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The Constanta Casino is considered to be one of the most beautiful abandoned buildings from the world.
The Constanta Casino is the emblem of the city, which appears on the seaside postcards.
A stately building that still emanates the air of its glory, the casino "watches" the Black Sea coast for over 130 years.
On a trip I recently made to Constanta I had the chance to photograph the abandoned casino.
It was designed by architect Daniel Renard in Art Nouveau style. The choice was probably influenced by how the other building looked in that period.
From the beginning, the construction went wrong. Because of the political change, the architect was replaced for a short while, by Petre Antonescu, a specialist who had a totally different vision. The fact is that the works lasted a long time, and the costs exceeded a few times the initial estimate.
The efforts to build the casino began in 1903, at the initiative of King Carol I, and cost about 1.3 million lei, an enormous amount at that time. The works are completed in 1910, when the official inauguration takes place.
In this place, love stories were born and tragedies occurred, fortunes were won or lost, and some even committed suicide by drowning in the sea. You couldn't entry into the casino if you hadn't fashionable clothes. In World War I, the Casino was used by the Red Cross as a hospital. In the Second World War, German troops stayed here. Moreover, the building suffered from the bombing.
The huge hall on the ground floor continued upstairs with a triple ladder. On the ground floor there were two casino rooms and a billiard room, and upstairs there was a hallway leading to a room where were hosted spectacles.
Neither bombs nor communism affected the Constanta Casino as the careless of authorities did. The last major repair of the Casino was made in the '80s. Now, after more than three decades, the building is in a difficult degradation. There are pieces of plaster on the facade, and tourists are advised by guards not to approach.
The casino from Constanta has a sad story. The massive structure proved to be too difficult to maintain and in 1990 the casino was closed. It will not be rehabilitated in the coming years due to bureaucracy. There have been many attempts at restoration, most of them remaining at the stage of intent.
The main threat to the Casino is the corrosion and rusting of structural metallic elements, especially those exposed to the weather. Wood elements are also severely affected by saline humidity. In addition, mold, moisture and cold and warm accelerates the degradation of all elements, from plaster to valuable decorative elements. Winds and storms have destroyed most of the window facades from the sea, allowing rain, snow and birds to penetrate in. All this degradation process leads to the collapse of the roof.
This monument, which should be the pride and attraction of the city, is in an advanced state of decay. Once the Romanian seaside pearl, the Constanta Casino degrades every day, without the authorities set up a rescue plan for the building. To avoid accidents and robbery, access to the interior is forbidden.
All photos are taken with my smartphone, Samsung Galaxy J5.
