Dates

• Existence: c1884 - 2018

Biography

Circus Busch-Roland was established in 1884 in Denmark by German showman Paul Busch. In 1891 the circus relocated to Germany, first to Hamburg and four years later to a specially erected grand building in the centre of Berlin. By the 1920s the circus had passed onto Paul’s daughter Paula Busch.

In 1937, urban development involving political rivalries forced the demolition of the Busch circus building and plans to rebuild it after World War Two failed in spite of Paula’s efforts. The post war years were hard but Paula continued rebuilding the family business as a travelling circus. Circus Busch finally re-established itself in the early 1950s and started to travel around Germany and other neighbouring European countries. However, the 1960s brought about a decline in audiences and the business started to experience financial difficulties. This prompted the merge of Circus Busch and Circus Roland into Circus Busch-Roland. In 1990, after the fall of the German Democratic Republic, Bush-Roland bought the Busch name off the Eastern German Circus Bus and continued operating until 2010 when they stopped travelling.

After 2010 Circus Busch-Roland could only be seen at their annual Christmas Circus show in Dresden, which they delivered until 2018.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records: