Shell facade
Arched and ornate.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Neagu Razvan Dumitru — CC BY-SA 3.0 ro · Ștefan Jurcă from Cannes, France — CC BY 2.0 · Leontin l — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Emilia Morariu — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Constanța Casino is a historic building on the seafront of Constanța on the Black Sea in southeastern Romania, in the city's historic Peninsula district. The Romanian Ministry of Culture lists it as a historic monument, and it is seen as a symbol of the city. Three buildings were put up in turn to house a casino here, the first of wood in 1880, the first Romanian building on the Black Sea shore. The present one was designed and built by Daniel Renard in the Art Nouveau style and opened in August 1910. It was used for gambling for 38 years, became a community centre in 1948, and was later handed to the national tourism office. The cream-white building stands at the water's edge with a great shell-shaped arched facade, carved ornament and small domes, and a broad seafront promenade with lamp posts runs before it. Inside are a carved spiral staircase, chandeliers and tall arched windows, and at sunset the building glows gold above the sea. The building can be seen from the promenade at any time, one of the city's finest walks. Check whether it is open inside before you go, as it was closed for restoration for many years.
Arched and ornate.
In front.
Carved, inside.
Historic Peninsula district, Black Sea coast, Constanța, Romania
Check first; it was long closed for restoration.
Daniel Renard.