Built in 1885-1886 on Jernbanegade, near the Tivoli amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Cirkusbygningen, (Circus building) was designed by the architect Henrik Vilhelm Brinkopff (1823-1900). It was inaugurated on May 8, 1886 by the German circus king, Ernst Jakob Renz (1814 -1892). At the time, circus tents were not so common; circus companies that traveled all around Europe played mostly in simple circus constructions made of wood—or, in major cities, in permanent circuses built in stone. Ernst Renz, a remarkable equestrian and director who had made a fortune in the circus business, had erected elegant and luxurious circus buildings of brick and stone in cities such as Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg, and Breslau.