Magnitogorsk circus: in the past and present

If you ask any Magnitogorsk about the most important landmark of the city, everyone will mention something close to them: "The First Tent", the border "Europe-Asia". But few people know that such a long time remained a circus.

The beginning of the history of the old circus

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

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

The first construction of Magnitka S. Znitkin mentioned in his memoirs that the idea of building a circus came to the head of Konstantin Matveyevich Chervotkin. The comrade chose a suitable place for the future structure, his detailed project, but failure - there were no building materials. Resourceful workers reassured Chervotkin - at the station there were already four days no one needed cars with materials - boards. The organizer of the project did not hesitate for a long time - the work began to boil. The owners of the wood, however, then showed up. But having found out what the materials are being used for, they waved their hand at the loss.

What did the first circus of Magnitogorsk

However, history is only a legend. After all, the place for the circus was selected very carefully, and the support of Magnitostroy was very detailed - it can not testify to such an amateur start of the circus project implementation.

In the thirties the Magnitogorsk circus was located in the center of the city - in the neighborhood with it the city park was broken, the first sound cinema was opened. There was also a building of the plant management, most of the barracks of the first builders. The large area of the circus (2 thousand seats) was the right place where the population could unite under one roof. There were opened: the first restaurant, a billiard room, a library, buffets with the most delicious ice cream in the city.

The first director of the circus was rightly K. Chervotkin. Unfortunately, the history is silent about who this person is, where he came from at Magnitostroy. His offspring experienced glorious times: in the circus was the "iron" commissioner Sergo Ordzhonikidze, read his works Demian Bedny, visited the famous wrestlers: Auzoni, Arnautov, Ivan Poddubny, Hadji Murat, Ian Gypsy.

The Magnitogorsk circus did not close its doors during the Great Patriotic War: people exhausted in production were happy to attend performances after midnight - when the working shift was over. Despite difficult times, then managed to keep the attached circus tribal horses.

The morally and physically obsolete building was closed in 1966.

New Magnitogorsk circus: history

On the beginning of the construction of a new circus building, explosions were announced on a vacant lot near the Southern Transition in 1968. The construction was delayed for as long as 8 years. Although the design of the building, in fact, was typical, the Magnitogorsk state circus still made it different from the others:

• The building was "dressed" in Ural dresses: jasper, granite and marble;
• For the first time, coarse-grained plasters were 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 multicolored jasper;
• To improve the acoustics, the dome was made of perforated metal (12 million holes were drilled in the sheets).

It is true that the builders of the building became the first spectators. The premiere performance was given on January 1, 1976. It was opened by the famous Walter and Maritsa Zapashny. Also in the circus were the city's KVN, discos.

But in the 90 years, adored by townspeople circus, like many state institutions, was in decline.

The revival of the Magnitogorsk circus

A new page in the life of the circus was launched relatively recently, with the arrival of the new director, Oleg Khotim, to the steering wheel in 2015. The leader shared in many interviews that his main task from the very beginning was to preserve the city circus at all costs. And I must say, he did it:

1. Ticket prices are reduced to the lowest in Russia: 300-1000 rubles. Because of the 50% discount, the highest price is halved. Such a loyal price policy to this day attracts a large number of viewers.
2. The "framework agreement" with the city administration on mutual cooperation: the first persons of Magnitka come to the shows, creating an information occasion, and the artists respond to free participation in city mass events.
3. Providing gratuitous assistance to municipal services - trusts "Vodokanal" and "Teplofikatsiya".

The Modern Magnitogorsk Circus

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

• "The Royal Tigers";
• "Sea giant lions";
• "The legendary circus of Tamerlane";
• "White tigers";
• "Dreams of Scheherazade";
• "Circus Africa";
• Filatov's tours;
• "Our good circus" (tour of the Moscow Circus Nikulin).

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

As in the first years - near the Magnetic Mountain, and today, after more than 80 years, having passed both fire and water, the Magnitogorsk city circus remains a favorite vacation spot for adults and young townspeople.