Balgarianovinite.com The silver box that once held the heart of Romanian Queen Marie in Balchik is the centrepiece of the exhibition “Her: The Queen and the Sea” at the Casino in Constanta, Romania. The exhibition runs through September 20 and also features other personal belongings and artifacts associated with the queen.
A plaque next to the box explains that when Queen Marie wrote her will in 1933, she insisted that she be buried in Curtea de Arges, Romania, but that her heart remain in Balchik. After her death on July 18, 1938, her son, King Carol II, and his son, Michael, fulfilled her wishes.
The queen’s heart, placed inside the specially crafted silver box, was laid to rest in the Stella Maris Chapel (“Star of the Sea,” also known as the Dormition of the Mother of God) on the grounds of what is now the Botanical Garden in Balchik. When Southern Dobrudzha, including Balchik, was returned to Bulgaria in 1940, the precious box was taken by Princess Ileana, Queen Marie’s youngest daughter, and brought to Bran Castle in Transylvania, where it was placed in a chapel modelled after the one in Balchik. Since 2015, the box has belonged to the Peles National Museum near Sinaia.
While this sacred royal relic eventually found a permanent and secure home during the turbulent 20th century, the fate of the royal heritage along the Black Sea coast proved far more unpredictable. The Casino in Constanta is a case in point. Its history has been marked by dramatic twists and turns, from glittering royal balls to periods of complete neglect, when the building acquired a ghostly appearance.
The first casino in the area was a modest wooden structure built in 1880. A second building was completed in 1893 but was almost completely destroyed by a powerful sea storm. The present-day architectural monument was commissioned by King Carol I and officially opened in 1910.
The original plan for the building was actually intended for Varna, Bulgaria’s maritime capital. Ultimately, however, the project was realized in Constanta under the direction of renowned French-Romanian architect Daniel Renard.
During its golden years, the casino attracted some of Europe’s wealthiest aristocrats and adventurers. According to one account, the gambling tables were strategically positioned so that losing players could see the stormy sea through the windows – a metaphor for their shattered fortunes. Many gamblers who lost their entire wealth reportedly took their own lives by jumping from the cliffs directly into the waves below the building.
During World War II, the casino’s gambling heyday came to an end, and the building was briefly converted into a military hospital.
After Romania’s communist regime was established, the casino operated as a state-run restaurant, but the high cost of maintaining the building contributed to its decline.
In 1990, the building was permanently closed and abandoned, becoming one of Europe’s best-known “ghost” buildings.
Following a five-year restoration costing approximately 200 million Romanian lei (about EUR 40 million), the iconic casino reopened in May 2025, reborn as a cultural destination. Gambling is no longer permitted there; instead, the building now hosts exhibitions, concerts and art events.
Admission to Romania’s most photographed building and one of its most iconic Art Nouveau landmarks costs 50 lei (about EUR 10) for adults and 25 lei (about EUR 5) for pupils, students and pensioners. Entry is free for children under seven and people with disabilities.
Silver Box Holding Queen Marie’s Heart Takes Centre Stage at Exhibition in Constanta 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-30 06:18:15
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