Zirkus Krone
| Circus Krone Building | |
|---|---|
Circus Krone Building viewed from the front | |
| General information | |
| Type | Multi-purpose venue |
| Location | Munich, Germany |
| Address | Marsstraße 43 |
| Coordinates | 48°08′43″N11°33′01″E / 48.14528°N 11.55028°E |
| Opened | 1962 |
| Owner | Circus Krone |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 3000 |
| Website | |
| https://bau.circus-krone.com/ | |
- Circus Krone Farm
- Zirkus Krone Programm
- Zirkus Krone Speech Hitler
- Zirkus Krone Muenchen
- Circus Krone Bau
- Circus Krone
Circus Krone or Circus Krone-Bau (Bau = Engl. For building) are the headquarters of Europe's largest circus 'Krone'. They are located in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Over the winter months the actual circus is residing here, during the summer period, when the circus is travelling, they are used as a concert venue.
Circus Krone Building refers to three circus buildings that have, and currently exist at the same location on the Marsstraße in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, Germany. These buildings consist of the original Circus Krone Building, its temporary replacement, and the current permanent building.
The original Circus Krone Building was a 4,000-seat wooden circus arena completed in 1919.[1] It was the headquarters and permanent circus building of Circus Krone. Beyond being used for circus performances, the Circus Krone Building was rented to various civic, political, and religious organisations to host meetings and speeches. It was rented numerous times to the Nazi Party,[2] of which included Adolf Hitler delivering 7 speeches in the building between 1920 and 1930.[3] In December 1944, as a consequence of strategic bombing during World War II, the building was destroyed during a bombardment by the Allies of World War II.[4]
After the conclusion of World War II in 1945, a temporary wooden structure[5] with 1,800 seats was built such that Circus Krone could continue its circus show performances.[6]
The third and current Circus Krone Building, opened in 1962, is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose venue[1] built using reinforced concrete infrastructure and brick walls. It continues to serve as the headquarters and permanent circus building of Circus Krone, which is considered as “Europe’s most famous traditional circus”.[7] Circus Krone occupies the building for its winter circus program every year[8] traditionally from December until the beginning of April. For the remaining months of the year, the Circus Krone Building is rented out as a multi-purpose venue for entertainment and corporate events, including concerts, cabarets, musicals, comedy shows, television recordings, company presentations, and press conferences.
History[edit]
- Circus Krone has a circus tent with 5,000 seats with a diameter of 48 by 64 metres and a dome height of 14 metres. It covers an overall area of approximately 2,000 square metres. The largest, most modern and most expensive circus tent of the present can only be described.
- Circus Krone always has a fantastic show with amazing acts. It’s so nice to see a Circus that still has animals and looks after them so well. We did a tour of the amazing circus building which gave a great insight to what goes on and just how well the animals are looked after. They are celebrating 100 years.
Original Building[edit]
The origins of the original Circus Krone Building date back to 1900, when Carl Krone inherited his father’s travelling menagerie, ‘Menagerie Continental’, which performed year-round across Europe.[6] By 1905, Krone and his wife, Ida Ahlers, had developed the menagerie into a circus show, establishing it as Circus Krone.[1] Deciding to permanently locate their circus in Munich, Germany, the couple commissioned the Circus Krone Building to be built on the Marsstraße in the Maxvorstadt district of the city. The construction of the Circus Krone Building was completed in 1919, featuring a wooden circus arena with 4,000 seats. Besides being used by Circus Krone for their circus shows, the building also hosted numerous events organised by the Nazi Party. Adolf Hitler delivered 7 scheduled speeches in the Circus Krone Building between 1920 and 1930.[3] During World War II, Circus Krone performances continued despite air raid alarms disrupting many of the shows.[9] In December 1944, the original Circus Krone Building was destroyed during an air raid by the Allies of World War II.
Temporary Building[edit]
Shortly after the conclusion of the war in 1945, a temporary wooden structure with 1,800 seats was constructed. This was at the request of the U.S. occupation forces of Allied-occupied Germany who wanted to present a circus show to their general from World War II, George S. Patton.[6] This allowed Circus Krone to continue their circus show until the company and building were confiscated from the Krone family in 1946 by the American governors as part of their effort in dividing Germany so that it would not be able to regain its former strength. The Krone family was given back Circus Krone and the Circus Krone Building in 1948, and resumed its winter circus show program.[6]
Current Building[edit]
Circus Krone Farm
A new permanent building, the current Circus Krone Building, was opened in 1962 at the same location on Marsstraße in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich. It was commissioned by Frieda Sembach-Krone, the daughter of Carl Krone and Ida Ahlers, and her husband, Carl Sembach. Frieda Sembach-Krone inherited Circus Krone from her father after his death in 1943.[10] The building, which has 3,000 seats, was built using reinforced concrete infrastructure and brick walls.[6] It continues to be occupied by Circus Krone for their winter circus program every year. Circus Krone’s current winter program begins on Christmas Day and concludes at the beginning of April the following year. It is divided into 3 distinctive themes that run for one month each.[11]
For the remaining months of the year, Circus Krone operates as a travelling circus which performs in multiple cities across Europe. This makes the Circus Krone Building available to be rented out to third parties who host a variety of events, ranging from concerts to corporate functions. Since its opening in 1962, the third and current Circus Krone Building has hosted both local and visiting performers and events.
Design[edit]
Original Building[edit]
The original Circus Krone Building was constructed entirely using wood, featuring a wooden circus arena with 4,000 seats. Beside the circus arena was a series of wooden annexes built to house the animals which were used in the circus shows.
Temporary Building[edit]
The temporary Circus Krone Building that was built following the destruction of the original building featured a wooden structure with 1,800 seats.[5]
Current Building[edit]
The current Circus Krone Building consists of a permanent 3,000-seat performance arena as well as a series of annexes used to house Circus Krone’s animals, rehearsal space, administrative offices, and dressing rooms.[1] These annexes consist of 330 trailers, baggage and equipment vehicles, and stables.[12] The Circus Krone Building venue also consists of infrastructure including workshops, kitchens, fire service, and waste disposal system. In terms of the performance arena, it was constructed using 4 steel masts, 4 steel lattice auxiliary masts, 12 square poles, 120 Rondel poles, and 250 iron anchors, with a permanently darkened roof.[13]
Performers and Events[edit]
Original Building[edit]
The original Circus Krone Building, from its opening in 1919 until its destruction in 1944, was used by its owner, Circus Krone, every year to perform their circus show during the winter months. When the winter program concluded, Circus Krone would convert into a travelling circus, touring multiple cities around Europe to present their summer program for the remaining months of the year. During the circus’ absence, the Circus Krone Building was rented for various events, providing an avenue of income for Circus Krone to offset the costly nature of its international tours.[6]
After World War I formally concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was required to accept sole responsibility for the damage caused in the war and pay reparations to the Allies of World War I. The burden of the reparations required resulted in economic and social disorder throughout the post-World War I years.[14] During that time, the Circus Krone Building hosted meetings and speeches for civic, political, and religious organisations. Among these included the Nazi Party, in which leading figures of the party delivered speeches in the building.[2] Adolf Hitler delivered 7 scheduled speeches in the Circus Krone Building between 1920 and 1930.[3] In 1933, the Nazi Party organised a mass rally at the Circus Krone Building which senior members of the party spoke at, including Hans Frank, Hanns Kerrl, Roland Freisler, and Julius Streicher. Lawyers in Munich were invited to view the rally.[15] On Nov. 8, 1944, the building was the site of the last official commemoration of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, most of Munich's beer halls having been wrecked by Allied bombing.[16]
Temporary Building[edit]
The temporary Circus Krone Building which was opened in 1945 allowed Circus Krone to resume its performances at the request of the U.S. occupation forces. The circus shows continued until 1946, when U.S. occupation forces confiscated Circus krone and the Circus Krone Building from the Krone family. Upon restoring the company and building back to the Krone family in 1948, the winter circus show program resumed in the Circus Krone Building.
On 18 April 1958, Hans Werner Richter delivered a speech in the Circus Krone Building on behalf of the Committee against Atomic Armaments.[17]
The Big Show, a 1961 film starring Esther Williams and Cliff Robertson was filmed in the Circus Krone Building.[18]
Current Building[edit]
Unchanged from the original building, the current Circus Krone Building is occupied every year in the winter season by its owner, Circus Krone, to perform their winter circus program. The current iteration of the program features 3 parts, each with its own theme, that runs for one month each from Christmas Day until the beginning of April the following year. Also unchanged is Circus Krone’s summer program where the circus tours Europe, performing in multiple cities. As such, the Circus Krone Building continues to be rented to third parties to host a variety events, including concerts, cabarets, musicals, comedy shows, television and film recordings, company presentations, and press conferences.
From 1959 until 2008, the Circus Krone Building hosted the annual televised German gala, Stars in der Manege. The television show was a charity fundraiser in which celebrities such as film stars and sports personalities were invited to perform circus acts with Circus Krone’s animals.[5]
In 1965, two episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show were filmed in the Circus Krone Building. Sullivan stated that one of the reasons for hosting his show in a circus was that “Circus show ratings far exceed most others. They are wonderful for my audience”.[19]
The Rolling Stones performed in the Circus Krone Building during two of their tours. On 14 September 1965, the Rolling Stones performed 2 shows in the Circus Krone Building as part of The Rolling Stones 4th European Tour 1965.[20] More recently, on 8 June 2003, the Rolling Stones performed in the Circus Krone Building as part of their Licks Tour.[21]
The Beatles performed two shows on 24 June 1966 in the Circus Krone Building as part of The Beatles’ 1966 tour of Germany, Japan and the Philippines.[22] These concerts were the first stage of their 1966 world tour. The final leg of the world tour, The Beatles’ 1966 US tour, was the last tour The Beatles performed.[23]
AC/DC headlined in the Circus Krone Building during three of their tours. For their 1976 Rainbow European Tour, AC/DC performed in the Circus Krone Building on 29 September 1976.[24] The band returned to the Circus Krone Building on 24 November 1979, for a concert as part of their 1979 Highway to Hell European Tour.[25] More recently, AC/DC performed in the Circus Krone Building on 17 June 2003, as part of the Club Dates/Rolling Stones Tour.[26]
Muhammad Ali appeared as a guest on Episode 3 of the third season of Am laufenden Band, which aired on 22 May 1976. This episode of the German television game show was filmed in the Circus Krone Building. On May 23, 1976, the weigh-in for Muhammad Ali vs. Richard Dunn, was conducted in the Circus Krone Building. Moments after Muhammad Ali stepped off the scales, the wooden stage of the Circus Krone Building collapsed, resulting in Ali and 25 other people falling through the hole which had opened in the floor. No serious injuries were reported, although three members of Ali’s entourage were treated at a hospital.[27]
On 16 November 2013, Jamie Cullum performed a concert to a sold-out audience in the Circus Krone Building. Following his concert, Cullum was condemned by animal rights groups for his decision to perform in the venue on the grounds that the building’s owner, Circus Krone, continues to exhibit animals in their circus shows when they perform in the building in the winter season. Cullum responded via a spokesman, who said, “I can confirm that no animals featured in his performance and that he does not condone the use of live animals as a form of entertainment.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ abcd'Circus Krone // MUNICHfound.com'. www.munichfound.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ abAnheier, Helmut K.; Neidhardt, Friedhelm; Vortkamp, Wolfgang (June 1998). 'Movement Cycles and the Nazi Party: Activities of the Munich NSDAP, 1925-1930'. American Behavioral Scientist. 41 (9): 1262–1281. doi:10.1177/0002764298041009006. ISSN0002-7642.
- ^ abcKershaw, Ian (1999). Hitler (First American ed.). New York. ISBN0-393-04671-0. OCLC39654944.
- ^Leipsic, Jeffrey (October 2014). 'In Review: Munich'. Opera News. 79 (4): 50–51.
- ^ abc'Christel Sembach-Krone, ran family circus – obituary'. The Telegraph. 2017-07-10. ISSN0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ abcdef'Circus Krone - Circopedia'. www.circopedia.org. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Jürgens, Anna-Sophie (2016-09-01). 'Circus as idée fixe and Hunger'. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture. 18 (3). doi:10.7771/1481-4374.2821. ISSN1481-4374.
- ^ ab'Jamie Cullum accused of condoning animal cruelty over performance at'. The Independent. 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Bassett, Jackie (2015-02-13). 'From Tusks to Trapezes: Munich's Circus Krone'. MunichNOW. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^'Christel Sembach-Krone'. ISSN0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Gordon, Sara (July 2008). 'Circus Krone'. The White Tops. 81 (4): 44–45.
- ^'CIRCUS KRONE – A SUPERLATIVE CIRCUS STEEPED IN TRADITION'. www.pfistermuehle.de. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Reladvisorapi (2019). 'Circus Krone'. Reladvisorapi Eurotherm. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Moses, John A. (March 2015). 'The War Guilt Question: A Note on Politics and Historiography in the Weimar Republic'. Australian Journal of Politics & History. 61 (1): 128–134. doi:10.1111/ajph.12091.
- ^'Invitation to a 'mass rally' at the Circus Krone in Munich « 1933'. www.jmberlin.de. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Ramsey, Winston (January 1, 1989). 'Der Neunte Elfte'. After the Battle. 4 (61).
- ^Nehring, Holger (November 2005). 'National Internationalists: British and West German Protests against Nuclear Weapons, the Politics of Transnational Communications and the Social History of the Cold War, 1957–1964'. Contemporary European History. 14 (4): 559–582. doi:10.1017/S0960777305002766. ISSN0960-7773.
- ^Amusement Business (2004-06-23). 'The way it was...June 26, 1961'. Amusement Business. 115 (25): 23.
- ^'Under the Big Top in Munich, an Ed Sullivan Show'. Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Carr, Roy. (1976). The Rolling Stones : an illustrated record. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN0-517-52642-5. OCLC2151050.
- ^'The Rolling Stones Setlist at Circus Krone, Munich'. setlist.fm. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Turner, Steve, 1949- (25 October 2016). Beatles '66 : the revolutionary year (First ed.). New York, NY. ISBN978-0-06-247548-0. OCLC938360880.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^Runtagh, Jordan (2016-08-29). 'Hear the Beatles' Last-Ever Concert'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^'AC/DC Tour History - 29 Sep. 1976 Munchen (Circus Krone)'. www.ac-dc.net. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^'AC/DC Tour History - 24 Nov. 1979 Munchen (Circus Krone)'. www.ac-dc.net. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^'AC/DC Tour History - 17 Jun. 2003 Munchen (Circus Krone)'. www.ac-dc.net. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^Times, Michael Katz Special to The New York (1976-05-24). 'Ali Unhurt as Stage Collapses; Weighs 220 for Tonight's Bout'. The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
External links[edit]
- 'Circus Krone Building official website'.
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Munich. |
| Circus Krone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | circus | |||
| Owner | 1905-1943: Carl Krone (1870-1943) 1943: Ida Krone (1879-1957) 1943-1995: Frieda Sembach-Krone (1915-1995) 1995-2017: Christl Sembach-Krone (1936-2017) 2017-now: Jana Pilz-Lacey | |||
| Founded | 1905 | |||
| First elephant arrived | 1886 | |||
| Address | Zirkus-Krone-Straße 1-6 | |||
| Zip-code | D-80335 | |||
| Place | Munich | |||
| Region | Bavaria | |||
| Country | Germany | |||
| Website | http://www.circus-krone.com | |||
| Directors | Owners | |||
| Veterinarians | Dr. Christine Lendl | |||
| Head keepers of elephants | Stable masters: Hubert Mirow Harry Philadelphia-Huling Harry Jahn 1982-1998: Banda Puntha Vidane 1998-2000: Patricia Zerbini 2000-2001: Dan Koehl 2002- Now: James Puydebois | |||
| Relevant literature | ||||
Circus Krone, located at Zirkus-Krone-Straße 1-6, in Munich, in Germany, was founded in 1905 and the first elephant arrived in 1886.
1870: Karl and Frederike Krone (born Philadelphia) founded Menagerie Continental.
1870-10-21: Carl Krone jr (1870-1943) was born in Osnabrück.
1882: Fritz Krone was killed by a bear. Carl Krone left school and began his career with the circus.
1883: name changed to Krones Zoologische Ausstellung
1898: name changed to Carl Krones menageri-circus.
1900-02-01: Carl Krone Sr died.
1905: The new circus was founded with the name Circus Charles.
1905: The circus had 2 elephants.
1914: The name was changed again, to Circus Krone.
1915-04-15: Frieda Krone (1915-1995) was born.
By the end of the war, Krone was almost on Bankruptcy, and in Frankfurt Karl Krone made a telephone call to Firma Ruhe in Alfeld, and offered to send back elephants which were still not paid. Ruhe came to Frankfurt and borrowed the money, which was needed to bring to circus to Munich., and so the circus survived. (Source: Wilde Tiere frei Haus by Hermann Ruhe)
1918: the present winterquarters in Munich was bought for the growing circus.
1919: 10 elephants.
1923: 14 elephants.
1928: The show 683 animals (100 carnivores, 250 horses and 27 elephants).
1932: 26 elephants.
1933: Carl Sembach started to train Krones carnivores.
1935: Carl Sembach married Frieda Krone.
1936: Christl Sembach-Krone (1936-2017) was born.
1943-06-04 Carl Krone died in Salzburg, 77 years old.
1944: The 26 elephants were brought to salt mines in Bad Reichenhall, where they were protected from bombings.
1944-12-21 The winterquarters in Munich are destroyed during bombings.
1945-1949: Due the post-war problems, The circus was not on tour.
1949: 9 elephants, in the end of the year 14.
1956: Ida Krone died in Munich, 80 years old.
1967: winterquarters rebuilt and modernized
1967: 14 elephants.
1967-04-08: two yongsters in the town Mannheim put the elephant tent on fire, and the 14 elephants were saved, but eight of them were burned severely, and six of the eight with second grade of firewounds, died, or had to be euthanised.
1998: The elephants were from this year transported with trailers, instead of with train.
The stable in Munich, 2000. Photo: © Jutta Kirchner
Krone elephants and Dan Koehl, 1998. Photo © Jan Lindblad Jr.
Zirkus Krone Programm
Recommended Citation
Zirkus Krone Speech Hitler
Koehl, Dan (2020). Circus Krone, Elephant Encyclopedia. Available online at https://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=21. (archived at the Wayback machine)Sources used for this article is among others:
- Circus Krone by Frieda Sembach-Krone
- Page 198 Wilde Tiere frei Haus by Hermann Ruhe (in german)
- Jumbo auf dem Drahtseil - Elefanten dressuren von gestern und heute by Gerhard Zapf
- Circus Krone. Von der Menagerie zum größten Circus Europas, by Klaus-Dieter Kürschner
- Christl Sembach-Krone, Munich
- Elefanten in Zoo und Circus, EEG: Haufellner, Kurt, Schilfarth, Schweiger
- Survey 2008 - Elephants in European circuses published by European Elephant Group: Tobias Dornbusch, Jürgen Schilfarth
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Zirkus Krone Muenchen
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