Circus Knie, located at St. Wendelinstrasse 10, in Rapperswil, in Switzerland, was founded in 1919.
The circus is touring in summers and staying at winterquarters in Rapperswil Childrens Zoo in the village of Rapperswil South of Zürich. The Knie showbusiness dynasty was founded in the early 19th century by an Austrian, Frederic Knie (1784-1850), whose family became famous as acrobats and tightwire performers in the village squares, working al fresco. It was not until Louis Knie (1842-1909) took his family and settled in Switzerland that his sons Rodolphe, Frederic, Charles and Eugene decided in 1919 to start a circus. Receiving no financial assistance from their widowed mother, they obtained credit from the Swiss tentmakers, Geisers, who gave them a two-poler big top, enabling them to open their travelling show on 1 June 1919 in Berne. Obituary: Rolf Knie, by D Nevil 26 December 1900 immigrated Ludwig Knie (1842–1909) and his wife Marie Heim (1858–1936) and their five children in Gemeinde Gerlikon-Gachnang in Kanton Thurgau, and became Swiss citizens, and 1907, they settled in Rapperswil, by the Lake Zurich. 1944: 11 elephants, 1 hippo and 1 school horse went to National Circus Gebr. Knie from the Sarrasani together with Fritz Oehme trainer. Names: The 11 elephant bought by Knie from Sarrasani were: Menta, Tony, Rani, Herta, Punchy, Claudia, Maundy, Contess, Mary, Tarka and Frieda 1955: A famous elephant trainer who worked for Knie was Ruppert Bemmerl, 1931, in Steinach, Germany, who left Billy Smart’s Circus and joined Circus Knie in 1955. Bemmerl was also later responsible for Rappersville Kinderzoo. In 1956, Rolf Knie had seven young African elephants in the ring, five of them from Basel Zoo. The elephant live permanently in Knies Kinderzoo.
The Knie showbusiness dynasty was founded in the early 19th century by an Austrian, Frederic Knie (1784-1850), whose family became famous as acrobats and tightwire performers in the village squares, working al fresco. It was not until Louis Knie (1842-1909) took his family and settled in Switzerland that his sons Rodolphe, Frederic, Charles and Eugene decided in 1919 to start a circus. Receiving no financial assistance from their widowed mother, they obtained credit from the Swiss tentmakers, Geisers, who gave them a two-poler big top, enabling them to open their travelling show on 1 June 1919 in Berne.
