Monaco, The Casino and The Opera House

Monaco has always been associated with glamour, luxury and sophistication. Aside from its great history, the country is home to the elegant late Princess Grace Kelly, the Grand Prix and the annual Monaco royals party Rose Ball. Indonesia Design recently visited two of the country’s architectural landmarks: Casino de Monte-carlo and its sister the Opera de Monte-carlo. These two adjoint places are known as the playground of international high society. Casino de Monte-carlo

The idea of having a casino in Monte-carlo stretches back to 1863 years ago following the suggestion of Princess Caroline to rescue the House of Grimaldi from bankruptcy. After recruiting a team of Frenchmen, the first casino was eventually opened in Villa Bellevue. Since then, the casino has been relocated several times.

The construction of the casino was done by Parisian architect Gobineau de la Bretonnerie who later also designed Hotel de Paris. This famous hotel is also featured in the hotel essay section in this edition.

Various extensions and improvements to the original plan were carried out by Jules Dutrou and Charles Garnier of the renowned Palais Garnier in Paris from 1878 to 1881, and again by Henri Schmit from 1898 to 1899, to achieve the extant property today. In a distinctly ‘Beaux Arts’ style, they decided to keep the florid, stark-white in Belle Époque style exterior as an attribute to the princess’s creativity and ingenuity. From that moment onwards, Casino de Monte-carlo has been earned its reputation as one of the world’s opulent gambling destinations. Its sumptuous design and function are orchestrated to create an entertaining and fun ambience for high-end visitors from across the globe.

Opera de Monte-carlo

When Charles Garnier and Jules Dutrou did the extensions and improvements from 1878 to 1881, Prince Charles

III along with Societe des Bains de Mer, the consortium company that operated the complex, decided to include Salle Garnier, a concert hall that has its own entrance and is part of the casino. As the name suggests, Salle Garnier is also designed by Garnier and opened its doors in 1879.

This opera house boasts an intimate ambience and seats 524. Also worth mentioning is the Palais Garnier’s inspired intricate decoration. Garnier drew his inspiration from the Palatial French structure using three types of gold as its dominant colour and iron beams used in supporting the frame. When Henri Schmit remodelled it, the stage was made bigger to fit an opera production.

The hall underwent a renovation and was inaugurated on 25 January 1879 as Opera de Monte-carlo with a performance by Sarah Bernhardt dressed as a nymph. Robert Planquette’s opera called Le Chevalier Gaston was the full opera production that marked the first performance in this opera house. By the early 20th century, the opera house was graced by the performances of many opera stars such as Nellie Melba and Enrico Caruso, just to name a few. Occasionally, the opera house is functioned as a venue that hosts prestigious events including the royal wedding of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.