Magnitogorsk circus: past and present

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

If you ask any Magnitogorsk citizen what the most important landmark of the city is, everyone will mention something close to himself: "The First Tent", the "Europe-Asia" border. But few people know that the circus remained such for many years.

The beginning of the story of the old circus

The Magnitogorsk circus has long been considered the visiting card of the settlement for the following reason: the city was one of the four lucky ones that, not being the regional centers of the USSR, had their own circus.

The building of the first, then still wooden, city circus was built together with the city, with a city-forming enterprise - a metallurgical plant. It was erected right on the construction site near Magnetic Mountain, which regularly supplied (today its resources have already been exhausted) raw materials - iron ore - to a young plant.

The pioneer builder of Magnitogorsk S. Znitkin mentioned in his memoirs that the idea of building a circus came to Konstantin Matveyevich Chervotkin. The comrade chose a suitable place for the future building, his detailed project, but bad luck - there were no building materials. The resourceful workers encouraged Chervotkin - for four days now, useless wagons with materials - boards - have been standing at the station. The organizer of the project did not hesitate for a long time -work has been busted. The owners of the timber, however, later showed up. But having learned what the materials are spent on, they gave up on the loss.

How did the first circus of Magnitogorsk live

However, the story is considered just a legend. After all, the place for the circus was chosen very carefully, and the support of Magnitostroy was very thorough - this cannot indicate such an amateur beginning of the implementation of the circus project.

In the 1930s, the Magnitogorsk Circus was located in the center of the city - a city park was laid out next to it, and the first sound cinema was opened. There was also a factory management building, most of the barracks of the first builders. The large area of the circus (2 thousand seats) became the right place where the population could gather together under one roof. There were opened: the first restaurant, a billiard room, a library, buffets with the most delicious ice cream in the city.

K. M. Chervotkin rightfully became the first director of the circus. Unfortunately, history is silent about who this person is, where he came from at Magnitostroy. His offspring experienced glorious times: the "iron" commissar Sergo Ordzhonikidze performed in the circus, Demyan Bedny read his works, famous wrestlers went on tour: Auzoni, Arnautov, Ivan Poddubny, Hadji Murat, Yan Tsygan.

The Magnitogorsk circus did not close its doors even during the Great Patriotic War: people exhausted at work were happy to attend performances after midnight - when the work shift ended. Despite the difficult times, then it was possible to keep the assigned circus tribalhorses.

Morally and physically obsolete building was closed in 1966.

New Magnitogorsk circus: history

The start of construction of a new circus building was heralded by explosions in a vacant lot near the South Passage in 1968. The construction took 8 years to complete. Although the design of the building, in fact, was typical, the Magnitogorsk State Circus was nevertheless made unlike the others:

• the building was "dressed" in Ural attire: jasper, granite and marble;
• for the first time coarse-grained plaster was used for decorative finishing;
• the interior also became a "pioneer" - for the first time in the history of world circuses, the floor was decorated with colorful jasper;
• to improve acoustics, the dome was made of perforated metal (12 million holes were drilled in the sheets).

It is fair that the first spectators were the builders of the building. The premiere performance was given on January 1, 1976. It was opened by the famous W alter and Maritsa Zapashny. Also, the city KVN and discos were held in the circus.

But in the 90s, the circus adored by the townspeople, like many government institutions, was in decline.

Revival of the Magnitogorsk Circus

A new page in the life of the circus was started relatively recently - with the arrival of the new director Oleg Khotim "at the helm" in 2015. The leader shared in many interviews that his main task from the very beginning was to preserve the city circus at any cost. And I must say, he did it:

1. Ticket pricesreduced to the lowest in Russia: 300-1000 rubles. Due to the 50% discount, the highest price is reduced by half. Such a loyal pricing policy still attracts a large number of viewers.
2. "Framework agreement" with the city administration on mutual cooperation: the first persons of Magnitogorsk come to the performances, creating an informational occasion, and the artists in return participate in city mass events for free.
3. Providing gratuitous assistance by municipal services - trusts "Vodokanal" and "Heat supply".

Modern Magnitogorsk Circus

The schedule of performances today is a change of amazing programs that will be of interest to both adult and young viewers:

• "Royal Tigers";
• "Giant Sea Lions";
• "The legendary circus of Tamerlane";
• "White Tigers";
• "Dreams of Scheherazade";
• "Africa Circus";
• Filatov tour;
• "Our kind circus" (tour of Moscow Nikulin Circus).

This institution appeared in the news of the city more than once in 2017: a charity performance for orphans, a children's drawing contest "The Circus of My Dreams", free performances "The Circus is Coming to You", a concert in a correctional colony for the World Day circus art.

As in the early years - near Magnetic Mountain, sotoday, more than 80 years later, having gone through fire and water, the Magnitogorsk city circus remains a favorite vacation spot for adults and young citizens.