in the administrative territory of counties Brașov, Dâmbovița and Prahova. Location The Natural Park is located ...

region. The Park covers a total area of , of which are under strict protection and contain natural monuments. The Bucegi Natural Preserve area includes all the most precipitous areas of the mountains Vârful cu Dor, Furnica, and Piatra Arsă. The mountainous area is continuously patrolled by mountain rescue patrols as well as by members of the Mountain Police. At the entrance to the Cumpătu district, one can find the “Sinaia alder-tree grove” botanical reservation placed under the protection of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its byl ...

and the Bucharest Biology Institute. In the same district, there is also another ecological research station under the patronage of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

–

Jacques-Yves Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA ( self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...

, belonging to the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...

, which also includes a museum of Bucegi Mountains fauna.

Tourist attractions

* Sinaia Monastery * Sinaia Casino International Conference Center * Carmen Sylva Cultural Center *

Memorial House *

Dimitrie Ghica Dimitrie Ghica or Ghika (31 May 1816 – 15 February 1897) was a Romanian politician. A prominent member of the Conservative Party, he served as Prime Minister between 1868 and 1870. Dimitrie Ghica was born in the Ghica family, as the son ...

park and the Bucegi Reserve Museum *Heroes Cemetery * Franz Joseph and Saint Anne Cliffs *Old electrical power plant * Sinaia railway station *Many other old villas * Bucegi Mountains with a cable car connecting the resort with Cota 1400 and Cota 2000 *

Baiu Mountains The Baiu Mountains ( ro, Munții/Muntele Baiu/Baiul/Baiului/Munții Gârbova, hu, Baj-hegység) are mountains in central Romania, a few kilometers south of Brașov. Within traditional Romanian classification the Baiu Mountains belong to the ...

*16 ski slopes *4 mountain-bike trails

Sinaia Forever Festival

Sinaia Forever, or the Autumn Festival, is one of the main festivals that takes place in Sinaia. The goal of the festival is to recreate the atmosphere of the 1940s while bringing in modern performers. The festival once took place during the last weekend of September, but was just recently changed to the first weekend of the month. During the festival, the downtown area of Sinaia is closed off to motorized vehicles. It becomes full of people, food stands, and children's rides. The three-day festival consists of the opening parade, concerts from well known musical artists of Romania, and amusement rides.

International relations

Sinaia is twinned with: *

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

* Cetinje,

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

Hod HaSharon Hod HaSharon ( he, הוֹד הַשָּׁרוֹן, lit. "Splendor of the Sharon plain") is a city in the Central District of Israel. The city is located approximately east of the Mediterranean coastline, south of Kfar Saba, southeast of Raanana, ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

* Cascais,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Kuşadası Kuşadası () is a large resort town on Turkey's Aegean coast, and the center of the seaside district of the same name within Aydın Province. Kuşadası is south of İzmir, and about from Aydın. The municipality's primary industry is tour ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

Notable residents

Romanian Royal family The Romanian royal family ( ro, Familia regală a României) was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Romania, a constitutional monarchy in Central-Eastern Europe. The kingdom existed from 1881, when Carol I of Romania was proclaimed king, until ...

Gallery

File:Sinaia steam engine 230039.jpg, Steam engine in Sinaia File:Romania Sinaia city hall.jpg, City Hall File:Flickr - fusion-of-horizons - Sinaia Monastery (15).jpg, Sinaia Monastery File:Pelisor Castle (4).jpg,

File:Castelul Peles, Sinaia - Vedere panoramica.jpg,

References

{{Authority control Towns in Romania Populated places in Prahova County Prahova Valley Ski areas and resorts in Romania Localities in Muntenia