Casino à Vernet-les-Bains dans les Pyrénées-Orientales

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The casino of Vernet-les-Bains, built between 1880 and 1884, is part of the development of the spa created in the same year. It embodies the aristocratic appeal for the waters, climate and landscapes of the Pyrénées-Orientales, frequented by an international clientele (English in winter, Spanish in summer). The first stone was laid on 11 March 1880 under the direction of architect Armand Péan, for sponsors such as Jean Albiot or Eugène Bourgain, before bankruptcy in 1882.

The building, rectangular with four corner pavilions, combines ceramic decorations, ionic columns and balustrade terraces. A fire in 1910 destroyed the theatre and stage, quickly rebuilt for reopening on 14 July 1910. The post-fire plans, attributed to Joseph Berthier, slightly altered the pediment and the north terrace. The casino, the successor property of Claudio Chiesa, the Earl of Burnay, and then the municipality from 1956, today bears witness to the thermal age.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2017 for its facades, roofs and ground floor (including the theatre room), the casino retains original elements such as the parquet floor of the music salon or marble fireplaces. Its eclectic architecture, combining zinc, ceramics and floral motifs, reflects the fascists of a time when Vernet-les-Bains competed with major European stations. The 1940's Aiguat, taking away thermal baths and villas, in fact one of the rare remains of this ensemble.

The casino's management evolved with its acquisition by M. and Mme Roumier (1959-1982), before his return to the municipal giron. Transformed into a cinema in the 1980s-1990s, his theatre (600 seats) lost its original scenery. Today, it combines playful functions (games, restaurant, discotheque) and heritage, illustrating the resilience of a place marked by historical and climatic hazards.

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