Cirque Royal
Address | Rue de l'Enseignement / Onderrichtsstraat 81 1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region Belgium |
---|---|
Coordinates | 50°50′56″N 4°21′58″E / 50.84889°N 4.36611°E |
Owner | City of Brussels[1] |
Type | Performing arts centre |
Capacity | 2,000[1] |
Construction | |
Opened | 1878 |
Renovated | 1953, 2018 |
Website | |
Official website |
The Cirque Royal (French) or Koninklijk Circus (Dutch), meaning "Royal Circus", is an entertainment venue in Brussels, Belgium. Conceived by the architect Wilhelm Kuhnen in 1953, the building has a circular appearance, but in fact is constructed as a regular polygon. It can hold 2,000 spectators, and nowadays is primarily used for live music shows.
History
First Cirque Royal (1878–1953)
The Cirque Royal was created by the eponymous joint-stock company when the Notre-Dame-aux-Neiges/Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Sneeuw district was built from 1876 onwards. The architect Wilhelm Khunen designed a building in the shape of a regular polygon on the available plot within the block. The Indian-style hall was rhymed by twenty columns that served as support for a roof truss that was hidden from the eyes of the spectators by a lowered ceiling in the form of a cashmere veil. It was festively opened in 1878 with a show by the Troupe équestre royale belge Renz. This only permanent circus in Brussels had stalls in the basement that could accommodate more than 110 horses. Water spectacles and horse shows alternated with pantomimes and ballets. Between 1908 and 1914, films were even shown in the hall. In 1920, variety shows were staged.[citation needed]
Second Cirque Royal (1953–present)
Many years later, in 1953, the architect Charles Van Nueten replaced the existing Cirque Royal with a new complex, this time in a contemporary style.[2] This very popular spot of Brussels cultural life, owned by the City of Brussels, underwent a major restoration in 2018.[3] A new team was assembled to manage this event venue.
Notable performances
Since its inception, the Cirque Royal has not only hosted countless horse shows and circus displays (e.g. Moscow Circus, Bouglione, Holiday on Ice and others), but has also hosted famous artists such as the violinists Eugène Ysaÿe and Yéhudi Menuhin, the singers Maurice Chevalier, Joséphine Baker, Mistinguette, Charles Trenet, Dalida, Buster Keaton, Gilbert Bécaud, the clown Popov, the trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the choreographer Maurice Béjart and the Ballet of the 20th Century.[citation needed]
Nowadays, it hosts a variety of stand-ups, dance shows and concerts by artists from all over the world, from Pascal Obispo to Kylie Minogue, and from The Beach Boys to Vanessa Paradis.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Le Cirque Royal plus aux normes, la Ville de Bruxelles pointe le Botanique : trop facile". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ "Rondleiding in het gerenoveerde Koninklijk Circus: 'Brussel heeft deze zaal nodig'". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Concessie voor de bars, kleedkamers en het sanitair in het Koninklijk Circus". www.brussel.be/ (in Dutch). 22 May 2023.
- ^ "KONINKLIJK CIRCUS". ww.cirque-royal-bruxelles.be.
External links
- Media related to Cirque Royal at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- CS1 French-language sources (fr)
- CS1 Dutch-language sources (nl)
- Articles with short description
- Short description is different from Wikidata
- Use British English from January 2023
- Use dmy dates from January 2023
- Articles containing French-language text
- Articles containing Dutch-language text
- Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata
- Coordinates on Wikidata
- Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2023
- Commons category link is on Wikidata
- Articles with ISNI identifiers
- Articles with VIAF identifiers
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- Buildings and structures in Brussels
- City of Brussels
- Culture in Brussels
- Concert halls in Belgium
- Tourist attractions in Brussels
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