Tbilisi Circus

Tbilisi Circus
Tbilisi Circus overlooking Heroes' Square in 2008
General information
Type	Rotunda
Architectural style	Stalinist architecture
Location	Tbilisi, Georgia
Coordinates	41°42′51″N 44°47′6″E / 41.71417°N 44.78500°E / 41.71417; 44.78500
Construction started	1939
Completed	1940
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Nikolay Neprintsev, Vladimer Urushadze, Stepan Satunts

The Tbilisi Circus (Georgian: თბილისის ცირკი) is the main circus in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. It is housed in a Soviet-era Neoclassical rotunda building built in 1939 on a hilltop overlooking Heroes' Square.

History

Early history

The history of the Tbilisi circus began in 1888, when the city was part of the

A civil unrest and economic collapse in post-Soviet Georgia terminated the circus's heyday in the 1990s. The building fell into disrepair and its territory became notorious for "after-hours" street prostitution.[3] In 2003, the Georgian tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili bought the circus and began an extensive reconstruction, but his involvement in the 2007 political crisis and death shortly thereafter stalled the renovations. His sister, Mzia Tortladze, was able to reopen the circus only in 2011. Since then, the circus has been playing to sellout crowds, bringing together troupes and performers from various parts of the world.^[2]

References