Circus Stey

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Rudolfo Stey tightrope dance troupe, 1963

The Stey Circus is a Swiss circus . The Stey family is one of the oldest artist dynasties in the world; It was first mentioned in 1437.

history

The story of the Stey family begins with an English miller's son who immigrated to Alsace and got to know juggling and artistry there . The Swiss line of the Stey family goes back to Heinrich Stey († 1933), who immigrated from Alsace to the municipality of Lachen on upper Lake Zurich in Switzerland . Heinrich Stey began touring Switzerland around the turn of the century with the open, uncovered Arena Stey.

The marriage with Mathilde Ley had eight children: Some of the sons emigrated to the USA and became known there with motorcycle stunts and high-mast and high-wire numbers. Son Isidor took over the family business, bought a big top and founded the Stey Circus as it exists today.

From 1962, Isidor's daughter Mathilde ran the company with her husband Willi Speichinger, who appeared in the ring as the clown "Cilo". After the death of Mathilde Speichinger-Stey, Willi Speichinger handed over the management to the sons Rolf and Bruno. The latter left the company in 1993.

For a long time, Rolf Stey, who is sometimes referred to by the media as a “living circus legend”, shaped the face of the company: Rolf and his wife Irene appeared worldwide with a knife throwing number as “Two Tornados” . For the tour he engages artists from the Mongolian , Russian , Chinese and Cuban national circus . Rolf changed his name from Speichinger to Stey, as this name was no longer represented in the circus after the death of his mother in 1983. From 2002 he headed the Association of Swiss Circus Enterprises he founded.

Rolf's son Martin has been running the company since 2011.

The circus today

The Stey Circus offers a traditional, international circus program with acrobatics , clowning , magic and animal training . The circus travels the whole of German-speaking Switzerland with around 40 people, over 30 animals and more than 70 vehicles . The Stey Circus is described as a medium-sized, regionally anchored circus that also makes guest appearances in smaller towns. It is the only circus to tour the Appenzellerland . Circus Stey is on tour from March to October . In December, he presents a Christmas circus in a shopping center near Lucerne . His winter quarters are in Bonau in the canton of Thurgau.

Family relationships

The Stey family is related to numerous well-known artist and circus dynasties, including the Knie , Weisheit and Traber families . The Swiss branch of the family is particularly closely related to the Gasser circus and artist family. Helene Stey, Isidor Stey's daughter, married Ludwig Gasser and together with him founded the Royal Circus. Their son Konrad (Conny) Gasser founded the Conny-Land theme park in 1983 . Isidor Stey's son, Bruno Stey, married Gertrud (Trudy) Zanolla, who comes from an old Swiss showman family, which means that the family is anchored in the showman milieu.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Frauenfelder Nachrichten: When the circus director turns himself into a clown. Retrieved April 6, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c Circus Stey: From the arena to the traditional Swiss circus Stey. 2018, accessed April 6, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Nostalgia carousel. November 6, 2013, accessed April 6, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b c Roland Brechbühl: Stey. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . January 24, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Bernard Marks: «Circus is no longer fun». In: St. Galler Tagblatt . June 11, 2010, accessed April 6, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Circus Lady Irène Stey: From the kitchen car to the ring. In: St. Galler Tagblatt . October 16, 2015, accessed April 6, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Jann Etter: Far Eastern Art in the Circus Stey. In: glarus24.ch. August 11, 2008, accessed April 6, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Circus Stey with home games in the entire district of Frauenfeld. Retrieved April 8, 2020 .
  9. ↑ a b Swiss circus company. In: circustime.ch. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 (German).
  10. ↑ Larissa Flammer: Crisis at the Circus Royal - industry insider predicts: «More circuses will have to close». In: St. Galler Tagblatt . Retrieved April 6, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Martin Helg: Circus Knie: Instead of elephants, goats now appear. Retrieved April 7, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Stey's Christmas Circus. In: The traditional Swiss circus Stey. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 (German).
  13. ↑ Stefan Hilzinger: Circus people have to be able to do a lot. Retrieved April 8, 2020 .
  14. ↑ Artist family Stey - Museum Illertissen. Retrieved April 10, 2020 .
  15. ^ Gasser (SH). Retrieved April 10, 2020 .
  16. ↑ descendants of H. Stey: Swiss fairground families / Familles the forains suisse. Retrieved April 10, 2020 .
  17. ↑ descendants of H. Stey: Swiss fairground families / Familles the forains suisse. Retrieved April 10, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Balloons instead of your own children. October 7, 2015, accessed on April 10, 2020 (Swiss Standard German).