Casino mauresque
MonumentHidden Treasure
Casino mauresque, located in Arcachon (Gironde), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Arcachon, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.0000, 1.0000
- Mérimée Reference
- PA33000079
The vanished jewel of Arcachon, the Moorish Casino (1863) embodied the orientalist audacity of the Second Empire. Its minarets and arabesques on the Bassin beach made it one of the most seductive seaside follies in France.
History
At the heart of the seaside resort of Arcachon, the Moorish Casino was for more than a century the shining symbol of an era when holidaying rhymed with architectural fantasy and the art of living. Opened in August 1863, this singular building stood out on the seafront as an almost dreamlike vision, combining the orientalist codes in vogue under the Second Empire with the festive lightness typical of seaside leisure establishments. What made this casino truly unique was its Moorish style: horseshoe arches, elaborate moucharabiehs, domes and geometric ornamentation evoking the palaces of Andalusia or the baths of the Alhambra. Far from the classic casinos with their austere facades, the Arcachon building played the exoticism card with rare conviction, offering wealthy summer guests the feeling of travelling without leaving the Bassin. The interior matched the ambition of the façade: sumptuous games rooms, reception and ballrooms adorned with stucco and polychrome decorations, terraces overlooking the Atlantic. The elegant society of the Second Empire, and later the Belle Époque, gathered here to gamble, dance and parade, making the casino the real social heart of the resort. Today, the Moorish Casino no longer exists: ravaged by fire in January 1977, it was subsequently demolished by the town council and its site turned into a lawn. All that remains of it are photographs, old postcards and the tenacious memory of exceptional seaside architecture, a ghostly monument that still haunts Arcachon's collective memory.
Architecture
The Moorish Casino in Arcachon is fully in keeping with the orientalist trend that ran through the leisure architecture of the Second Empire. Designed by engineer Paul Régnault, the building drew its formal vocabulary from the Hispano-Moorish palaces of Andalusia, and more specifically from the legacy of the Alhambra in Granada, at the time the absolute model of 'Moorish' architecture for 19th-century French architects and engineers. Externally, the building was characterised by a rhythmic composition of horseshoe and horseshoe arches, slender columns with elaborate capitals, light domes and terraced roofs embellished with decorative battlements. The façades were enlivened by a play of moucharabiehs and geometric clerestories filtering the light, while friezes of polychrome ornamentation with interlaced motifs ran along the cornices and window surrounds. The overall effect was more reminiscent of a fanciful park than the rigour of a prestigious building, giving it a festive charm perfectly suited to its seaside vocation. The interior reproduced this oriental atmosphere, with rooms of generous height, decorated with stucco in geometric and floral motifs, coloured paving and carved woodwork. Covered terraces allowed visitors to enjoy the view over the Bay of Arcachon while protecting themselves from the sun. Constructed mainly of wood and light masonry, materials common to seaside architecture in the region, the building had the formal lightness characteristic of Second Empire holiday resorts, which partly explains its vulnerability to the fire of 1977.
Related Figures
Paul Régnault — ingénieur concepteur des plans du casino (1863)Salesses — entrepreneur bordelais chargé de la constructionÉmile et Isaac Pereire — frères financiers qui développèrent la station d'Arcachon et son infrastructure mondaineNapoléon III — dont le règne constitue le contexte direct de l'essor d'Arcachon et de la construction du casino
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Casino mauresque located?
Casino mauresque is located in Arcachon, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Casino mauresque open to visitors?
Casino mauresque is currently closed to visitors.