Elephants & Knie 100 Years Swiss 0 Souvenir Banknote



Product Code:  CHBH2020-2
Circulation:      5000



This is the Elephants & Knie 100 Years Swiss 0 Souvenir Banknote. As Switzerland’s national circus approached its centenary in 2019, one of its oldest and most iconic traditions came into sharp focus: the elephant performances that had been central to Circus Knie since the 1920s.

Founded officially in 1919, the Knie family’s travelling big-top show celebrated its 100th anniversary by touring over 30 Swiss cities from March to November 2019 under a new tent funded via a crowdfunding campaign raising ~CHF 250,000.

That same year, the circus bid farewell to its elephant acts. Following the deaths of three aging females in summer 2015, Knie announced it would end elephant performances after the 2015 season, relocating the remaining animals—Delhi and Ceylon—to permanent residence at the Himmapan elephant park in Knie’s Kinderzoo in Rapperswil.

The 2019 centenary tour thus marked both a celebration of legacy and a turning point: while elephant acts were part of the circus for nearly a century, the new era features an animal-free programme, with focus on acrobatics, comedy, drones, and equestrian work, reflecting changing society and evolving attitudes toward animal welfare.

This milestone year encapsulated the transition from tradition to modernity: honouring a century-long legacy while leaving behind a signature tradition in favour of more ethical and contemporary performance forms.

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