When Friedrich Knie , the son of an Austrian doctor, fell in love with Wilma, a beautiful equestrienne A female equestrian, or horse trainer, horse presenter, or acrobat on horseback. Born in Erfurt and nineteen years old, the young Friedrich left his studies without a second thought and went on to roam the country with a small company of traveling performers.
In , he met and fell in love with Antonia Toni Stauffer. As family lore has it, Friedrich abducted the object of his flame on a night of lightnings and thunder, and the two lovers got married that same year. The Napoleonic Wars had rendered the political and social environment in Austria quite unstable, and the economic situation was uneasy.
The Arena Knie was still a small affair that performed outdoors; the high rope was rigged above a stage, on which were presented tight and bouncing rope An rope placed between two supports or pedestals, and fastened at one or both ends to a spring or bungee, so that the ropedancer can use the rope as a propelling device.
The addition of a few benches around the stage made up the arena. Germany was added to the route and, as early as , Switzerland.
In , the Knies performed in Zurich for the first time, and that same year, in Rapperswilβwhich was to become much later, in , their hometown. The Knie Arena developed into a successful and reputable enterprise in these three countries. Rudolf and Franz eventually left the family, and went on to create their own troupe of rope dancers, and when Friedrich died suddenly of a cardiac arrest on February 3, in Berthoud, Switzerland, Karl took over the management of the Knie Arena.
