[club1543502|The Old Kharkov Circus].3 photos

At the beginning of the 20th century, when circuses had become a common form of entertainment for the public and generated stable income, entrepreneurs began to get involved in this field. The first among them was Heinrich Grikke, who had made his fortune in the orange business. On the southern side of the Gendarmerie Square, he first built a wooden circus tent, and later, in 1905–1906, according to the designs of V. V. Krustaliov, M. S. Komornitsky, and B. N. Korenenko, he constructed the city's first stone circus. In addition to being equipped with advanced technologies of the time, such as electric lighting and central heating, the venue was also versatile; its seating area could be transformed into a theater when necessary. One legend associated with the old circus recounts that the son of a merchant named Grikke fell in love with a circus acrobat and married her. The beautiful woman allegedly dreamed of owning her own circus, and Grikke’s circus became her wedding gift. But this is just a legend. The history of the Old Circus, also known as Heinrich Grikke’s Circus-Theater, is connected to many famous names and significant events. Not only acrobats, jugglers, trainers, and comedians performed here, but also theater troupes led by renowned Ukrainian actors such as M. L. Kropivnitsky, P. K. Saksagansky, and M. K. Sadovskiy. In 1912–1913, the “Public Theater” founded by N. N. Sinelnikov also operated here. Author of the article: Alexander Rudnev Source: vk.com/old_kharkov #Kharkov #History_of_Harbor City