Moscow Circus Visits Budapest

Russian cultural exchange with the Austro-Hungarian Empire a big hit

Budapest – To the tune of drums and tubas the Moscow Circus paraded through Budapest in advance of its opening night. The circus is visiting as part of a cultural exchange program between Russia and Austria-Hungary, the idea being to encourage citizens of the respective empires to integrate and better appreciate each other’s cultures. “Through such exchanges we hope to further encourage pan-European integration,” noted a spokesman for the government sanctioned program. “It’s all about unity and peace, what we’re seeing here.” For most onlookers however, especially the wee ones, it was more about the elephants, clowns, dancing bears, jugglers and trapeze artists parading by. Most lining the streets seemed to be dazzled by the spectacle, however not all present were impressed. “So they have dancing bears, so what?” remarked one onlooker. “Now the Tsarina, there’s an act. She can make the whole of Europe dance on the point of a bayonet!”