Västra Söderkulla

Did you ever hear of a neighborhood that housed tigers, elephants, and acrobats? Right here in Västra Söderkulla, nestled within Malmö’s Fosie borough, the echoes of roaring lions and the laughter of delighted children once filled the air. Västra Söderkulla, a name whispered among locals with a hint of mystique and wonder, wasn’t always a residential haven. In the 1930s, before the concrete jungle took root, this area was a patchwork of farms and fields, home to the Mariedalsgården. This tranquil setting became the winter quarters of Henning Orlando, a renowned circus director. Imagine his daughter, Othelia, a retired equestrian, strolling through the fields with her pet tiger, Sonja, on a leash. Sonja, rescued as a mere cub, thrived on a peculiar diet of oat must and several kilos of horse meat daily. Västra Söderkulla, in its rural tranquility, provided an unusual backdrop for such exotic encounters. As decades passed, the circus legacy continued. In the 1940s, another circus director, Trolle Rhodin, acquired the property, establishing his own winter camp. The estate expanded to include stables, a riding arena, and even a pool for sea lions. Children attending the nearby Söderkullaskolan had front-row seats to a daily spectacle of elephants, zebras, and llamas during their lunch breaks. Västra Söderkulla was a living, breathing circus dreamland. Can you picture the scene in the 1960s, with circus children riding horses to school, and later, in the 70s, skillfully navigating on large, colorful balls? The Rhodin family’s circus spirit carried on. In the 1980s, Trolle and Ingeborg’s children founded Cirkus Brazil Jack, forever etching their family name into the neighborhood’s identity. Today, street names like Cirkusprinsessan (Circus Princess), Domptören (Tamer), Jonglören (Juggler), and Dressören (Trainer) pay homage to Västra Söderkulla’s vibrant circus past. As of 2011, over 4,800 people called Västra Söderkulla home, likely unaware of the exotic footprints left behind by tigers, elephants, and the generations of circus families who once transformed this ordinary neighborhood into a stage of wonder.