Mayor’s destructive reign
Info Sud-Est’s original reporting exposed the fact the palace, a protected building, had been sold in 2003 for a mere 180,000 euros, “the price of a luxury apartment,” said Pavel. And the sale did not have the necessary approval of the Ministry of Culture.
Prosecutors acted on the report, opening a case against the then-mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazare.
During his 15 years in power from 2000 to 2015, Mazare sought to turn the city – an ancient Greek port settlement dating back over 2,000 years – into an international hotspot for beach tourism and nightclubbing.
His vision never came to pass, but Mazare’s rule nevertheless left its mark on the city in the form of urban chaos and the neglect and destruction of the city’s architectural heritage.
Charged with corruption, Mazare fled to Madagascar before he was sentenced in 2018 to six and a half years in prison over the sale of the Royal Palace of Mamaia. He was extradited to Romania last year and began serving his sentence.
“Constanta has excelled in destroying cultural and historic heritage,” said Pavel, but things have changed for the better since Mazare’s removal from public life.
Earlier this year, much-needed renovation work began on the iconic but abandoned Constanta Casino, a jewel of Art Nouveau and the symbol of the city on its seafront promenade.
Mazare had tried and failed to sell the historic casino, inaugurated in 1910, to private investors. The team now carrying out the restoration work said this month it had discovered significant water and humidity damage, putting the building at risk of collapse if it is not urgently reinforced. In its pre-communism heyday, the casino was used as a music venue and gambling and recreation spot. Authorities say they hope to reopen it in 2022 as a venue for cultural events.
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Journalism, Activism Combine to Preserve Riches of Ancient Romanian Port - Balkan Insight
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