Althoff (circus)

The Althoff circus family is one of the oldest and greatest artists and circus dynasties in the world. Its origin can be traced back to the year 1660. The dynasty was divided into more than 70 companies and to this day several circuses travel under the name "Althoff".

history

origin

The origin of the Althoff circus dynasty lies in the town of Freialdenhoven in North Rhine-Westphalia . According to legend, a foundling was found here in 1660 . Since his parents were not known, the boy was named "Michael Aldenhoven" after the place where he was found. Later he founded the first Althoff circus here. The family members traveled as jugglers , actors , acrobats and trainers through the marketplaces of the villages and towns. Nevertheless, the family kept their property in Freialdenhoven and had their winter quarters in the "Althoffstrasse" named after them until the Second World War .

Name change

In the early years the family was still known as "von Aldenhoven", but over time the name changed to the shorter "Althoff". Since 1770 the entries in the chronicles of the place Freialdenhoven were made under this name.

Expansion phase

In the times of Napoleon , Althoff's art riders and tightrope walkers received a certificate from the emperor that gave them the right to perform in France . After the now well-known travel tent circus established itself from England around the turn of the century 1799/1800 , the Althoffs were considered pioneers in German-speaking countries.

particularities

• Franz-Althoff-Bau : In the post-war years, a circus was run at Frankfurt Zoo by Oskar Hoppe, who contributed to the rebuilding of the zoo with his income. Hoppe intended to build a solid concrete structure, which the then zoo director Bernhard Grzimek disliked. He feared that the area would later not be available for the operation of the zoo, which was under construction. With the Frankfurt city council, Grzimek won through with another proposal: Circus director Franz Althoff built a larger, but transportable wooden structure with a steel frame for over 3,000 visitors. In this, the game was started in the winter of 1947/48. Operetta and theater performances, concerts, ballet evenings as well as dance, radio and sporting events as well as church services and political rallies took place. Until the final dismantling in 1956, the venue was never used for a circus performance. In between, for example, the building was in Stuttgart (1949). In 1951 a big jazz festival took place there in Frankfurt and in 1953 a concert by Louis Armstrong . In 1956 the building was sold to Leipzig and continued to be used by the Eros circus located there .

• Elefant Tuffi : On July 21, 1950, Althoff Circus had its teenage elephant Tuffi ride the Wuppertal suspension railway for advertising purposes . After just a few meters, the nervous animal broke through a side wall of the train and landed hardly injured in the Wupper. Souvenirs with Tuffi motifs are still available in Wuppertal today.

family

Due to the long circus tradition and the relationship with many other circus families in Europe , the number of people has become almost unmanageable. Over the years, 72 circus companies with the name Althoff have emerged from around 28 renowned circus families . Several different circuses often have the same name. Many family members also have the same first name, so it is often difficult to differentiate between them.

Starting from the original line (UR), the Freialdenhoven, the family is initially divided into 3 main lines. These are the Celler Line (CE), the Märkische Linie (MÄ) and the Rheinische Linie (RH). In the meantime, the latter, the Rheinische Linie, is further subdivided into the Badener Line (BA), the Münsteraner Line (MÜ) and the Palatinate Line (PF). In addition to these main family lines, there is also a so-called Althoff pseudo-line (PS). To what extent there is a relationship with the other lines is disputed. They carried the name Altorff until 1940, but could call themselves Althoff from 1940 according to a court order.

Original line

The ancestral line goes back to the ancestor of the family, a Michael. There are no documents pertaining to this person and his existence has been transmitted through oral tradition. The first of the dynasty that documents provide information is Michael's son, Johannes (alias Pierre), born in 1691. Until the middle of the 18th century they appeared under the name Aldenhoven. Then the name was changed first to Althof and finally to Althoff.

Circus	founding		founder	Born	Died
Arena Althoff	?		Jakobus Althoff	1732	1836
Circus WA Althoff	?		Wilhelm A. Althoff	1807	?
High wire troop	?		August Althoff	1815	1878
Riding company	?		Ferdinand Althoff	1815	1888

The three sons of Jakobus Althoff can be seen as the founders of today's various lines. Wilhelm A. founded the Rheinische Linien, August the Celler Linie and Ferdinand the Märkische Linie.

Celler line

The Celler line is the smallest of the various Althoff lines. Between 1815 and 1950 this line produced only two circuses.

Circus	founding		Directorate	Born	Died
Circus W. Althoff	?		Wilhelm Althoff	1815	1878
Circus A. Althoff	~ 1900		August Althoff	1875	1950

Märkische line

In the Märkische Linie there were only five circuses that bore the name Althoff. But many members of this line have close contact with other circus families. Henriette Althoff (* 1868) was married to Carl Probst and ran the circus with her husband before her son took it over. Her son Ernst (1905–1980) directed the Sarani Circus, founded in 1945. Further contacts exist with Circus Roberti, Circus Westfalia, Circus Weisheit, Circus Mark, Circus legs and the Arena legs.

Circus	founding		Directorate	Born	Died
Circus J. Althoff	~ 1865		Johann Althoff	1840	1908
Circus A. Althoff	1870		Anton Althoff	1842	1898
Circus L. Althoff (Hippodrome)	1870		Lisette Althoff ∞ N. Reuss	1844	1873
Circus M. Althoff	?		Marie Althoff ∞ Sabletzki	1847	1924
First cinema circus	1903		Ferdinand Althoff	1871	1945

Rhenish line

Due to the extensive branching of the Rhenish line, it is partly divided into three further lines (Badener, Münsteraner and Palatinate). The members of the Rheinische Stammlinie have family contacts to Circus Barley, Circus Williams, Circus Helena, Circus Apollo and Circus Alberto.

Grave of Franz Althoff

Grave of Franziska Folco geb. Althoff

Circus	founding		Directorate	Born	Died
Circus A. Althoff	1881		Adolf Althoff	1852	1912
Circus D. Althoff	1905		Dominik Althoff	1882	1974
Circus Jack Althoff	?		August Althoff	1888	1939
Ackermann Hippodrome	1921		Klara Althoff ∞ F. Ackermann	1892	1975
Circus Franz Althoff "Rennbahn-Circus"	1937		Franz Althoff	1908	1987
Circus Adolf Althoff	1939		Adolf Althoff	1913	1998
Circus Williams	1945		Carola Williams	1903	1987
Circus Williams-Althoff	1976		Franz Althoff "Box Franz"	1943
Horse Palace	1996		Franz Althoff "Box Franz"	1943

The family around Dominik Althoff, including his eight children, belongs to the most important branch of the Rheinische Linie. With the "Rennbahn-Circus" one of the most famous circuses belonged to this line. Important representatives of the Rhenish Line are:

• Dominik Althoff (* 1882; † 1974): father of Carola (* 1903; † 1987), Sabine, Helene, Franz , Henriette, Minna, Jeannette, Adolf Althoff , Norbert Dominik and Margarete.

• Carola Williams (* 1903; † 1987): Carola Williams, b. Althoff, was Dominik Althoff's oldest child. In 1931 she married the artist Harry Barlay and founded her first own company, the Circus Barlay. From 1936, together with her brother Franz, they managed their parents' company until the Second World War. In 1941 she married the jockey and animal trainer Harry Williams; the couple had three children together, Jeanette, Emanuela (1945–1947) and Alfons. After the death of her husband in 1950, she directed Circus Williams until 1968. She died in Cologne in 1987.

• Franz Althoff (* 1908; † 1987): Franz Althoff, brother of Adolf Althoff, ran the famous "Rennbahn-Circus" Franz Althoff. Franz and his son Harry (* 1938) were present at the famous accident with the elephant Tuffi in 1950. Franz Althoff is also the father of Franziska Althoff (* 1948). The "Racetrack Circus" and its special construction wereimmortalizedin the 1964 US film Circus World with John Wayne , Claudia Cardinale and Rita Hayworth .

• Adolf Althoff (* 1913; † 1998): Adolf Althoff was born during a circus performance in a caravan as the second youngest of eight children. He was an artist , tamer and at the age of 22 he took over his father's circus. For the rescue of the Jewish artist family around Irene Danner (* 1922) - including mother Alice Danner, b. Lorch (1902–1994) - during the Nazi era , he and his wife Maria were given the honorary title of Righteous Among the Nations in 1995. Adolf Althoff had a daughter Helene (* 1946) and a son Franz (* 1943). The latter ran the Williams-Althoff Circus.

• Franz Althoff jr. (Kisten Franz) (* 1943): Franz Althoff jr., Son of Adolf Althoff, founded the Williams-Althoff circus and directed it until it was sold in 1996. After that, he started the “Horse Palace” project (tours: “Magic Forest”, “ Goa ”), a musical theater with horses. Circus director Franz Althoff was convicted of tax evasion in 1994 and 2004.

• Circus Althoff-Williams (1970–1996): Franz Althoff jr., Also worked as the Moscow State Circus, later traveled as a horse palace or magic forest

Baden line

Circus	founding		Directorate	Born	Died
Circus J. Althoff	~ 1850		Jakob Althoff	1836	1889
Circus Harry Althoff	1900		Harry Althoff	1873	1960
Circus Stephan Althoff	1910		Stephan Althoff	1890	?

Münster line

The Münsteraner line is mainly about the history of the Circus Corty & Althoff , which was run by the Althoffs for three generations. The circus was founded as a cooperation between Pierre Corty and the Circus Corty on the one hand and Dominikus Althoff on the other. Dominikus married Adele Corty.

Circus	founding		Directorate	Born	Died
Circus Corty & Althoff	1853		Dominikus Althoff & Pierre Corty	1841	1887
			Pierre Althoff	1869	1924
			Adele Althoff ∞ Harry Williams	1870	1887
Circus Hermann Althoff			Helene Althoff ∞ Hermann Althoff (PF)	1879	1938

Palatinate Line

Circus W. Althoff Palatinate Line

Circus	founding		Directorate	Born	Died
Circus W. Althoff	1854		Anton-Wilhelm Althoff	1830	1892
	1890		Wilhelm Althoff	1853	1934
	1927		Willi Althoff	1877	1932
Circus Jean-Baptist Althoff	1882		Johann Carl Althoff	1861	1887
Circus Althoff-Foureaux			Katharine Althoff ∞ Adalbert Foureaux	1863	1943
Circus Althoff-Kuhlen	1885		Katharine Althoff ∞ August Kuhlen	1863	1943
Circus Pierre Althoff	1897		Peter Althoff	1866	1924
Circus Jack Althoff	1895		Jakob Althoff	1870	?
Circus H. Althoff	1899		Heinrich Althoff	1872	1915
Circus Hermann Althoff	1910		Hermann Althoff ∞ Helene Althoff (MT)	1877	1929

"Osnabrücker Line", emerged from the Brandenburg line

Circus	founding		Directorate	Born	Died
Circus of Nations	1966		Rudolf Althoff	1909	1976
Circus Carl Althoff	1938		August Berno Carl Althoff	1912	1994
Circus Carl Althoff & Carl Bush	1955		August Berno Carl Althoff Carl Bush	1912	1994
Austrian National Circus	1973		Friederike Althoff (Elfi Althoff)	1914	1995
Circus Ploetz Althoff	1947		Friederike Althoff ∞ Karl Ploetz (PF)	1914	1995
Circus Althoff brothers	1972		Giovanni Althoff Corty Althoff
Circus Corty Althoff	1978		Corty Althoff	1938
Circus Giovanni Althoff	1980		Giovanni Althoff	1937

Known family members:

• Carl Althoff (March 13, 1912 to May 12, 1994): Carl Althoff was born in a caravan and worked in the ring as a child. During the Second World War he took over the circus from his father and expanded it over the years to become the third largest circus in the world. Carl Althoff worked as a classic circus director and ran the circus until 1981. Carl Althoff had two sons, Giovanni and Corty Althoff and a daughter, Patricia-Dorota Althoff.

• Elfi Althoff-Jacobi (1914 - 1995): Elfi Althoff-Jacobi, sister of Rudi and Carl Althoff, directed the Austrian national circus "Circus Althoff-Jacoby" until 1993. She was born on March 31, 1994 in Baden on her 80th birthday "Ernst Renz badge" awarded.

Well-known circus companies:

• Circus Carl Althoff : During World War II, Carl Althoff took over the circus from his father. The circus survived the war largely unscathed and also escaped denazification. This enabled him to reopen his tents as the first post-war circus. The circus quickly expanded and became the third largest circus in the world with more than 400 people and 250 animals. In the 1970s, it was the first western circus to receive approval to perform in what was then socialist Poland . At times the circus appeared under the name "Californian National Circus".

No Althoffs

Circus	founding		Directorate	Born	Died
Circus Rene & Patrizia Althoff			Rene Althoff Patrizia Althoff	?	?

Franz-Richard Althoff , RH-Linie (* 1930, † 2002): Even without his own business and remained childless, he adopted Rene and Patrizia Fischer, who now run the Circus Rene and Patrizia Althoff. The adoption was only for business reasons, because of the name.

Circus companies whose allocation within the Althoff line is unknown:

• Circus "Kasja en Alberto Althoff" (Dutch circus)
• Circus siblings Althoff (1936–1939): Adolf and Helene Althoff
• Circus Helene Althoff (* 1939): Helene Althoff (RH) 1907–1997, married in second marriage to Oskar Hoppe. Founded the Circus Helene Hoppe in 1939. She was the daughter of Dominik Althoff (RH; 1883–1974). In the third marriage to Hans Kossmayer and had the Circus Apollo in the 1950s.

Family members of the Althoff dynasty not only ran circuses that bore the name Althoff, but also often chose other names, took over or ran other large circus companies or married into other circus dynasties. Many Althoffs were also only active as artists without having founded or directed their own circus. Therefore the family connections go further than through the namesakes. There are family relationships with the following circus families:

• Althoff , Viviana Francesca (born August 24, 1973 in England), daughter of Franz and Nadia Althoff
• Althoff , Nadia (born Brizio, born April 23, 1944 in Novara), ∞ Franz Peter Althoff
• Althoff , Franz Peter (born August 9, 1944 in Eickelborn), son of Adolf Althoff and Johanna Althoff (née Frentz)
• Ackermann ; Klara Althoff (RH; * 1892; † 1981), ∞ F. Ackermann; Hippodrome Ackermann, Circus Alberto
• Bach, Beate , (PF; * 1962) artist, great-granddaughter of Katharina Althoff and Adalbert Foureaux
• Barley ; Carola Althoff (RH; * 1903; † 1987), first marriage ∞ H. Barley; Circus Barley
• Legs ; Johanna Althoff (MÄ; * 1852, †?), ∞ Hermann legs; Arena legs, circus legs
• Messengers ; Maria Botschen (nee Weiss), cousin of S. Althoff
• Brumbach ; Lulu Althoff (PF & MÜ; * 1905; † 1953), ∞ Gustav Brumbach; Circus Bavaria
• Ironer
• Corty ; Adele Corty (* 1840; † 1909), ∞ Dominikus Althoff (* 1841; † 1887); Circus Corty, Circus Corty & Althoff
• Dejean ; Louise Dejean, ∞ Pierre Corty, parents of Adele Althoff (née Corty); French State Circus, Circus Corty & Althoff
• Edwards ; Philippina Althoff (PF; * 1894; † 1980), ∞ Bruno Edwards; Circus Edwards
• Foureaux ; Katharina Althoff (PF; * 1863; † 1943), first marriage ∞ Adalb. Foureaux (June 21, 1858 - February 11, 1890); Daughters from this marriage: Anna (born September 6, 1888) and Philippine (born July 4, 1890) Foureaux, Circus Althoff-Foureaux, Circus Foureaux
• Warbler ; Philippina Althoff (née Grasmück), ∞ Anton Wilhelm Althoff (* 1830; † 1892)
• Hendricks
• Wood miller
• Hoppe ; Helene Althoff (RH; * 1907, †?), In second marriage ∞ Oskar Hoppe; Circus Helena
• Emperor
• Cooling ; Katharina Althoff (PF; * 1863; † 1943), in second marriage ∞ August Kuhlen; Circus Althoff-Kuhlen
• Lorch ; Alphonse Althoff (MÜ; * 1873; † 1916), in second marriage ∞ Rosa Lorch (* 1876; † 1959)
• Mark ; Henriette Althoff (MÄ; * 1846, †?), ∞ Rudolf Mark; Circus Mark
• Nock
• Probst ; Henriette Althoff (MÄ; * 1868, †?), ∞ Carl Probst; Circus Probst, Circus Sarani
• Renz
• Röber ; Minna Althoff (MÄ; * 1843, †?), ∞ Robert Röber; Circus Roberti
• Rossi ; Pierre Althoff (MT; * 1869; † 1924), ∞ Adele Rossi; Circus Corty & Althoff
• Sonnier ; Sabine Althoff b. Sonnier
• Sparse
• Spindler
• Scholl
• Stey
• von der Gathen (Maria von der Gathen, wife of Adolf Althoff)
• Wisdom ; Hildegard Probst (daughter of Henriette and Carl Probst), ∞ K. Weisheit
• White
• Weitzmann
• Williams ; Carola Althoff (RH; * 1903; † 1987), in second marriage ∞ H. Williams; Circus Williams
• Winter ; Karl Althoff (MÄ; * 1886; † 1970), ∞ I. Winter; Circus Westfalia

literature

• Marlies Lehmann-Brune: The Althoffs. History and stories about the largest circus dynasty in the world . Look around, Frankfurt / M. 1991, ISBN 3-524-69096-3 .

• Ferdinand Althoff: The last of Freialdenhoven. The story of an old circus family. Fischer, Jülich 1936.

• Franz Althoff: So'n Circus. Franz Althoff tells. Stolberg; Dreisam Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 1982, ISBN 3-921472-55-5 .

• Edit Sandor Kleinbarth: "Ballerina hevosen selässä". Parainen 2007.

Movie

• The Althoffs - A life for the circus. TV documentary, Germany, 2010, 45 min., Written and directed: Jobst Knigge , production: WDR , series: Dynastien in NRW, first broadcast: May 7, 2010

Web links

• Program booklet titles of various Althoff circuses (French)
• History of Circus Williams (Carola Williams) (German)
• Pedigree of the Circus Dynasty Althoff (Edit Kleinbarth) (German)

swell

1. ↑ Claudia Sewig: Bernhard Grzimek - The man who loved animals. Biography . Gustav Lübbe Verlag, Bergisch Gladbach 2009, ISBN 978-3-7857-2367-8 , p. 150 f .
2. ↑ http://www.zoo-frankfurt.de/unser-zoo/geschichte/sonderveranstaltungen/besucherangebote.html
3. ↑ Jürgen Schwab: The Frankfurt Sound . Societätsverlag, 2004, p. 85.
4. ↑ Franz Althoff , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 18/1959 of April 20, 1959, in the Munzinger Archive ( beginning of the article freely available)
5. ↑ Wolfgang Roth: Juden in Eschollbrücken, 1996, pp. 68–69
6. ^ Trial against Franz Althoff ( Memento from May 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
7. ^ Obituary from the archive of the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung
8. ↑ ^{a b} On the tenth anniversary of Carl Althoff