Casinò Lugano (formerly known as Teatro Kursaal) is a casino and theatre designed by Italian architect

Achille Sfondrini Achille Sfondrini (1836 –1900) was an Italian architect specializing in the design, construction and modernization of theaters. He was born and died in Milan. He completed his university studies in Milan, graduating as an architectural enginee ...

in the 19th century. It is located in the city of

Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. A restaurant and café called ''Elementi Ristorante'' is located within the building. The theatre was the host venue of the first

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

in .

History

in the 19th century, Teatro Kursaal was the first games room with a café to open in Lugano.

Biriba Biriba (Greek: Μπιρίμπα) is a Greek variant of rummy card game based on the Italian Pinnacola. It is played by two to six players, with two decks and 4 Jokers comprising 108 cards. If 6 players play, one more deck and two jokers more ar ...

Basset Bassets are a sub-type of scenthound deliberately bred with short legs, that are used for hunting where the hunters accompany the hunting hounds on foot. History Bassets were originally developed in France from where they spread throughout Europe ...

, and

dice games Dice games are games that use or incorporate one or more dice as their sole or central component, usually as a random device. The following are games which largely, if not entirely, depend on dice: Collectible dice games Patterned after the su ...

were played in the establishment during the autumn fair. Upon the establishment of the Lugano Theatre Society in 1885, which consisted of 177

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...

s, discussions were held to modify the building for the intended purpose of theatrical and musical performances,

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

dance and other shows. Plans were made to accommodate a café and restaurant adjacent to the main theatre. In 1912, the theatre acquired a gambling license. The society changed its name to Società del Teatro e Casinò Kursaal di Lugano in 1922. The Kursaal continued to increase its revenue after the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. In 1946, the theatre broke its own financial record, accumulating 641,777 Swiss francs (equivalent of €558,558.65 US$811,018.50 or £519,190.25 ) after staging operas, plays, concerts and films. On 24 May 1956, the theatre hosted the inaugural

. The gambling stakes for playing were raised, from 2 Swiss Francs to 5 Swiss Francs, after a shareholders' vote in 1959. The city of Lugano became the major shareholder in 1970 after its purchase of 184 shares. Following the ordinance of the Swiss Federal banking commission changes,

fruit machine In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propagat ...

s and

boules Boules (, ), or ''jeu de boules'', is a collective name for a wide range of games similar to bowls and bocce in which the objective is to throw or roll heavy balls as closely as possible to a small target ball, called the ''jack''. 'Boules' its ...

were brought into the Kursaal. The fundamental principles were amended in 1993 to allow major games to be played on the premises. This license was later upgraded, to permit the company to operate as a casino. The theatre closed shortly after the last show in April 1997 and was demolished in 2001 to make room for the extension of the Casino. Casinò Lugano opened again on 29 November 2002. Casinò Lugano has received an extension to its permit to also manage casino games online and has conceived the Swiss4Win brand for its entry into the online Swiss market.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Casino Lugano

Music in Lugano Music venues in Switzerland Buildings and structures in Ticino Culture in Lugano Lugano Lake Lugano it:Teatro Kursaal (Lugano)

History

See also

References

External links