Circus Krone (Established 1905)
Dates
- Existence: Established 1905
Biography
Circus Krone was founded by Carl Krone (1870-1943) in 1905, after he inherited his father’s Continental Menagerie in 1900. In 1919 Krone commissioned a permanent wooden structure in Munich to serve as a performance venue in the winter season and the circus’ headquarters. During the summer season when Krone went back on the road, the building was hired out for events and between 1920 and 1930 it was infamously used by the Nazi Party to deliver political speeches, including seven by Hitler himself.
The circus continued operating throughout the Second World War until in 1944 the building was destroyed by heavy allied bombardment. The following year a temporary structure was built in its place at the request of U.S. allied forces who wanted to present a show to General George S. Patton. Although the Krone family were able to go back to the business, this was only for a short time as the building was confiscated by the American governors between 1946 and 1948. Eventually, the building was returned to the family, which at this point the business was in the hands of Carl’s daughter Frieda Sembach-Krone and her husband Carl Sembach. The erection of a replacement permanent building however was not completed until 1962.
Between 1959 and 2008, the Circus Krone Building hosted the annual televised German gala, Stars in der Manege. During the 1960s and 1970s it hosted some of the biggest popular music names of all times including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and AC/DC and a range of international personalities such as Muhammad Ali.
Circus Krone remains one of the largest in Europe and one of the few in Western Europe, along with Cirque d'hiver, Cirque d'hiver d'Amiens, Cirque Roya, Yarmouth Hippodrome and Blackpool Tower Circus to occupy a permanent building.
Circus Krone remains in the same family to this day and continues to operate the same business model as at is inception, travelling during the summer season while renting the building out, and delivering the family’s circus shows in the winter season.
Found in 31 Collections and/or Records:
3 Ring Circus, Caroli Family, Busch Roland, Cirque Jean Richard and Freida Semback Krone Circus Films, 1954 - 1982
16th Monte Carlo Circus Festival, Cicus Maximum and Circus Krone Films, 1991 - 1996
23 Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, 21 Zirjusfestival, Zirkus van Morgen, Cirque du Demain, Stars in der Manege and Cirkus Krone Films, 1998 - 2002
Blackpool Tower Circus Posters, c1930 - 1990
Posters for Blackpool Tower Circus including shows by Knie's Circus, Circus Krone, Circus Schumann, Bertram Mills Circus, Robert Brothers Circus and performances by Charlie Cairoli, Doddles, Coco the Clown, The Rosaires, Lilly Yokoi, Alfred Court, Vojtek Trubka, The Great Wallendas and Mary Chipperfield among others.
Blackpool Tower Circus Programme, Summer season 1956
Christopher Palmer Collection
Circus programmes and VHS tapes from Billy Smart’s Circus and Chipperfields’s Circus collected during the 1970s and early 1980s by the TV producer, Christopher John Palmer. There are also a number of promotional photographs of artistes and other ephemera related to the circus.
Circus Films, c1950 - 1959
Copy of film on DVD showing circus scenes outside the tent, circus parade, trampoline acts, female aerial acts, acrobatics, clowning, wild animal acts, equestrian acts, dancing, tumbling, slack rope act, animal performance, city views and tents and buildings for Circus Krone, Pinders and Billy Smart Circus. Colour, silent.
Circus Friends Association Collection
This collection consists of a large library of books and journals, as well as archival material including posters, programmes, photographs, films, handbills, research material, scrapbooks, original artwork and many other items of ephemera relating to British, Irish and European circuses
Circus Krone and Jumbo Films, 1984
Bayerischen Rundfunks, Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Colour, sound and background music. DVD1 Circus Krone tv broadcast, showing circus acts and animal acts, narrated in German, 1984, 'Stars in der Manege' Circus Krone tv broadcast, gala in favour of old artiste and journalists in Circus Kronen, narrated in German, 02:00:21 mins. DVD2 Billy Rose's Jumbo film starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye, 02:12:19 mins. Germany and America.
Circus Krone, Circus Knie, 7th Massy Festival and 24th Monte Carlo Circus Festival Films, 1999 - 2002
Circus Krone Poster, c1980 - 1989
Ulm. Colour illustration of animals and acts.
Circus Krone Programme, 1 - 28 February 1979
Insert of programme only. Various artists. Contains illustration, 4p.p.
Circus Krone Programme, 1979
Various artists. Contains illustrations on cover with photos, 48p.p.
Circus Krone Programme, 1980
Various artists including Oleg Popov, clown. Contains illustration on cover and photos, 44p.p.
Circus Photographs, 1953 - 1992
Colour and black and white photographs of Jay Miller's Circus, Mike Austin's Circus, Gerry Cottle's Circus, Robert Brothers Circus, Chipperfield's Circus, Circus Krone, Circus Paulos and Gandey's Circus including tents, performers and acts, also Bertam Mills and Blackpool Tower Circus posters, circus enthisiast events, circus models, also a wedding at Galaxy Circus.
Cyril Critchlow Collection
Digger Pugh Collection
Archive of the Digger Pugh family including newspaper cuttings, photographs, negatives, business records, programmes, research material, posters and films.
Films, 1927 - 2007
Compilation of circus films showing acts on the ring as well as interviews with performers and proprietors, mainly produced by tv companies in the UK and Europe. Many of them narrated in German.
Films, c1950 - 1959
Please notice that 178D24.4 contains scenes of animal cruelty and human fatalities. Copies of films on DVD format showing performers at various circus around the world, travelling scenes, scenic views, performers behind the scenes, film sets. Black and white and colour, sound.
German Circuses Programmes, 1952 - 2007
Programmes for German circuses including Circus Krone, Aladin, German National Circus, Circus Stey, Circus Nock, Circus Bavaria, Circus Royal, Friedrichstadt-Palast, Alberti, Cirkus Frankello, Hagenbeck, Brumbach and others, containing colour illustrations and photographs on the front covers, inside black and white and colour photographs of perfomers and acts with text, programme and commercial advertising.