luxury properties for sale Prahova, Romania

Breaza was always a preferred weekend and vacation destination for people in Bucharest especially. The main advantages being the well known fresh air, beautiful nature with plenty of hiking options, so many attractions in the vicinity and also the easy access even during the weekends when the rest of Prahova Valley are a lot harder to reach. If Breaza is usually a place where one can find newer vacation homes, on one of the streets that meandres up the hill, we have the surprise to find a real architectural old gem , hidden behind the tall trees in front. The mansion clearly shows the signs of age, but this did not erase its beautiful features: the special structure with a small side on the front corner, the three-way arches across the entire terrace, the beautiful pillars and also the corner tower catch the eye even today. Built to offer all the luxury and confort of life in Breaza of its time, the mansion can be renovated and turned inti s very special second home. With a land plot of 1,880 sqm, the mansion has a total built area of 488 sqm, on two levels. From a structure point of view, the building looks good, the rooms are generally also in a good shape with the exception of the back area where a hole in the roof, now repaired, created some damage in that specific part of the house. Although generally in a good shape, the building will of course need a general renovation to really shed light on its beautiful architectural features. Separately from the main building, we can find a nice stone cellar that can be turned into a small wine cellar , and also a 40 sqm annex building that can be turned into usable space at will of the new owner. Easily accessible and very well located, the mansion can be turned into a really charming vacation residence.

Located right at the feet of Ciucaș Massif and surrounded by the stunning landscapes of the Balaban, Babeș and Zăganului mountains, the small depression of Cheia offers an exquisite painting of meadows, shady forests and clear waters. Initially developed as a small settlement around Cheia Monastery, Cheia Mountain Resort gradually increased due to the expansion of logging. The name Cheia and Cheița actually reflect the narrow aspect of the steep-walled valleys. In the middle of the resort, on the bank of Teleajen river is situated the Villa with Birch Trees, with its large garden, in terraces, decorated with statues of Roman inspiration, from the 19th century. The building is composed of 3 distinct units, with different height regimes, built in a traditional stylistic manner, specific to the mountain area. The interiors are richly decorated with art and collectibles, from hunting trophies and popular objects, to traditional ceramics and works of art. The construction was completed in the late 1970s, with improvements done up to 1990. The Villa with Birch Trees can function both as a residence or a multi-family holiday house, as well as a tourist accommodation unit, following a conversion project. The property is located in the heart of the many birch forests with mountain flowers that unfold during the spring an idyllic landscape, while in autumn, in the mountain valleys, the spruce trees portray marvelous autumnal paintings through their rusty crowns. The main tourist attractions in Cheia and its surroundings are: Cheia Monastery, built between 1835-1839 by two shepherds from Săliștea Sibiului; The Mine Flowers Museum, which houses a valuable collection of 170 pieces with a wide variety of shapes and colors; The Francisc Rainer Museum of Anthropology, the former holiday home of the great scientist, founder of Romanian anthropology, the Suzana Monastery, founded by Suzana Arsicu in 1770, along with the numerous mountain trails in the Ciucaș Mountains. A fairytale house, in a dream location... would be the perfect description for the Villa with Birch Trees. Recently, a 429 sqm plot of land was added to the property in addition to the beautiful existing garden of 1,416 sq m. Sources: Maria Rodica Niculescu, Masivul Ciucaș: ghid turistic, Munții Noștri Collection, Bucharest: Sport-Tourism Publishing, 1986 tvr.ro, Cheia, o stațiune cu potențial turistic editiadedimineata.ro, Descoperă România. Stațiunea Cheia, locul perfect pentru iubitorii de natură

The history of the villa is closely connected to the development of tourism-related activities in Sinaia in the second half of the 19th century. Its first owner, the Austrian Jóseph Ungarth, who had been prince Dimitrie Ghica’s valet, became in 1870 the first “hotel-keeper” of the Podul Neagului town (Sinaia was only declared a city on December 1st 1874). After managing Sinaia’s first hotel, Ungarth started his own business and built the Carola villa in 1896. As a hotel owner and a highly-skilled restoration expert, after quitting Caraiman hotel, the Austrian Josef Ungarth was in charge of Villa Carola. Luxury and comfort were the key words for those who came to Villa Carola, as the Austrian knew how to make each stay as pleasant as possible. Thus, the villa garden was being taken care of by a gardener, there was a carriage that took guests wherever they wanted to go, and a horse was put at the disposal of those who wanted to learn how to ride. The small hotel bears the name of Jóseph Ungarth’s daughter, Carola, who, years later, would become Constantin Noica’s mother-in-law. In 1934, the great philosopher married Wendy Muston, the daughter of Walter and Carola Muston. He had known Wendy since her childhood, and had courted her whilst he was enlisted at Sinaia (1931-1932). A chic and select place, the hotel also became the secret meeting place for Elena Lupescu and Carol, the crown prince. The two had met in February 1925, and the Carola villa, which was then Elena Lupescu’s residence, served as their refuge. The hotel has a long history – in 1927, one of its guests was the young Yehudi Menuhin, the future great conductor and violinist. When he was eleven years old, he spent two months at the Carola villa, during which he visited the Luminiș villa in order to take violin lessons from George Enescu.

Between Ceptura and Fântânele, Prahova County, spread over 23 hectares of soil rich in siliceous clay, with a climatic condition similar to that of Bordeaux or Tuscany, The Rotenberg Wine Cellar offer the ideal conditions for obtaining the maximum potential of fruity, expressive and strong aromas of wines. The plantations are predominant in Merlot, but Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties are also present. What gives the grapes an exceptional quality is the separate harvesting depending on sunshine, soil and planting density, together with the vine age- over 50 years old. The rigorosity of grapes harvesting offers the highest quality aura to the drinks flavour. Here, the grapes are fermented on separate plots, the ‘’Single vineyard’’ wines being obtained by this technique. The red wine is fermented in semi-open pots, with a submerged ‘’hat’’, while the seeds are kept in the ‘’pigeage’’ hat, being eliminated most of the bad, bitter and herbaceous tannins, leaving behind the intense taste of a quality red wine. Although it is expensive and non-industrial, this process gives the wines a special and deep fineness, unattainable in ‘’stainless steels”. The Rotenberg Winery offers 2 overlapping cellars with 400 barrels that allow a gravitational techonogical flow in which the wine is not attacked by pumps. Its passage from the fermentation vessels into barrels, then into bottles is done under the influence of its own weight, avoiding mechanical filtration, giving it a special texture. The wood is strictly selected- it has no white, permeable fibers or decays. The wood is aged for at least 18 months in wind and rain, in order for the sap and some of the tannins to be washed. Some barrels are deep burned, giving the complex and deep taste, so characteristic of the Rotenberg wine. The burning process time and intensity represents the secret of the premium wine that can be found only at The Rotenberg Wine Cellar. The property also offers a manor for tastings and events (oenotourism), in an exceptional ambiance. The Rotenberg Winery was founded in 2007 and produces 1000HL of premium wine per year from the grapes cultivated on 23 Ha of land (18 Ha of Merlot, 3 Ha of Cab. Franc, 2 Ha of Cab. Sauvignon). Awarded at ‘’Mondial du Merlot’’- Switzerland, in 2010 and 2014, the wines can be found in most of the retail networks, which absorb about 75% of production. All these make The Rotenberg Wineries not only the place where the perfect combination of softness and stature of internationally awarded wines is born, but also a brand and a bussines ready to be exploited. Photo & video: Tudor Prisecaru

Sinaia is the Romanian city with the largest number of buildings classified as historical monuments per inhabitant. Not incidentally, the way the city looks today is the result of the work and signature of some of the most important Romanian architects: Ion Mincu, Toma Socolescu, Paul Smărăndescu, Duiliu Marcu or Grigore Cerchez, to name just a few of them. The Anastasie Simu House, or the Retezat Villa, as it is now known, is designed and built in the German Renaissance style of the early twentieth century by Czech architect Karel Liman. He was a good friend of King Carol I, for whom he designed the Pelișor Castle and the Honor Lobby of the Peleș Castle, all of them having in common elements specific for this artistic style. Chief Architect of the Royal House of Romania between 1894-1929, Karel Liman was born in the Czech Republic in 1855, in a family of carpenters. Inheriting the passion for woodworking from his father and grandfather, Liman follows the courses of the Fine Arts Faculty in Prague and then the Bauakademie in Munich. Established in Vienna around 1880, Liman gains experience through the collaboration with the Fellner&Hellmer Architecture Workshop in the capital of Habsburgs. He contributed to the projection plans of the Albert Rothschild Palace in Vienna, conducted under the guidance of architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur and of the Hunting House of Prince Christian de Hohenlohe-Ohringen in Javorina, Slovakia. Recommended by Destailleur to André Lecomte du Noüy, a French architect also established in Romania, Liman is employed by the Architecture Service of the Ministry of Cults and Public Instruction at the Commission for Historical Monuments in Romania, where he participated at the restoration of churches „Saint Nicholas” and „The Three Hierarchs” in Iași and the Episcopal Church in Curtea de Argeș. In the service of the Royal House, besides Pelişor Castle and the complex project for the rearrangement of Peleş, Liman also signs other projects such as the „Princess's Nest” (1894), the extension of the Cotroceni Palace, the house of Prince Carol in Bucharest, King Ferdinand’s cottage in Lăpuşna, the rearrangement of the Bran Castle and several other buildings in Sinaia: The Economat Villa, The Guard House, The Royal Stables or The Retezat Villa. After the architect's death, the house was bought by academician Anastasie Simu (1854-1935), a P.h.D in Political and Administrative Sciences, a great art lover and passionate collector, the first Romanian to build a private museum in Bucharest in 1910. In 1927, Simu donated to the Romanian state over 1.200 works: paintings, graphics, sculptures and decorative arts gathered over the years. A part of the collection is exhibited today at the National Art Museum of Romania, and another at The Simu Collection at Bucharest Pinacoteca. The architecture of the house, typical for the German Renaissance, impresses both on the outside and on the inside. The façade is predominantly of stone, dotted with corner bossages and vividly colored ceramic decorations. The interior is exuberant, highlighting the richness of wooden decorations, the coffered painted ceilings, and especially the beautiful stained glass, perfectly preserved to this day. The location in Sinaia is an ideal one, being close enough to the city centre so that it can be reached by a few minutes’ walk, but at the same time, isolated enough to offer privacy and detachment for a mountain holiday. The villa is renovated and functional, currently offering accommodation in 8 rooms, 2 apartments and 1 studio, rated with 8.8/10 on one of the most important online booking platforms. The future destination remains commercial, a hotel/boarding house or it can become a permanent personal residence or a holiday one with a lot of charm and full of history.