The national Swiss Circus Knie was founded over 200 years ago (in 1803) by Friedrich Knie and is one of the oldest circus in Europe. The Knie family is still running the the show!
The long history of the company reflects a lot about the ups and downs of each epoch. It survived two world wars!
Early last century the circus presented not only exotic animals but also exotic peoples (like peoples from Ceylon and other Indian provinces with dance shows etc). Locals couldn’t travel and were intrigued by such different cultures that could be seen close up.
Since the 60ies, during the winter months, when the circus is not on tour, the artists and their families and a number of animals have residence in Rapperswil, near Zurich.
At this stage in a given year the circus runs over 300 shows in 25 different cities with world famous artists.
