Queens and princesses

Elisabeth, The first Queen of Romania

Elisabeth Pauline Ottilie Luise zu Wied was born in Germany in 1843 from one of the most important royal family, the Weid. All her childhood and adolescence she dedicated to study and to discover the beauty of nature.

Although she was raised and educated in a strict way, the princess never lost her sensibility for writing poetry and prose. At the age of 26, after her marriage with Prince Carol de Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, she became the first lady of a country about she didn’t know much.

Shortly after her arrival she started to learn Romanian language and to encourage the development of education. In a letter to her mother she was writing "There are no textbooks or popular books in Romanian. I gave to several young ladies the mission to translate the finest collection of French novels that I have and I hope to obtain the support of some important gentlemen here, then we will hurry to print and sell them as cheap as possible. In this way, the national language will be fixed slowly and the current generation will get to speak it accurately. " 

So began her journey to charities and to support young talented artists. Very fond of Romanian popular art, in love of folklore, she supported many young talented people. Nicolae Grigorescu – famous Romanian painter, George Enescu – one of the greatest musician and composer in the world, they were promoted and supported by the Romanian Queen.

During the war of 1877, Queen Elizabeth established hospitals, ambulance services and care, pharmacies, for the wounded. Queen Elizabeth Society, founded in 1893, has treated voluntarily about 17,000 patients per year, distributed free medicines and monitor the status of poor families. In 1909 she founded Queen Elizabeth Asylum for blind people.

Queen Elisabeth wrote more under the pseudonym of Carmen Sylva. In Latin, Carmen means poem or song and Sylva means forest. She has chosen this name because of her big love for forests and natura which inspired her so much in writing her poems.

Her works, some became real bestsellers, have been rewarded with international prizes of academies worldwide. Even the famous painter Vincent van Gogh admired her work, in which he said he finds himself. 

She was very fond of the beauty of Romanian landscapes, the mountains, forests, traditions, culture and people. Queen Elizabeth promoted very much Romanian tourism, in a time when the country was not yet included in the international tourist circuit. She started a campaign to bring Romania in sight of foreigners worldwide: the Orient Express train was going to Sinaia where the travelers were received at the royal castle. 

Also, for the first time in its history, Romania participated in the "Exposition Universelle" in Paris, in 1867 with more embroidery and upholstery thoroughly worked by Romanians.

Queen Elizabeth died at age of 73, shortly before our country to declare war to Germany and was buried at the Monastery of Curtea de Arges, where are buried all the kings of Romania. 

Her reputation was so great that famous objects, fabrics, dishes wore and still wear name Carmen Sylva, Queen of Romania.