At the proposal of the Ministry of Development, the government approved in its Wednesday meeting additional funds for the restoration of the Casino in Constanța, a landmark of the Romanian Black Sea coast. Thus, the value of this investment was revised to over RON 236.2 million.

"Our goal is to secure the necessary funding for a full and high-quality restoration of this monument building," said development minister Cseke Attila.

The Development Ministry said the extra funds were necessary because the ongoing works at the casino revealed "aspects that endanger the building's safety and are interdependent with the works already contracted." Thus, the expert designers proposed new technical intervention solutions, which mainly involved the complete restoration of most structural elements (floors, pillars, walls, and so on).

"With the financing set in 2019, it was imperative to supplement the funds for the consolidation and restoration of this historical monument, also taking into account the adjustment of the values from the public investment contract as a result of problems generated by the global price increases of construction materials, wages in this field, fuels and energy, as well as those generated by the war in Ukraine, which affect construction works," the Ministry of Development said in the press release.

The restoration of the famed Casino in Constanța is roughly 65% done, with the works on the building's north-facing exterior wall being completed last summer. The project kicked off in January 2020.

The Constanța Casino, although a landmark of the Romanian seafront, had been abandoned for many years. In 2018, it was included on Europa Nostra's list of most endangered heritage sites in Europe.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Ministerul Dezvoltarii)