Sinaia Casino

Copie aproape fidela sau nu a celui din Monte Carlo, Casino Sinaia se adapteaza vremii si tine mortis sa nu dispara din randul reperelor arhitecturale, mai intai de toate, ramanand doar cu numele de cazino, intrucat azi el gazduieste un modern Centru International de Conferinte.

Anii 1900 ai Romåniei, o perioada a exceselor, stropita din plin cu petreceri decadente si valuri de sampanie, avea nevoie de un loc unde distractia sa nu fie una oarecare, ci asemenea unui spectacol, punctat pe alocuri cu muzica, dans, dar, mai ales, jocuri. Pentru asta, in Sinaia s-a ridicat intre 1912 si 1913, intr-un timp record, nu doar pentru vremea respectiva, ci si pentru acum, un cazino, pe locul unde se afla candva vila Ghica, prima vila a statiunii, inaltata de printul Dimitrie Ghica. Casino Sinaia l-a avut ca principal actionar pe baronul de Marçay, totodata actionar la cazinoul din Monte Carlo, tocmai de aceea s-a speculat ca aceasta cladire ar fi copia aproape fidela a edificiului monegasc. In realitate insa, exista doar cateva elemente de arhitectura interioara care ar putea confirma asemanarea dintre cele doua cazinouri.
Inaugurarea Casino-ului a constituit un eveniment important, autoritatile vremii cerandu-i lui Alexandru Davila, important dramaturg si om de teatru, sa prezinte, pe marea scena, un spectacol de inalta tinuta, la care au asistat familia regala si Titu Maiorescu, pe atunci prim ministru al tarii. Memorabila seara a continuat cu un concert sustinut de compozitorul George Enescu si s-a incheiat cu focuri de artificii.
Fluxul jucatorilor din acea perioada era unul alert, chiar si pentru zilele noastre, acest “magnet social” gazduind, in fiecare zi de joc, cel putin 800 de persoane. La cele 13 mese din marea Sala a Oglinzilor se desfasurau jocurile de ruleta, iar in Sala Ovala, baccarat chemin-defer, pe acordurile orchestrei de jazz din barul-restaurant. Sala mai mica, “la salle privée”, avea numai doua mese la care miza minima era de cinci ori mai mare decat in alte sali, spun ziarele vremii.

De la cazino la casa de cultura si… centru de conferinte

Dupa cel de-al doilea razboi mondial, Comisia Ministeriala pentru Redresare Economica si Stabilizare Monetara a decis trecerea unor obiective, printre care si cazinoul din Sinaia, din proprietatea Eforiei Spitalelor Civile in proprietatea statului. Cazinoul, ca loc de desfasurare a jocurilor de noroc, va fi inchis, spa]iul fiind folosit catva timp de Societatea de Cruce Rosie pentru indeplinirea unor scopuri umanitare.
In anii urmatori, dupa importante reparatii si adaptari, dar pastrandu-i-se eleganta care l-a consacrat, cazinoul a devenit Casa de Cultura a Sindicatelor din Sinaia. Avand acum un alt profil, cladirea va adaposti biblioteca orasului, diverse cercuri artistice si va fi gazda a numeroase manifestari culturale, printre care: spectacole de teatru, folclor, concerte.
In anul 1978, Casino-ul a fost destinat unor activitati de protocol; in februarie 1990, a fost transmis Ministerului Culturii, iar dupa cateva zile,  Ministerului Turismului. Ulterior, in 1995, cazinoul a trecut in Administratia Protocolului de Stat.
Astazi, cu o istorie la fel de interesanta, o arhitectura aparte cu modernizari recente, monumentul se afla in subordinea Consiliului Local al orasului Sinaia si adaposteste Centrul International de Conferinte.

Autofinantare prin cultura

Prin organizarea evenimentelor de tip corporatist (conferinte, sedinte, simpozioane, seminarii, conferinte de presa, mese rotunde cu caracter profesional, cultural si stiintific, lansari de produse, showroom-uri etc.) sau a celor private, Radu Savopol, directorul Centrului, a reusit sa  stranga bani pentru investitii vizand functia culturala a imobilului, cum sunt, de pilda, renovarea si restaurarea interioarelor.
Toate aceste investitii au fost realizate prin autofinantare inca din 2008.  Si nu sunt deloc putine: reamenajarea demisolului prin crearea de noi spatii (trei sali cu multiple functionalitati si o cafenea), achizitionarea unei centrale termice pentru incalzirea acestor spatii, renovarea garajelor si redecorarea birourilor, sonorizarea tuturor salilor de conferinte, sistem de internet wireless in cladire, reconditionarea partiala a mobilierului etc. La acestea se adauga achizitionarea de telefoane, calculatoare, laptopuri si imprimante performante si infrumusetarea spatiilor verzi din jurul cladirii. Toate cheltuielile necesare acestor investitii au fost de 80.000 de euro.

Vlad Oprea primarul orasului Sinaia:

„Daca in perioada interbelica Casinoul era unul dintre factorii economici importanti din oras, sustinea economia orasului, acum, desi nu mai are rolul de Casino, este cel mai important Centru de conferinte de pe toata Valea Prahovei. Centrul International de Conferinte Casino Sinaia sustine turismul in Sinaia prin conferintele pe care le gazduieste. De asemenea, are si o componenta culturala, aici se organizeaza foarte multe expozitii, vernisaje, lansari de carte, spectacole si multe alte actiuni culturale. Casinoul este un simbol al orasului Sinaia.”

 

More or less a facsimile of the one in Monte Carlo, Sinaia Casino keeps pace with the times and is still one of the architectural anchors, even though it keeps only the name of a casino. Today, this former casino is only the host of a modern Centre for International Conferences.

The 1900s of Romania, a period known for its nimieties, sprinkled here and there with decadent parties and waves of champagne, needed a place where entertainment was not just entertainment, but was most of all a show embellished with music, dance and especially, games.

In order to accomplish this, between 1912 and 1913, a casino was built up in Sinaia within a record span of time, not only for those days but even for the present day. The construction was built up on the land where the first villa of the Sinaia resort was once situated, villa belonging and built by Prince Dimitrie Ghica. Sinaia Casino had as main stockholder the Barron of Marçay, who was also a stockholder of the Monte Carlo casino, reason for which rumour had it that this building was a facsmile of the Monégasque edifice. However, in reality, there are only several elements of interior design which may confirm the resemblance between the two.

The grand opening of the casino was an extremely important event, that is why the authorities of that time requested Alexandru Davila, a notorious dramatist and actor, to present on the grand stage a high class show, among whose viewers were the Royal Family and Titu Maiorescu, Prime Minstry of the country at that time. That memorable night continued in the same style with a concert of the composer George Enescu and ended with a fireworks show.

The flow of the players was a very fast one, even for nowadays, as this colossal “social magnet” hosted at least 800 persons everyday. The roullete games were played in the Grand Hall of Mirrors which had 13 game tables, whereas the baccarat chemin-de-fer was played in the Oval Hall, on the sounds of the jazz orchestra coming from the bar. The smaller hall, “la salle privée”, had only two game tables which had a minimum bet, five times higher than in any other hall, this according to those times newspapers.

Swinging among casino, cultural house and…conference centre

After WWI, the Ministry Commission for Economic and Monetary Come-Back, decided the placement of some touristic objectives within the state patrimony, including the casino in Sinaia. Thus, the casino was closed as gambling destination in order to be used, for a period of time, by the Red Cross Society for humanitarian purposes. In the next few years, subsequent to some restaurations and adaptations, but with the exact same elegance, the casino became the Cultural House of Sinaia. Having another destination, the building was fit to host the city’s main library, artistic gatherings and many cultural shows like theatre acts, concerts or traditional songs.

Today, the monument is in the administration of the local council of Sinaia and it hosts the Centre for International Conferences. However, it still reminds of its interesting history with its unique architectural design improved by restorations.

Self-financing through culture

By organizing corporate-like events (conferences, meetings, simposiums, seminars, press conferences, professional or scientific gatherings, product launchings, showrooms etc.) or private ones, Radu Savapol, the manager of the Centre, raised money for investments for this cultural destination of the building (such as renovation and resturation of the interior). All of these investements were realized thorugh self-financing even before 2008. The number of these is not to be neglected: redesign of the semi-basement by creating new spaces ( three rooms with multiple functionalities and a coffee shop), the acquisition of thermal heating for the spaces, restauration of the garages and redesigning of the office spaces, sound systems for all the conference rooms, wireless system within the building, furniture reconditioning etc.  Besides all these, one can also mention telephones, computers, laptops and  performant printers. The green surroundings of the building were embelished as well. The expenditures necessary for these investments amounted 80.000 euros. 

The mayor of Sinaia, Vlad Oprea : 

« If in the interbelic period the Casino was one of the most important economic factors of the city, as it sustained it, nowadays, even if the building is not a Casino anymore, it is just as important, as it hosts the Center for for conferences for the entire Prahova Valley. The International Center for Conferences in Sinaia is a pillar for the development of tourism in the city, through the conferences it organizes. Moreover, there is a cultural component as well, as many exhibitions, openings, book launches, shows and many other culture-related actions are hosted here. The Casino is a symbol of Sinaia. »