1. art and entertainment
2. shows and events
3. circus

Hotel Magazine no. 26
Hotel Magazine no. 26
By Christine Marie Nielsen
The Circus Building, One of
Copenhagen’s
Cultural Icons
Cirkusbygningen – et københavnsk kulturikon
Today the Circus Building on Axeltorv in the heart of
Copenhagen is the oldest of its kind in Europe. This
magnificent Circus Building was inaugurated with
an enormous public celebration in Copenhagen on
8 May 1886. Since then, the building has played host
to a wide variety of Danish and international circus
troupes. From 2003 the spectacular Wallmans Dinner
Show has been the Circus Building’s resident entertainment.
A bargain
In 1884, Fritz Petersen, a master carpenter, purchased the site on Jernbanegade, next to Axeltorv, for DKK 954,000. The Circus Building was then built.
It was designed by the architect H. V. Brinkopff, while the beautiful horseracing frieze, which encircles the outside of the building, was created by the
sculptor, Frederik Hammeleff.
At that time the Circus Building covered a much bigger site. It stretched
right up to Studiestræde and was occupied by stable buildings, which
housed all the different circus animals, including elephants, giraffes, and
horses. Facing Axeltorv was the Artistcafé, a café, where guests could let
their hair down during the intervals. The Artistcafé still exists today. Exactly
as it was all those years ago, the café is a popular venue for visitors to the
Circus Building and Wallmans prior to the start of the show.
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Cirkusbygningen på Axeltov i hjertet af
København er i dag den ældste af sin art i
Europa. Den imponerende cirkusbygning
blev indviet ved en stor folkefest i København den 8. maj 1886 og har siden huset
diverse danske og internationale cirkus.
Siden 2003 har det spektakulære Wallmans Dinnershow hørt hjemme i Cirkusbygningen.
Et godt køb
Det var tømrermester Fritz Petersen, som
i 1884 købte grunden i Jernbanegade ved
Axeltorv for 954.000 kr. Cirkusbygningen
blev herefter opført efter en tegning af
arkitekt H.V. Brinkopff, og den udvendige
smukke væddeløbsfrise udført af billedhuggeren Frederik Hammeleff.
Oprindeligt rådede Cirkusbygningen
over et større grundareal. Grunden strakte sig helt op til Studiestræde, hvor man
kunne finde staldbygninger til alle de forskellige cirkusdyr, som elefanter, giraffer
og heste. Helt ud mod Axeltorv indrettede man Artistcaféen, hvor gæsterne
kunne hygge sig i forestillingens pauser.
Artistcaféen eksisterer stadig, og ligesom
dengang anvendes den i dag af Cirkusbygningens og Wallmans gæster før
showstart.
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Hotel Magazine no. 26
Hotel Magazine no. 26
Branden i
København 1914
I foråret 1914 opstod der en brand i
Cirkusbygningen, og da brandsprøjterne
ankom, var det for sent. Efter 3-4 timers
brand stod kun fundament, ydermure og
portal tilbage. Heldigvis var bygningen
tom under branden, så der kun skete
materiel skade.
Allerede året efter i 1915 blev Cirkusbygningen genopbygget. Denne gang som
Danmarks første jernbetonkonstruktion.
Arkitekt Holger Jacobsen påtog sig opgaven i samarbejde med rådgivende
ingeniør Cock-Clausen. Ydermurene og
frisen på den oprindelige bygning blev
bevaret.
Om sommeren kunne Cirkusbygningen
igen være hjemsted for internationale
og danske cirkus, og om vinteren blev
bygningen brugt til teater, pantomimer
og balletter.
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1914.
Fire in Copenhagen
In spring 1914 a fire broke out in the Circus Building. Sadly, when the fire
brigade arrived, it was too late. It took between three and four hours to
extinguish the fire. As a result only the foundations, external walls and portal
remained. Fortunately the building was empty during the fire, so there was
only material damage.
After just one year, in 1915, the Circus Building was rebuilt. This time it
was the very first building in Denmark to be constructed with the use of
reinforced concrete. The architect, Holger Jacobsen was commissioned to
undertake the task, in cooperation with consultant engineer Cock-Clausen.
The external walls and frieze of the original building were preserved.
During the summer the Circus Building again provided a venue for international and Danish circus troupes, while in winter the building was used for
theatre, pantomime and ballet performances.
The fight for the
Circus Building
Circus Benneweis presented their first show in the Circus Building in 1970,
but at the time there was great debate and uncertainty with regard to the
future of the building.
As a result of the debate about the possible demolition of the Circus Building, at the start of the 1970s Circus Benneweis initiated a campaign for the
conservation of the building with the support of active politicians and a
united Danish press. The campaign attracted so much popular and political
support that in 1974 the City of Copenhagen purchased the building from
the ANVA department store.
In 1982 the City of Copenhagen began a comprehensive and thorough
renovation of the Circus Building with the objective of restoring it to its
original appearance. That led to highlighting the distinctive architecture of
the Circus Building with the enormous dome, the arched corridors, the festive lobby, the coloured seating and the special circus atmosphere. Meanwhile, everything was given a highly successful, extra touch with the unique
colours selected by the architect, Verner Panton.
After the restoration both the Circus Building itself and Verner Panton’s
colour scheme were listed. This meant that the future of the Circus Building
was secured as a significant part of the city’s cultural life.
Circus Benneweis continued to perform in the Circus Building right up until
1990.
Kampen for
Cirkusbygningen
Danske Cirkus Benneweis præsenterede deres første forestilling i Cirkusbygningen i 1970, på et tidspunkt, hvor der
var stor debat og usikkerhed om bygningens fremtid.
Som følge af debatten om nedrivning
af Cirkusbygningen, indledte Cirkus
Benneweis i starten af 1970´erne en
kampagne for bevarelse af bygningen
med støtte fra aktive politikere og den
samlede danske presse. Kampagnen fik
så stor folkelig og politisk opbakning, at
Københavns Kommune opkøbte bygningen i 1974 af varehuset ANVA.
I 1982 gik Københavns Kommune i gang
med en omfattende og omhyggelig renovering af Cirkusbygningen. Den særegne
arkitektur, med den enorme kuppel,
de buede gange, den festlige foyer, de
kulørte sæder og den særlige cirkusatmosfære blev genetableret; det hele
meget vellykket understreget af arkitekt
Verner Pantons unikke farvevalg.
Efter restaureringen blev såvel Cirkusbygningen som Verner Pantons farveskala
fredet, og dermed var Cirkusbygningens
fremtid sikret, som en betydelig del af
Københavns kulturliv.
Cirkus Benneweis fortsatte sine forestillinger i Cirkusbygningen frem til 1990.
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Hotel Magazine no. 26
Hotel Magazine no. 26
Wallmans’ first
decade in
the Circus Building
Cirkusbygningen i
det 21. århundrede
Efter renoveringen udliciterede Københavns Kommune driften til Tivoli (19841996) og Parken (1997-2002). I 2003
overtog den svenske entreprenør Hasse
Wallman (født 1936) driften af Cirkusbygningen. I 2009 blev Wallmans en del af
underholdningskoncernen 2Egroup, som
to år senere i 2011 købte Cirkusbygningen af Københavns Kommune.
Siden 2003 har det dermed været Wallmans, som har haft hjemme i det københavnske kulturikon. Det velkendte og
populære dinnershow, hvor gæsterne
bliver underholdt af et storslået show,
imens de nyder en udsøgt 4-retters
menu, er den primære aktivitet i Cirkusbygningen i dag.
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The Circus Building
in the 21st Century
After the renovation, the City of Copenhagen outsourced the management
of the building, first to Tivoli (1984-1996) and then to Parken (1997-2002). In
2003 the Swedish entrepreneur Hasse Wallman (born 1936) took over the
running of the Circus Building. In 2009 Wallmans became part of the entertainment company 2Egroup, who two years later, in 2011, purchased the
Circus Building from the City of Copenhagen.
So, since 2003 Wallmans have occupied this Copenhagen cultural icon.
Today this well-known, popular dinner show, during which guests see a
spectacular show, while simultaneously enjoying a delicious 4-course meal,
is the Circus Building’s main activity.
It is not only the people of Copenhagen and Denmark, who make the
journey to the Circus Building. Just as the cast of the show comprises creative and professional dancers, singers and circus stars from many different
corners of the world, today’s guests also cosmopolitan, representing an
enormous cross section of different countries. In contrast to traditional Danish plays and musicals, Wallmans Dinner Show is international. Every guest,
regardless of nationality and language, can be bowled over, entertained and
thrilled.
In addition to Wallmans Dinner Show, today the Circus Building also plays
a major role in Danish and international business communities. The Circus
Building can accommodate professional and social events, with room for
between 200 and 1,000 guests. This makes it an ideal venue for everything
from corporate events, award shows and anniversaries to congresses, conferences and meetings.
In 2013/2014 Wallmans are celebrating their first 10 years in Copenhagen
with a special anniversary show entitled Sweet Addiction. The anniversary
show has received rave reviews from both the Swedish and Danish critics.
Last year’s show was seen by a total of almost 75,000 guests, while, since
the beginning of 2003, Wallmans Circus Building has entertained more than
750,000 guests.
Wallmans første årti
i Cirkusbygningen
Det er ikke kun københavnere og danskere som tager turen til Cirkusbygningen. Ligesom artiststaben består af kreative og professionelle dansere, sangere
og cirkusartister fra store dele af verden,
er gruppen af gæster i dagens Cirkusbygning også en geografisk mangfoldig
gruppe fra mange forskellige lande. I
modsætning til traditionelle, danske
teaterstykker og musicals, er Wallmans
dinnershow et internationalt show, hvor
alle, uanset nationalitet og sprog, lader
sig overvælde, underholde og begejstre.
Foruden Wallmans dinnershow spiller
Cirkusbygningen også en rolle for det
danske og internationale erhvervsliv.
Cirkusbygningen kan huse faglige og sociale arrangementer med alt fra 200 til
1000 gæster, og er et oplagt venue for
såvel firmafester, award shows og jubilæer som kongresser, konferencer og
møder.
I 2013/2014 fejrer Wallmans sit 10. jubilæumsshow i København, der bærer
navnet Sweet Addiction. Jubilæumsshowet har vakt stor begejstring hos både
svenske og danske anmeldere. Sidste års
show blev set af knap 75.000 gæster,
og siden begyndelsen i 2003 har over
750.000 mennesker ladet sig underholde i Wallmans Cirkusbygningen.
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