Carl Hagenbeck Circus in Germany

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Carl Hagenbeck Circus
On the poster is to read: 12 Indian elephants
Local name	Carl Hagenbecks Internationaler Circus und Singhalesen-Karawane, Hagenbeck's Zoologischer Circus
Type	circus
Founded	1887
Closed down	1889
Place	Hamburg
Country	Germany
Related persons
Owner	1887-1889: Carl Hagenbeck Jr. Carl Hagenbeck

Zoological department
Elephant department

Elephant Trainer	1887-1889: Ephriam Thompson

Record history
History of updates	2026-04-28: text, source

Latest document update	2026-04-28 20:18:56

Description

Carl Hagenbeck Circus, circus in Hamburg, Germany , was founded in 1887. Carl Hagenbeck Circus closed down in 1889.

Comments / pictures1887: The circus was founded by Carl Hagenbeck. Ephriam Thompson elephants act was brought to Europe in 1887 by Carl Hagenbeck for his very first circus in Hamburg.

Records about Carl Hagenbeck Circus from the book Animals are my life, by Lorenz Hagenbeck
Back in Hamburg, Father lost no time adapting all that Mr. Bailey had shown him. He had no lack of groups of performing animals or of ordinary menagerie animals. He could easily manage a display of Indian peoples. In addition, there were tent and wagon makers eager for orders. Thus eventually all that those two American travellers had dreamed about on their way home was at last heralded in Hamburg\'s leading daily, the Reform, of a day in April 1887 in the following words : 'Tomorrow Carl Hagenbeck is to exhibit an International Circus and Singhalese Caravan on the Heiligengeist Held.'

Tomorrow came, but, shortly before the gates were opened, our first big top had been laid low by the gale.

Was Father beaten? By no means! Forty-eight hours later, Hamburg carpenters had bonded ship\'s masts to the tent-poles. Day and night on his Feet, at the end of tremendous efforts Father saw an audience of three thousand Hamburg folk ranged in the first big tent which bore our name. We children clapped like mad when the moment came for our brother Heinrich (in Hungarian costume) to ride in immediately on the heels of the band, which to a man was mounted on magnificently caparisoned elephants ! Our Jumbos were in charge of Thompson, a famous American negro animal tamer of the day. Behind the elephants came lions, tigers and panthers.

The book Animals are my life, written 1956 by Lorenz Hagenbeck

1888: During a fire on the circus in Munich, the elephants panicked and rushed into the public. The visitors got excited and attacked back with stomes and logs, Carl Hagenbeck was hurt between two elephants, and the visitors became chocked. One of the elephants even run inside the Hofbräuhaus.

Records about Carl Hagenbeck Circus from the book Beasts and Men, by Carl Hagenbeck
Some of my elephants, for instance, once ran amok in Munich.

The book Beasts and Men, written 1909 by Carl Hagenbeck

1889: The circus was sold to Barnum & Baileys Circus in USA.

References for records about Carl Hagenbeck Circus

Recommended Citation

Koehl, Dan (2026). Carl Hagenbeck Circus, Elephant Encyclopedia. Available online at https://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=1486. (archived at the Wayback machine)

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