At the end of World War II, Kyiv suffered great destruction. In particular, this affected the central streets of the capital, where Krutikov's circus was located at the time. It was located on the site of the former cinema "Ukraine" on Horodetskoho Street, and existed for only a dozen years.
Therefore, Apostrophe, referring to "Kyiv from the Past to the Future", will tell the story of the circus that existed for only 10 years.
Circus of Petro Krutikov or Hippo Palace
Petro Krutikov held a position in the office of the Kyiv Governor General. Distinguished by independence in decision-making and behavior, he decided to leave the service and retired to a secluded life in his homeland, where he was engaged in training horses, which were his passion. This passion led him to create the horse circus "Hippo Palace", which was built at his own expense.
In August 1944, a temporary circus tent appeared in front of the central stadium. Due to its small size, not everyone could attend the performances, so some of them were held in the open air on Trukhaniv Island.
However, in the 1950s, in a matter of two months, a new circus building was erected on the corner of Velyka Vasylkivska (formerly Krasnoarmiiska) and Saksahanskoho streets. Before the war, there was a profitable building here, which was destroyed in 1943.
The newspapers of the time published that "the new, well-equipped circus became the decoration of the city and a wonderful gift for the residents of Kyiv."
The circus officially began its work on August 19, 1950. However, the structure was only temporary, because it had no heating, no dressing rooms for artists and no lobby for visitors. This is how the circus building looked in 1950-1990.
There are also shots of what the square in front of the circus looked like in 1951 and 1957.
The circus worked for only 10 years, until the modern circus building was built on Peremohy Square, which opened its doors on November 5, 1960.
Today, at 45 Velyka Vasylkivska Street, there is a residential complex with shops on the first floor.
Earlier, Apostrophe told about the history and photos of the Golden Gate in the XIX century.