Riga Circus, Riga

Riga Circus is the only permanent circus in the Baltic States. It was commissioned by Albert Salamonsky, a renowned circus performer and entrepreneur, in the late 1880s. The current building was designed by architect Yan Frindrich Baumanis, and features a rather innovative construction technology: the whole structure is made of rails, with 16 pillars providing support for the huge dome roof, and each pillar being made of three joined rails. The circus is sited between G. Merķeļa (formerly Big) and A. Kalniņaall (formerly Small) streets in Riga on the piece of land that was, at the time of its construction, considered unsuitable for industrial projects.

The circus building was unveiled on December 29th 1888, yet the history of circus on this site pre-dates the building. For several years, each summer Albert Salamonsky would bring to Riga his troupe - acrobats, dancers and clowns - and performed shows in a tent, put on the very same spot that he later acquired and built the circus, much to the delight of Riga’s citizens.

Today, Riga Circus runs an impressive programme featuring trained animals, tamed predators, jugglers, acrobats, jumpers and clowns. The regular season starts in October and lasts until April. In summer, performances are also held, but only on weekends. Inside the building, visitors can see pictures, highlighting the history of Riga Circus, and portraits of famous performers.