Description of the attraction
At the intersection of st. Volskaya and Kirov Avenue is a two-story house of the founders of the Russian circus - the Nikitin brothers: Dmitry, Peter and Akim. The construction of the mansion was entrusted to the best architect of Saratov - A. M. Salko, and in 1890 the house with a rounded facade, bay windows and caryatids opened its front door for eminent owners.
The Nikitin brothers began their careers as ordinary wandering artists, giving circus performances on the streets of cities. Having saved up some money, in 1873 they opened their own circus in Penza, and in 1876 they built the first stationary circus on Mitrofanievskaya Square in Saratov. Throughout their lives, the brothers developed circus art in different directions, never ceasing to perform in the circus arena as acrobats, trainers, puppeteers, clowns and riders. For 40 years of activity Nikitins have built thirty stone and wooden buildings for circuses throughout the country, including Moscow, Tbilisi, Baku, Odessa, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod and other large cities.
The youngest of the Nikitin brothers - Peter - settled in Saratov and lived in a beautiful mansion with a corner turret-bay window on Kirov Avenue (formerly Nemetskaya Street), renting out the first floor to a small restaurant "Germany", later to a pharmacy and a photo studio. In 1821, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Nikitin, one of the founders of the Russian circus, a major entrepreneur and philanthropist, an honorary citizen of Saratov, died of hunger in his home.
A memorial plaque is attached to the facade of the building, indicating that from 1890 to 1917 the house belonged to the Nikitin brothers, prominent figures of Russian culture.
