Famous magicians
Las Vegas is erasing memories of Siegfried and Roy from the cityscape
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Siegfried and Roy were once the kings of Las Vegas. A few years after the magicians’ death, their last memories disappear.
This article first appeared at ntv.de
It is all too drastic proof of how fleeting everything is. Especially in a pulsating metropolis like Las Vegas, where constant change creates identity. In the American gambler’s paradise, new establishments tend to spring up like mushrooms, while one or two traditional glittering temples simply disappear without a sound.
This fast pace does not stop at Siegfried and Roy. The two magicians Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn from Germany were once the uncrowned kings of Las Vegas. Her performances with white tigers and lions made her not only world famous – much to the annoyance of animal rights activists. Their shows at the Mirage Hotel also broke all attendance records in the casino city from the beginning of the 1990s.
For their private retreat, Siegfried and Roy owned two residences: first of all “Jungle Palace” not far from the Las Vegas Strip, and later an area of around 40 hectares on the outskirts of the city “Little Bavaria” and in which they enjoyed frolicking with their big cats. But that’s not all: in 1996 the two also opened the one adjacent to the Mirage “Secret Garden” – an outdoor enclosure for their animals including a dolphinarium, which was also open to visitors.
Mirage gives way to Hard Rock
Not even three years have passed since Siegfried Fischbacher’s death on January 13, 2021. He died just a few months after Roy Horn, who succumbed to complications from Covid-19 on May 8, 2020. Horn also suffered for many years from the after-effects of a show accident in October 2003. At that time, the white tiger Mantacore attacked him on stage and seriously injured him.
But the ravages of time are already eating away at the legacy of the former superstars from the German provinces. “Little Bavaria” was sold in 2022 and will be built on with residential buildings after it is demolished. A year later that also changed “Jungle Palace” the owner. At least this property has been preserved and has been open to tours for around a year.
The “Secret Garden” However, now suffers a similar fate “Little Bavaria”. After the Mirage Hotel was also sold at the end of 2022, the former Las Vegas institution closed in mid-2024. A new luxury resort will soon be built in its place, run by the Hard Rock group, which is known for its restaurants almost all over the world. The result: that too “Secret Garden” is now falling victim to the demolition excavators.
Siegfried and Roy: Their magical property in Las Vegas is threatened with the wrecking ball

Their property in Las Vegas was just as unusual as their career: In the 1970s, the magician duo Siegfried and Roy and their white tigers rose to superstardom. The two appeared on the show almost every day “Lido de Paris” – and thus helped the player city to new fame. But now Siegfried and Roy’s villa is about to fall victim to the wrecking ball. This is what the Las Vegas City Council decided. An apartment complex with 334 residential units is to be built on the 40-hectare site.
© Dieter Klar / Picture Alliance
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Bronze sculpture of Siegfried and Roy is to be dismantled
The “Picture”The newspaper has photos that show that the area has already been almost completely razed to the ground. While the hotel itself is still standing, all that remains in front of it is a gigantic sandy desert in which all kinds of construction machinery is already being used to redesign the area. A well-known bronze sculpture of Siegfried and Roy, which was erected in 1993, will probably not be spared. You can see how it is poorly protected with a construction fence. After “Picture”According to information, it will soon be dismantled and transported to a Las Vegas museum.
It cannot be ruled out that the street to the old Mirage will also be renamed, it goes on to say. She has had the name since 2020 “Siegfried and Roy Drive”. But sooner or later that too could be history – and succumb to the transience of the glory of bygone days.
Source: Stern

I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.