Bishkek Circus. Soviet architecture at its best.

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1984, people queuing to get in, when Kyrgyzstan was still part of the USSR

Bishkek Circus built in the 1970's, a UFO-shaped building which hosted circus acts from around the USSR. I had heard it was abandoned. I had heard that it was still a living breathing enterprise. So lets take a look.

2023, It was neither, there were workmen on site renovating the building, they had blank looks on their faces when I was gesturing to them to let me have a look in side. Lost in translation I couldn't get in so wander with me.

Circus has been around for centuries in one form or another, usually travelling bands of performers performing music, magic, dancing and slapstick comedy. In the open air or small booths and tents

The first fixed circus opened in St. Petersburg in 1877, obviously for the elite and aristocracy of the land. Come the Bolshevik Revolution and the abolishment of the capitalist classes, (unless you were a party member of course. Remember Comrade everyone is equal; but some are more equal than others), Circuses were actually brought under state ownership.

The communist state saw the circus as a form of entertainment to be enjoyed by the masses. Well of course the USSR was an egalitarian society, (It is just that some were more egalitarian than others don't you know).

Soon stationary structures purpose-built for the circus became common in all major Soviet cities, including Bishkek.

Bishkek circus held its first performance in 1978, an exciting time with acrobats, magicians, clowns and animals.

In 2009 during rehearsals for "bears on ice" at the Moscow state Circus an unfortunate trainer was carried in to the rink by a bear, its jaws clamped tight around the now quite clearly deceased trainer. The bear was shot dead. It did open up a debate about animals in circuses.

Though outlawed in parts of the world, Russia chooses to still allow performing animals..... but, even today, to name just a few France, Germany, Spain, Australia and the USA do not have a blanket ban on the use of not only domesticated but wild born animals too. Performing for the so called supreme being.

I have no idea why the capital of Azerbaijan is visible on the wall, the walls tired and crumbling, I could imagine the health hazards of ACM's in the structure are pretty damn high

Strange sculptures

How these gorgeous sculptures would have looked when new

Fading with time

Amazing art work, concrete blocks joined together like a jigsaw.

Broken bits

Almost like a flying saucer, it is in the form of a disk, it was built at the time of the space race after all. The diameter of more than 240ft and stands 60ft tall; it is a a prefabricated dome, with no supporting columns, it can accommodate 2,000 people at a time.