In the resort’s luxurious hotels and casinos, the Central European elite used to meet. These included even Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, together with his elegant wife Elizabeth Amalia Eugenia Von Wittelsbach, commonly known as Princess Sissi.
Between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the imperial baths remained a destination frequented by Western Europeans, but under Romanian communism it became a destination for mass tourism. With the construction of these new structures many ancient Habsburg buildings were closed and abandoned. And they are still today. Only a few of these are in the recovery phase.
As in this case, the thermal complex of “Bagni Nettuno”, or the imperial baths of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with the project called “Herculane Project” founded and carried out by a collective of young architecture students. Currently there are safety works for an imminent recovery of the structure.
The building is placed parallel to the waterway that runs through the town, originally reached by a wooden bridge suspended over the river. At the entrance you were greeted by a double height hall with a scenic fountain in the center; on both sides there are the two wings of the building, each consisting of two long corridors along which there are the various rooms of the spa treatments, painted in pastel shades and interspersed with two small rooms decorated with arches.
The state of decay is very high but, at the same time, the desire to bring this important building back to its former glory is very strong.
Passionate about photography and the charm of abandoned places since childhood. In recent years he has combined these two passions starting to explore mainly ancient villas and castles between Italy and France, with the fundamental support of Christn Goffi.
