Zirkus Charles Knie is a German circus that was created in 1995 by Charles and Doriana Knie. Over the years, the production has slowly expanded and necessitated larger tent sizes to accommodate more extravagant, award-winning acts. British lion and tiger tamer Alexander Lacey earned the Silver Clown award at the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo in 2003, and director Sasha Melnjak earned the Innovation Award of the Society of Circus Asssociation in 2008. Zirkus Charles Knie was fully modernized into a big circus revue in 2010 to include a live orchestra, a ballet show, international performers and exotic animals. With hundreds of employees, animals and vehicles to run the show, the circus entertains over 500 thousand visitors a year, making Zikus Charles Knie one of the three last Grand Circus companies in Germany.
