Circus Krone in Germany

1870: Karl and Frederike Krone (born Philadelphia) founded Menagerie Continental.
1870-10-21: Carl Krone jr was born in Osnabrück.
1882: Fritz Krone was killed by a bear. Carl Krone left school and began his career with the circus.
1883: name changed to Krones Zoologische Ausstellung
1898: name changed to Carl Krones menageri-circus.
1900-02-01: Carl Krone Sr died.
1905: The new circus was founded with the name Circus Charles.
1905: The circus had 2 elephants.
1914: The name was changed again, to Circus Krone.
1915-04-15: Frieda Krone was born.

By the end of the war, Krone was almost on Bankruptcy, and in Frankfurt Karl Krone made a telephone call to Firma Ruhe in Alfeld, and offered to send back elephants which were still not paid. Ruhe came to Frankfurt and borrowed the money, which was needed to bring to circus to Munich., and so the circus survived. (Source: Wilde Tiere frei Haus by Hermann Ruhe)

1918: the present winterquarters in Munich was bought for the growing circus.
1919: 10 elephants.
1923: 14 elephants.
1928: The show 683 animals (100 carnivores, 250 horses and 27 elephants).
1932: 26 elephants.
1933: Carl Sembach started to train Krones carnivores.
1935: Carl Sembach married Frieda Krone.
1936: Christl Sembach-Krone was born.
1943-06-04 Carl Krone died in Salzburg, 77 years old.
1944: The 26 elephants were brought to salt mines in Bad Reichenhall, where they were protected from bombings.
1944-12-21 The winterquarters in Munich are destroyed during bombings.
1945-1949: Due the post-war problems, The circus was not on tour.
1949: 9 elephants, in the end of the year 14.
1956: Ida Krone died in Munich, 80 years old.
1967: winterquarters rebuilt and modernized
1967: 14 elephants.
1967-04-08: two yongsters in the town Mannheim put the elephant tent on fire, and the 14 elephants were saved, but eight of them were burned severely, and six of the eight with second grade of firewounds, died, or had to be euthanised.
1998: The elephants were from this year transported with trailers, instead of with train.



The stable in Munich, 1998. Photo: © Jutta Kirchner
Stable masters:
Hubert Mirow
Harry Philadelphia-Huling
Harry Jahn
1982-1998: Banda Puntha Vidane
1998-2000: Patricia Zerbini
2000-2001: Dan Koehl
2002- Now: James Puydebois





Krone elephants and Dan Koehl, 1998. Photo © Jan Lindblad Jr.

Sources, among others

• Circus Krone by Frieda Sembach-Krone  (in german)
• Page 198 Wilde Tiere frei Haus by Hermann Ruhe  (in german)
• Jumbo auf dem Drahtseil, by Gerhard Zapff  (in german) >>> order >>>
  
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• Circus Krone. Von der Menagerie zum größten Circus Europas, by Klaus-Dieter Kürschner
• Christl Sembach-Krone, Munich
• Elefanten in Zoo und Circus EEG: Haufellner, Kurt, Schilfarth, Schweiger
• Survey 2008 - Elephants in European circuses published by European Elephant Group: Tobias Dornbusch, Jürgen Schilfarth

More about Munich

• Hotels and resorts in Munich