[War Theatre. WWI. Circus Sarrasini] Europa in Flammen!

Allabendlich: Das grosse Manege-Kriegs-Schaustück. Friedländer, Hamburg, 1916. 96 x 71 cm. Lith. no. 6417.

*Circus Sarrasani (Dresden) was known for its use of modern technology making spectacular acts with e.g. cars, airplanes, boats and projections. After WWI broke out, Hans Stosch-Sarrasani turned the circus into a live-action military war theatre, showing important war scenes of WWI, such as the invasion of Belgium by the Germans in 1914, submarine warfare in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes for which the entire ring was flooded, and would, a few years later, even show the bombing of London with zeppelins. The show was immensely popular in Dresden, so Sarrasani wanted to perform his acts in Berlin at the end of 1916 as well. Unfortunately, the Berlin censorship authority deemed it too sensational, and believed it would only cause unrest amongst the public.