Story
The story of Constanța Casino
The building before you was nearly never built the way you see it. In 1903 the city decided it needed a modern casino, like those of the French Riviera, and hired Daniel Renard, a 32-year-old architect who proposed a daring Art Nouveau design. The opposition attacked it, and when the government changed, Renard was replaced by Petre Antonescu, who poured a second foundation for a Neo-Romanian building.
In 1907 the Liberals returned to power, Renard was reappointed, and a third foundation was laid. The casino was finally inaugurated on 15 August 1910, in the presence of Prince Ferdinand. It was used for gambling for 38 years, interrupted by two world wars; it was bombed in the first, ravaged in the second, and at one point served as a makeshift hospital.
Later it became a community centre and then a restaurant. After repairs in 1986–1988 it stood abandoned until 2019, and after five years of renovation it reopened to visitors on 21 May 2025.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Constanța
- Cathedral of Saints Peter and PaulThe Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Constanța, located at 25 Arhiepiscopiei Street, Constanța, Romania, is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Tomis, as well as a monastery.
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