Cazinoul din Constanța

History

Swiss-Romanian architect Daniel Renard designed the casino in the Art Nouveau style prevailing across Europe at the time, and it opened on the Black Sea boardwalk on 15 August 1910 with Crown Prince Ferdinand in attendance. It quickly became one of the continent's most fashionable gambling halls, drawing high society from across Europe and hosting the Russian imperial family in 1914, shortly before the war upended that world. Both World Wars left it badly damaged, and rising costs eventually forced its closure in 1990, after which it sat empty and deteriorating for over three decades despite several failed restoration attempts. A renovation finally wrapped up in March 2025, and the casino reopened to visitors on 21 May 2025 after 35 years standing empty.