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First temporary wooden buildings of the circus in Kyiv appeared in the 1860s, at the Bessarabska Square. At the end of 1875 Bergonie Circus’ building was built of brick at the corner of Pushkinska and Bohdana Khmelnitskogo (former Fundukleyivska) streets. Nowadays, Russian Drana Theatre, named after Lesia Ukrainka, is located in this building.

Later the circus operated at the University (Shevchenko’s Park) and Dums’ka (present Independence - Maydan Nezalezhnosti) squares.

Many different circuses stayed at Dumska Square: Brothers Mykytyny’ Circus performed here from 1883 to 1890 (except for 1888-1889); Schuman’s circus toured in 1888-1889, and Lev Durov showed his tamed animals here as well.

P.S.Krutikov, the horse trainer, built a circus for 200 places in 1890, and a new “Hyppo Palace” in 1903, that was the first two storey circus in Europe at that time.

E.P.Bradtman was an architect of the “Hyppo Palace”. This circus could fit in nearly 2,000 spectators, and had stage transformation equipment. The palace had a perfect acoustics. Famous domestic and foreign singers performed in this hall. “Hyppo Palace” was located in Mykolayivska Street ( Gorodetzkogo St. nowadays), but was destroyed in the WWII. Later “Ukraine” movie theatre was built on its site.