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THE CASINO
The Casino - built
in 1909 was inaugurated in August 1910; the designs were made by
the French architect Daniel Renard (first design was made in 1903;
in 1905, the architect Petre Antonescu made the second design -
but the first one was chosen). The building has been the most representative
in town for decades, a real symbol for Constanta; it was also the
only representative of "art nouveau" style in Romania. On the top
of the building, the decorations consists of old ships representations
(ram heads and alga garlands); inside there are staircases and imposing
banisters, covered columns and marble girdles on the walls. In 1985-1987
the building was restored, the furniture was entirely changed.
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 The
Archaeological Museum has a rich collection of Roman statues. Two of them
are special: the one of Fortuna Goddess and Pontos God, the two protectors
of the town, and the one of Glicon Snake. All of them were discovered
in 1962 under the old railway station, after they survived to the invasion
of the Avars (the VII-th century A.C.). Also here the tourists can see
a Roman mosaic and visit a hall dedicated to Ovidius, a Roman poet, who
lived in exile in Tomis between 8 - 17 A.C. After it was destroyed the
town was forgotten for 1200 years and only King Carol I gave it a new
life at the end of the XIX-th century as a port at the Black Sea and as
a resort. Some fine buildings, a casino, hotels were built. Of the Roman
town of Tomis there are only a part of the wall of the town and the
Butchers Tower (the VI-th century). In an open-air exhibition in the Victory Park
there are some columns and amphora's too. Other ruins are in Histria, along
the seashore, and in Adamclisi.
 The
Ottoman domination is marked in Constanta by the Mahmud II's Mosque and
the Genovese lighthouse from the XIII-th century is still working nearby the pleasure port. It is pleasant to walk along the seashore or to
spend the time at the Casino built in Rococo style. Just in front of the
Casino there is the Aquarium which exhibits flora and fauna of the Black
Sea. In Constanta there are also a Dolphinarium with daily shows and a
Planetarium.
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