How the Casino in Constanța is Being Restored to its Past Glamour

The Casino in Constanța is reclaiming its former grandeur as the restoration process draws to a close. The Constanța casino is beloved by locals and tourists alike, both of whom expressed excitement as talks about restoration started. In this article, we will tell you more about the history of the casino in Constanța and the restoration process.

History of the Casino in Constanța

On the Romanian Black Sea coast lays the beautiful town of Constanța, a popular holiday destination for Romanians and many people from the Balkans. On the very port of Constanța, an art nouveau building rises and reminds us of the decadence of the gilded age of past. That building used to house a casino frequented by the elites of Europe.

The casino in Constanța has a long and fascinating history that stretches over a century and a half.

In 1859, the kingdoms of Wallachia and Moldavia unified under a single ruler to form Romania. Back then, Romania was still a tributary state to the Ottoman Empire, but after the abdication of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza and the crowning of German-born Prince Carol I in 1866 and the following Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, Romania became an independent state.

To celebrate the recently-gained independence of Romania, the now-King Carol I commissioned the building of a lavish casino in Constanța, a coastal town in North Dobruja; Romania acquired the region of North Dobruja as a result of the Treaty of Berlin in 1878 which formally ended the Russo-Turkish War.

In the late 19th century, Romanian culture, especially that of the upper societal class, was heavily influenced by the French and King Carol himself had French ancestry, being distantly related to the Bonaparte dynasty. The idea was to create a building inspired by French architecture and art which is evident upon looking at the Constanța casino.

However, for unknown reasons, the building process did not start for another twenty years. It is theorised that other buildings in Romania were given priority over the casino, so an architect was only hired in the first few years of the 20th century.

Two men were picked for the job Petre Antonescu and Daniel Renard. Antonescu is in an iconic figure in Romanian history and art, having built structures like the Palace of Craiova and the City Hall of Bucharest. Renard, a Swiss-Romanian architect, is known for building the Hotel Athenee Palace in Bucharest and Hotel Regina in Constanța. Fittingly, both architects received their formal education in France.

For the casino project, Antonescu and Renard chose to create a structure inspired by the popular at the time style Art Nouveau (while the art movement traces its origin to England, French artists popularised it, while its French name deceives people into thinking it originated in France).

There are not that many buildings in the world that are explicitly Art Nouveau which makes the casino in Constanța all the more interesting. The external structure and its interiors scream Art Nouveau in the classiest way possible.

The art movement is associated with a call back to nature, exemplifying a counter-argument to the process of Industrialisation. As such, Art Nouveau relies on natural forms, often representing plants and the four elements, along with their dynamic motion.

This can be easily seen in the Constanța casino which features many different Art Nouveau elements. You can look at the impressive seashell-shaped windows, the whiplash lines of the grand staircase inside, and the many highly-decorative reliefs adorning the walls.

The casino in Constanța was opened in 1910 to much flare. Royalty, celebrities and wealthy industrialists hurried to Constanța to see the new gambling pearl of the Black Sea coast. Perhaps its most famous guests were the Russian Imperial family who visited the casino in 1914.

The Constanța casino was lovingly referred to as the Monte Carlo of Romania. The people of Monaco apparently took notes as they built a copy of it in Monte Carlo (not to be confused with Casino de Monte Carlo).

However, Romania, and the rest of Europe, were soon trusted into war and the casino was converted into a military hospital. It suffered extensive damage after a bombing, but it was actually reopened in 1917, acting as a casino again.

During World War II, the casino was yet again converted to a military hospital and sadly it was bombed again. Soon after the war ended, Romania, now under communist rule, implemented strict gambling laws and the casino closed for good. It was used as a restaurant until the fall of the communist regime, eventually closing in 1990.

Restoration of the Constanța Casino

For the past 30-odd years, many have attempted and failed to restore and reopen the famous Constanța casino. In 2007, the building was bought by the Israeli Queen Group on the condition it would be restored. Unfortunately, that never happened and the building was even more damaged, forcing the municipality to regain control over it.

The truth of the matter is that the restoration is costly and the climate of Constanța combined with the proximity of the building to the sea makes the process even harder. The necessary funds are estimated to be around 23 million euros.

Later, in 2014, the National Investment Company from Morocco gained the edifice to the building with an auction being held to find private contractors that would restore it. Five companies were chosen, but they were all released for not meeting the necessary qualifications. Some companies appealed the decision but they all eventually withdrew their appeals.

In 2018, 10 million euros were allocated to the Constanța municipality in a bid to save the casino. Works were expected to start in late 2018, but that did not happen. Finally, in January of 2020, the process of conservation and restoration started. After four years of extensive labour, the project is expected to draw to a close sometime in 2024.

Conclusion

The casino in Constanța is a time capsule to the era of glamour and leisure. We hope that we can soon update you with the news of the casino reopening.

FAQ

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