Sinaia Casino

Sinaia Casino stands at 2 Bulevardul Carol I, in the „Dimitrie Ghica” park in the centre of Sinaia, Prahova County. It was built on the initiative of King Carol I to designs by the architect Petre Antonescu, who also supervised the work. The casino opened in July 1912, was temporarily closed by royal decree during the Second Balkan War and was reopened in 1913 with a concert by the violinist George Enescu and a performance by the playwright Alexandru Davila, attended by the royal family and Prime Minister Titu Maiorescu. The main shareholder was Baron Edgar de Marçay, who also held shares in the Monte Carlo casino. Other shareholders included the Eforia Spitalelor Civile hospital trust, Sinaia town hall and the politicians Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino and Nicolae Lahovary. The casino operated intermittently during both world wars, when it served as a centre for refugees and wounded soldiers, and gambling ended after the Second World War, with the arrival of the communist regime. From 1978 the building was used for state protocol. Today the building hosts conferences, exhibitions, concerts, performances and events. The largest spaces are the Hall of Mirrors (650 sq m), the Baccara Hall, also called the Oval Hall (336 sq m), and the Theatre Hall, with 400 seats, which keeps the piano George Enescu played in 1913. The building joined the resort's tourist circuit on 27 April 2013, and guided tours run from Wednesday to Sunday with a ticket. Sinaia Casino is a class A historic monument, LMI code PH-II-m-A-16655.