According to its website, the Roncalli Circus - which has no wild animal performances in its program and specialises in acrobatic numbers - will visit a total of eight German cities this year. The venues are provided for six of these cities, but for Bonn and Munich the information about the location is missing.

According to information from the press office, Bonn city council currently has "no circus grounds of its own on municipal land". Following its request for the performances in Bonn, Roncalli Circus had been referred to areas belonging to private operators. The same answer had already been given to the Bonn Christmas Circus, who pitched its tent on the fair ground on the Siegburger Straße in Pützchen until January. Spokesman Thomas Lenz had recently explained that it would be difficult to find a location in Bonn in the future. The fair ground is no longer available because a supermarket and apartments are being built there. Up until Friday evening, the city council was unable to answer the question as to whether the urban events area on which Pützchens Markt takes place would be suitable.

In the past, Roncalli has also been a guest on the meadow in front of the Beethovenhalle. Apart from the ongoing renovation of the hall, this location will no longer be available for any events in the future. City curator Katrin Bisping commented: "The city is spending a great deal of money on restoring the Beethovenhalle and its entire surroundings to an outstanding condition. The resulting added value should not be impaired by a circus ground."

Two years ago, Roncalli had organised its shows in the Stadtgarten next to the Alter Zoll. As was the case at the Beethovenhalle, only the attractive old circus wagons and the tent were set up there; transport vehicles were parked outside of the city centre. But the Stadtgarten am Alten Zoll has also been removed as a location, "because extensive renovation work is planned there from 2019", said Andrea Schulte from the press office. Besides the ice rink, concerts and the marathon tent, no other time slot would be available. Especially as it is unclear at the moment how things will continue at the Stadtgarten.

As previously reported by the General-Anzeiger, the city wants to continue to approve events such as the ice rink. The conservationists of the Landschaftsverband Rheinland insist, however, on putting the meadow under preservation order, which would at least limit the possibilities of use.

Near the city centre there is also the Hofgartenwiese, where Roncalli celebrated its world premiere on 20 May 1976. The University of Bonn has the right of domicile there and therefore has the say. In the past, the rectorate has generally rejected requests from third parties. Except for their own tent, which is erected once a year for the students' graduation party, the green should remain free for the rest of the time. "The situation has not changed," explained university spokesman Andreas Archut on Friday.

As far as Roncalli is concerned, director Bernhard Paul, who received the State Award of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2018, has set up the circus tent for example on the square in front of the town hall in Vienna. Roncalli is always looking for centrally located locations beyond the typical circus grounds. From the city's point of view, it would not be possible to hold a circus on the Münsterplatz or the Marktplatz for reasons of space alone. In addition, a performance of any kind lasting several weeks would be out of the question because a large number of events already take place on both of these squares throughout the year. The city council declared that as a basic procedure, it would always try to find suitable public places if circuses or other organisers so requested. (Original text: Philipp Königs, Translation: Caroline Kusch)