Cirque d'Été

The Cirque d'Été once stood as a grand architectural marvel at the Rond-Point of the Champs-Élysées. Designed by the architect Jacques Hittorff and opened in 1841, it was an immense stone structure built in a distinctive sixteen-sided polygonal shape. Its interior featured a dedicated circus ring that broke from the traditional rectangular layouts of previous Parisian venues. The building was so impressive that it became an international model for circus design, inspiring similar permanent arenas across Europe and beyond.