Rolf Knie senior

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rudolf called Rolf Knie senior (born November 23, 1921 in Wetzikon ; † August 18, 1997 in Rapperswil ) was a Swiss elephant trainer and circus director . From 1941 to the end of 1992 he directed the Swiss National Circus Knie with his brother Fredy . He belonged to the fifth generation of the Knie dynasty .

resume

Rolf was the son of Friedrich and Margrit Knie-Lippuner. According to the will of his father, Rolf completed the basic artistic training. With brother Fredy and cousin Eliane the children practiced for their circus performances.

Father Friedrich, who was trained in the dressage of dogs , polar bears and horses , trained Rolf in the dressage of elephants. Rolf was 16 years old when he stepped in for a sick elephant trainer at a Danish circus in 1937 and took over his performances.

At the end of 1939 the elephant trainer Franz Kraml, from Czechoslovakia , left the company. Rolf took on the further training of the large herd of Asian elephants . When the elephant trainer Karl Knie died in 1940, he was able to take over this demanding task from his uncle.

From 1941 Rolf and his brother Fredy directed Circus Knie .

The Knie family was blacklisted by the Nazis because they omitted the swastikas on all flags of the 1938 program with the theme "Olympics" . Thanks to the efforts of the German ambassador in Bern , artists from abroad could again be hired. However, the Knies were obliged to give a guest performance with their animals in Berlin . In the winter of 1943, Fredy and Rolf traveled to Berlin with horses and elephants. Rolf was at Scala , while Fredy gave a performance at the equally famous winter garden . As if by a miracle, they all survived the bombardment of Berlin unscathed.

In 1950 Rolf Knie and Tina di Giovanni (1921–2011) married. They had two sons. Louis was born in 1951 and Franco in 1954 .

In 1953/54 Rolf had some appearances with his elephant "Sabu" in Tom Arnold's Harringay Arena in London.

In 1956 Circus Knie was able to acquire seven young African elephants from Basel Zoo . These elephants are considered to be much more difficult to train than the Asian species. Circus Knie was the first European circus to show African elephants in the arena.

Rolf and Fredy Knie opened Knie's children's zoo in Rapperswil on Whitsun 1962 . The zoo is part of Circus Knie's winter quarters.

Rolf performed with his elephant show until 1969. At that time he was considered one of the most famous elephant dressers in the world. At the end of the season he withdrew from the ring. Son Louis had long been prepared for this day.

At the end of 1992 Rolf also retired from the management of Circus Knie.

After a long illness, Rolf Knie senior died on August 18, 1997 at the age of 76.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Family tree Dynastie Knie ( Memento of the original from March 29, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.knie.ch
  2. ↑ Eliane (1915–2000) was the daughter of Uncle Eugen and Hélène Knie-Zeller
  3. ↑ Spectacle: A Quarterly Journal of the Circus Arts, Volume 6, 2002, p. 40
personal data
SURNAME Knie, Rolf senior
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Knee, Rudolf; Knee, Rolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss elephant trainer and ringmaster
DATE OF BIRTH November 23, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Wetzikon
DATE OF DEATH August 18, 1997
Place of death Rapperswil