A total of 202,000 visitors crossed the threshold of the Constanta Casino in 2025, since its official reopening on May 21, and this year, in a month and a half, there are around 17,000 visitors, Anamaria Misa, general director of the Constanta Casino, declared on Tuesday.
"Last year we had 202,000 visitors in the six months since opening and the trend continues even outside the summer season. This year, in a month and a half, we have around 17,000 visitors. The building exceeded our expectations. It is a much-loved building because almost every Romanian has passed by the seafront at least once, and historians say that it is perhaps the most recognizable building in Romania, after the People's House", said Anamaria Misa.
According to her, the Casino administration is preparing several renowned cultural events for this year.
"We are preparing an international music festival curated by Maestro Ioan Holender. From mid-September until December 1, we will have a show every Saturday and Sunday with bands and companies from Vienna, Munich and Venice. These were selected by Maestro Holender and we hope they will bring tourists to Constanta outside the summer season as well," the director said.
She added that, for the summer season, an Art Safari exhibition will be opened in March. The exhibition "EA: The Queen and the Sea", which will bring to the art and history-loving public a unique exhibition concept, about the deep relationship between Queen Maria, Romania's most beloved sovereign, and the Black Sea, will open in March in the Hall of Mirrors, located on the floor of the Casino in Constanta. "Queen Maria lived here, in the castle in Mamaia, and we will present pieces that will somehow recreate the atmosphere of the seaside residences," explained Anamaria Misa.
Organized in partnership with Art Safari, 100 years after the construction of the royal residence in Mamaia, the exhibition will present, for the first time, a series of personal objects of Queen Maria, which will recreate the intimate atmosphere of the seaside residences, decorative objects, clothing, jewelry or other items of personal use.
The director added that, for the summer season, "an own entertainment show is being prepared, which will be on Thursday and Friday "here, in the Casino".
"Taking into account the cultural base of the building, we will not have more than 250 seats, although the hall has 300 seats. The large hall has acoustics that have surprised many musicians. When it is full, the echo is absorbed by the people and then you can hear it perfectly. Acoustics are for classical music, especially when it's cold, that is, when microphones are involved, then we have to intervene with other equipment to time and ensure good acoustics", Anamaria Misa emphasized.
The price for visiting the Casino in Constanta, after the rehabilitation, is 53 lei for adults, with certain categories of people benefiting from discounts and free admission, according to the decision taken by the Municipal Council. The price for a general visit to the Casino is 26 lei for pupils, students and pensioners, free for children under 7 years old, as well as for people with disabilities and their companion. Visiting the entire building, with a guide, for a group of 25-30 people, costs 106 lei per person.
The first mention of a casino in Constanta dates back to the 1880s, but the current construction - emblematic of the Art Nouveau style - was inaugurated in 1910, under the signature of architect Daniel Renard. With curved lines, ornamental details and spectacular stained glass windows, the building quickly became a space dedicated to the elite of the time, hosting balls, shows, gambling and diplomatic meetings, according to the Casino's official website.
The Casino has gone through turbulent and glorious eras - from the inter-war period, when it was considered "the most beautiful building on the Black Sea coast", to the World War II, when it was transformed into a military hospital. After 1989, the building entered a long period of degradation.
Starting with 2020, the Constanta Casino entered an extensive restoration process, aimed at restoring the building to its former glory, but also modern functionality. The Constanta Casino is managed by the Patrimoniu Constanta Litoral Company Ltd, established by the local administration at the beginning of last year.
The Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEDAT), in partnership with the Federation of Romanian Tourism Employers (FPTR), is organizing, from Tuesday to Thursday, an infotrip to prepare for the opening of this year's summer season - the Romanian Coast, carried out within the "Year of Quality in Tourism" initiative.
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