C. Gärtner, the Olympic Circus, and the Origins of Equestrianism in the Grand Duchy of Posen

Abstract

After 1839 when the first Polish Equestrian Club was founded in Posen (present-day Poznan) as part of the Society for the Improvement of Horse, Cattle and Sheep Breeding in the Grand Duchy of Posen, its members organized annual horse races in the Duchy, following the model of English horse races. Authors of historical sources regarding the beginnings of equestrianism in the area, however, overlook the significant role of German circus troupes that visited Posen during the same period and popularized various equestrian forms in their shows. In order to attract a larger audience, many of these circus companies used in their names references to ancient sport competitions such as ‘Games’, ‘Olympic Games’ or ‘Olympic circus’, in which only the most trained contestants took part. The first propagators of these shows in Prussian-partitioned Poland included Rudolph Brilloff, and a certain C. Gärtner, often ignored in scholarly literature or cited in passing in unverified sources. Considering the variety and frequency of their equestrian performances, Brilloff’s and Gärtner’s shows should be acknowledged as key promoters of physical culture in the region of Greater Poland.