The Casino in Constanța

The Casino in Constanța is one of the most important architectural monuments in Romania and the most representative example of Art Nouveau style on the Black Sea coast. A wooden structure had stood on the site since 1880 — a "cazină" hosting shows, balls, and leisure activities — which was demolished in 1910 to make way for the current building. Construction began in 1903, at the initiative of King Carol I. The original plans were drawn up by architect Petre Antonescu, who had designed a building in the Romanian style, but following the return to power of the Liberal Party, Constanța City Hall entrusted the revision of the plans to architect Daniel Renard, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Renard abandoned the Romanian style entirely in favour of Art Nouveau, with curved lines, floral ornamentation, stained glass windows, and a shell-shaped demi-rosette as the central motif. The construction of the promontory extending into the sea, built from reinforced concrete and stone, was carried out by engineer Anghel Saligny, the director of works at the Port of Constanța at the time. Among the building's contractors was Captain Constantin Creangă, the son of the writer Ion Creangă. The inauguration took place on 15 August 1910, on the feast of the Assumption, at a final cost of 1,200,000 lei — four times more than the original estimate. During the interwar period it was considered "the most beautiful building on the Black Sea coast", hosting balls, gambling, shows, and diplomatic gatherings. During the Second World War it served as a military hospital, and under communism it housed various cultural functions before falling into disrepair. Fully restored between 2020 and 2025 by the company Aedificia Carpati, with funding from the Compania Națională de Investiții, the Casino was reopened in 2025 as a cultural and exhibition space. Address: Strada Eroilor no. 5, Constanța.