The history of the current rehearsal ring begins in the heart of Berlin when Harry Barlay opens his circus building in the Friedrichstrasse on the 25th of December 1948. After Barlay escapes from East-Germany with his circus the building is left behind and becomes State owned. It is renamed to Circus Busch and the last show there takes place on the 25th of February 1963. The reason that was given for the closure of the building is that there were constructional defects.
The building is not dismantled until 1966/67. Its location was to be used for the construction of the new Friedrichstadst-Palast that openend in 1984 and that still stands today.
The part of the circus building that covered the circus ring is saved and in 1967 it is rebuild in the newly second part of the East-German State Circus Winter Quarters in Hoppegarten. Until the end of this enterprise this circus building was still called the Barlay building by the many artists and animal trainers who used it to train and rehearse.
Thanks to the initiative of Markus Quaiser in 2012 the building and the attached old stables were listed as a monument. Thanks to this the buildings still stand today, whilst most other parts of the former Winter Quarters have been torn down and replaced by houses.
Address
Former Winter Quarters Objekt II STAATSZIRKUS DER DDR
Am Winterquartier
15366 Hoppegarten
Germany
Gallery
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