Vienna and Budapest Share Their Circus Treasures

On January 10, 2026, a special moment in circus history took place at the Budapest Great Circus: during the intermission of the Hungarian Show, the Circus & Clown Museum Vienna and the Hungarian Circus Art Museum – Library and Archive of the Fővárosi Nagycirkusz – exchanged precious originals from their collections. 27 historic Hungarian circus posters and two Hungarian costume sets moved from Budapest to Vienna; in return, 27 posters preserved in Vienna since 1957 and two complete costumes of the Halassy springboard group returned "home" to the Hungarian museum.

The artifact exchange was ceremonially conducted by our museologist Christoph Enzinger and the director of the Hungarian Circus Art Museum, Joó Emese. It became apparent how closely the collections of both institutions are connected: the Halassy costumes – hand-painted stage clothing from the 1960s including boots – are part of the Vienna collection, while many of the Hungarian posters had been on loan in Vienna for decades and can now be seen again in Budapest.

Legally, the exchange took place within the framework of a properly documented agreement and a contract between the institutions – the first of its kind in the seven-year history of the Hungarian Circus Museum. This expands the museum's collection with numerous additional exhibits of the Halassy group that were not previously part of the core collection; at the same time, we can now display two complete Halassy costume sets from our own collection in our current exhibition in Vienna.

Joó Emese thanked everyone who supports the Hungarian Circus Art Museum with Hungarian relics and thus contributes to making the heritage of Hungarian circus art visible and accessible in its own country. Christoph Enzinger in turn emphasized how important such targeted object exchange actions are for museum work: they close gaps in both collections and strengthen the development of national holdings on circus history by opening up broader contexts and deepening professional partnerships.

From the perspective of the Circus & Clown Museum Vienna, this collaboration with the Fővárosi Nagycirkusz is a step that points beyond a one-time exchange. It shows how closely the circus histories of Austria and Hungary are intertwined – and how much we all benefit when collection pieces travel to where they are historically and culturally best anchored, without losing the connection to Vienna. We look forward to expanding this partnership in the coming years – with new projects, exhibitions, and perhaps further journeys of our circus treasures between the Danube and Tisza rivers.