Circus Corty & Althoff
The Circus Corty & Althoff was a German circus from 1853 to 1927 and was one of the largest circuses in Europe at the turn of the 20th century.
history
prehistory
The history of Circus Corty & Althoff began with Pierre Corty. The Cortys were a family of artists who traveled all over Europe without producing stars up to that point. Pierre began his career in the French State Circus of Louis Dejean . It was there that he met Dejean's daughter, Louise Dejean. The two married in 1837 against their father's wishes and had a daughter, Adele Corty, in 1840.
In 1853 the couple went into business for themselves and founded the Circus Corty with only a few artists and only four horses. The circus developed slowly over the next few years. Pierre finally decided to take on Dominik Althoff from the Althoff circus family as a co-owner. He married Adele Corty in 1866. In the next few years the circus developed much better than before and operated under the name Circus Corty & Althoff from around 1884. At that time the circus already owned over 80 horses. After the death of her husband in 1887 and her father in 1888, Adele Althoff initially took over the circus.
Upswing to an exceptional circus
While she was running the circus, Adele Althoff gradually transferred more and more responsibility to her eldest son Pierre. He had been in the ring since he was 11 years old and soon mastered acrobatics , juggling and vaulting , performed as a musical clown and was at times considered the best trainer of his time. In 1895 Piere married Adele Rossi. His mother made Pierre director at the age of 20.
By this time the circus had already grown into one of the largest and most respected of its time. In a letter from 1899, Director Althoff described the size of the circus with 120 first-class artists, 100 thoroughbred horses , 40 ballet dancers , an orchestra and a tent for up to 3400 people. There were also saddlers, locksmiths and other craftsmen, as well as their own fire department . Harry Houdini's performances in the circus in 1901 were a highlight . At the same time, Pierre relied on the emerging Asian trend and was the first to integrate a show piece “East Asia” into his program. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 1903 the circus boasted that it had already performed in all major cities in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Norway, Austria, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland. Also in 1903, Pierre Althoff was awarded the title of “Royal University Stable Master of the City of Münster”.
Decline
The downfall was triggered by the beginning of the First World War . The dressage horses were confiscated by the military and many artists were drafted. Due to a lack of staff and a dwindling income due to a lack of audience as well as inflation , the material of the circus suffered severe damage, which culminated in a fire in 1915. Despite the difficult conditions, Pierre Althoff was able to keep the circus alive. But the fact that the audience stayed away due to inflation and thus the fortunes of the circus was destroyed broke Pierre's will to keep fighting. He died in 1924 and ordered the dissolution of the circus. His wife Adele and daughter Adele initially continued to run the circus, but could no longer build on previous successes. The Circus Corty & Althoff was dissolved in 1927 due to financial difficulties.
Directors
| Surname | born | died | Director of | to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierre Corty | ? | 1888 | 1853 | 1888 | |
| Dominikus Althoff | 1841 | 1887 | ~ 1865 | 1887 | |
| Adele Althoff b. Corty |
1840 | 1909 | 1888 | ~ 1901 | |
| Pierre Althoff | 1869 | 1924 | 1901 | 1924 | |
| Adele Althoff b. Rossi |
? | 1930 | 1924 | 1927 | |
| Adele Althoff ∞ Harry Williams |
1896 | 1930s | 1924 | 1927 |
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 .