Why go
Casino Square makes more sense when you know that Monte Carlo was developed around the casino, rather than simply inheriting a grand building. Stand between the casino, opera house and neighboring hotels to see how entertainment, architecture and transport were brought together to attract visitors.
The full story
Plans for a Monaco casino emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, when the Grimaldi family faced financial strain. Early attempts struggled to draw enough customers. François and Louis Blanc later took over the concession and developed the casino in the area renamed Monte Carlo, after Prince Charles III. The railway then made the principality easier to reach from the French Riviera. Together, the casino and improved access changed Monaco's fortunes and encouraged hotels and other visitor businesses nearby. The Salle Garnier opera house later added another cultural anchor beside the gaming rooms. The sequence is still legible on foot: Casino Square is an ensemble rather than an isolated attraction. Its name, architecture and position across the harbor from the older Rock show how a new district was made into an economic center.