Iulia Hasdeu Castle
Câmpina, Prahova County · Muntenia
About Iulia Hasdeu Castle
Iulia Hasdeu Castle is one of the strangest buildings in Romania: a small castle with three battlemented towers, built in Câmpina between 1894 and 1896 by the scholar Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu. Iulia, his only daughter, had died of tuberculosis in 1888, aged 18, after becoming the first Romanian woman to study at the Sorbonne. Grief-stricken, Hasdeu turned to spiritualism and claimed that she herself had dictated the plan of the castle to him during a séance; the first sketch survives on a page of a spiritualist manuscript dated September 1893.
The building is not a residence but a temple: the central tower holds a place of worship, and symbols recur everywhere, from the numbers 3 and 7 to the "Eye of the World" above the entrance. Hasdeu lived and worked here until his death in 1907. Damaged by wars and earthquakes, the castle was restored in the 1960s and became the "B.P. Hasdeu" Memorial Museum in 1965. The latest restoration, funded by the EU, was completed in 2022.
What you can see
You enter through a round stone doorway guarded by two thrones with sphinxes. Inside are six rooms: the reception room, with a marble bust of Hasdeu's wife; the dining room, with family portraits painted in medallions on the walls; the scholar's study; and Iulia's room, with her doll, diary, maths exercise book and her bust in Carrara marble.
The most striking is the temple room in the tallest tower: an antechamber with parallel mirrors that reflect each other into infinity, three small rooms lit blue, red and green by stained glass and, at the top of a metal staircase, a statue of Jesus carved by Raphael Casciani. Last comes the camera obscura, where the séances were held, with a stone dove and an astronomical telescope. On the walls hang paintings by Nicolae Grigorescu, Sava Henția and G.D. Mirea.
Good to know
The castle is small and the rooms are narrow, so large groups go in by turns. In 2026 the contractor carried out warranty repairs to the floors and to water leaks that appeared after the restoration; the museum stayed open.
- The round stone doorway at the entrance, guarded by two thrones with sphinxes, and the "Eye of the World" above it.
- The antechamber of the temple, with parallel mirrors that multiply your reflection into infinity.
- Raphael Casciani's statue of Jesus at the top of the central tower, reached by a metal staircase.
- Iulia's room, with her doll, diary, maths exercise book and her bust in Carrara marble.
- The camera obscura where the séances were held, with its stone dove and astronomical telescope.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: Câmpina lies on the DN1 (E60), between Ploiești and the Prahova Valley; the castle is on Bulevardul Carol I, the town's main road. From Bucharest it is ~95 km (~1 hour 30 minutes, on the A3 to Ploiești and then the DN1), from Ploiești ~32 km (~35 minutes), from Sinaia ~35 km (~40 minutes) and from Brașov ~85 km (~1 hour 30 minutes, depending on traffic in the Prahova Valley).
Public transport: Câmpina station is on the Bucharest – Ploiești – Brașov main line, with frequent trains; from the station to the castle it is ~2 km, about 25 minutes on foot or a few minutes by taxi.
- Where to park
The museum has no car park of its own; visitors usually park in the surrounding streets and along the boulevard, a few minutes' walk away.
- Fees & discounts
Adults 18 lei; seniors over 65, students and pupils aged 7 and over 12 lei. Organised groups of more than 10 people: 14 lei per person for adults, 9.50 lei for pupils, students and pensioners. Children up to 7 and people with disabilities enter free. Guiding is charged separately: 47 lei in Romanian and 59 lei in English. The contact page of the official website mentions free entry on Thursdays; confirm by phone before you go. Photo shoots at events (weddings, christenings), outdoors only, cost 175 lei.
- Rules
Pets are allowed in the museum courtyard under their owner's supervision, but not inside. Photo shoots for events are allowed outdoors only, for a fee. The rooms are small and the stairs up to the statue in the tower are narrow metal steps.
- Facilities
Toilets · audio guide · guiding in Romanian and English, for a fee · virtual tour on the website
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