SPAZIERGANG: Zirkusgebäude in Köln | CircusDanceFestival 2026

In the organizer's words:

The circus and the tent are inextricably linked, according to the common image. But circus arts have not always been based in tents and are still not based in tents everywhere. LATIBUL, for example, is currently planning to build a permanent, sustainable building for theater and circus. There were also permanent circus buildings in Cologne much earlier: around 1880, a building was erected on Neumarkt that could hold up to 3,000 spectators and had both a ring and a front stage. Even before that, the area was a venue for horse shows, and today Neumarkt is used by Circus Roncalli and its tent, among others. Another circus building was opened in 1947 with the Williamsbau at Aachener Weiher. However, the buildings were not only used for circus arts, but were also venues for a wide variety of encounters and programs: Theatrical performances, concerts, sporting events, carnival events and meetings of clubs, associations or political parties. Today, the buildings have fallen into oblivion and there is little or nothing left to remind us of them. Theater and dance historians Johanna Hilari and Mirjam Hildbrand have rummaged through boxes and folders in archives and looked for old publications on the architecture in second-hand bookshops. As part of the CircusDanceFestival, they invite you to take a guided walk to the two former venues.