I adore ruins. When I was attending school in England there were these old dilapidated ruins that made for a great hangout with a serious magnetic attraction for me. But what I like more than ruins are abandoned locations. Places that people forgot about when they just got up and walked away for some odd reason. 
The photo on the right is of an abandoned library in Russia. I loved it so much when I first saw it I contacted the photographer and begged him for the rights to use it in a game I have started fiddling with designing. I mean really? That is ready made atmospheric goodness right here!
Anyway, this abandoned old knight is the Constanta Casino on the Black Sea. Constanta is a very important city in Romania in the crossroads between the East and the West. The casino was initially sponsored by King Carol the first and was initially built by the architect Petre Antonescu who wanted to pay homage to the Romanian artistic style and traditions. But eventually Daniel Renard was selected to redesign with more of an Art Nouveau movement of the Belle Epoque. I mean look at these halls, doors, flying staircases and chandeliers!
Sponsored by King Carol 1 st , the casino was built between 1904 and 1910 by architect Petre Antonescu Romanian who wanted to pay tribute to the Romanian artistic traditions, but these plans were changed in favor of the architect of Swiss origin that Daniel Renard preferred to be inspired by the Art Nouveau movement of the Belle Epoque. Instantly recognizable thanks to its impressive décor inspired by the marine world and whose decorations recall the almost rococo, this casino has become the symbol of the city. Such as the impressive shell-shaped window that illuminates the theater, central room where gathered the guests. Soon, wealthy travelers and gamers flocked from all over Europe, and made the reputation of Constanta worldwide. But the two world wars and the crisis that gripped the Romanian economy and the situation changed profoundly altered the face of Romania. So much so that little by little deserted visitors and casino dwindled. Having served as a hospital during World War II, the casino became a restaurant during the period of Soviet occupation. In 1990, the building was so dilapidated that it had become too expensive to refurbish it and it was finally closed. Today, broken windows, crumbling walls and furniture crumb are the last vestiges of that era.
Hopefully though renovation work could potentially begin soon. There is talk of restoring this glorious old palace. But even restored I wonder if it will match wonder of these dilapidated hallways. They are just amazing.
And so I thought I’d add a little love to the warn down Constanta – and show you what I see when I am looking at these amazing shots:
