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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Grand Circle Casino was inaugurated in 1850 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy to attract the European aristocracy to Aix-les-Bains, a booming spa. Designed by architect Charles-Bernard Pellegrini, the original building included a ballroom, a playroom and a reading space. Its architecture reflected the ambition of Savoie's house to compete with major European courses, while integrating fun and social functions.

In 1899, the casino expanded with the addition of a 900-seat Italian theatre with wooden machinery and adorned with four works by the painter Di Credico in the playroom. This theatre, designed by architect Henri Eustache, replaced a temporary building of 1849, deemed insufficient. The initial plans of Adolphe Coquet (primed in 1892) were rejected for technical and financial reasons, leaving room for a more modest but functional project, inaugurated in June 1899.

During the First World War, the casino was requisitioned in August 1914 to accommodate wounded people, transforming salons and theatre into a convalescent hospital with 200 beds and operating rooms. Released in January 1916 after months of medical service, he regained his worldly vocation, welcoming curists and personalities like Queen Victoria or actor Raimu, who even worked there as a dealer. Ranked a historic monument in 2013 for its theatre and mosaics, the site now embodies the golden age of alpine spas.

The Palais de Savoie, of which the casino is part, is a major architectural ensemble, comparable to the casino of Évian. Its theatre, inspired by the models of Vichy and Zurich, was restored in 1973 and is now operated by the city. The mosaics of the domes of the hall, made by Antonio Salviati, and the stage frame carved by Jean-Baptiste Gascq (future Grand Prix de Rome) testify to his original fascist. The building combines cut stone and limestone rubble, with facades decorated with colossal pilasters and curved frontons.

The Grand-Cercle Casino also illustrates the evolution of social practices in the 19th century, where spas became places of elitist sociability. Its theatre, equipped with a mobile orchestra pit and a zenithal window, reflects the technical innovations of the time. After decades of transformation, only this theatre and the mosaics of the hall remain as authentic remains of fine-XIXe architecture, classified among the historical monuments of France.

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