close X
EN

Restored Sapieha Palace in Vilnius Chooses L-Acoustics for Its Cultural Spaces

all news
1
Sapieha Palace, a High Baroque residence in Vilnius’ Antakalnis district, was built between 1689 and 1692 for Kazimierz Jan Sapieha, Grand Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Voivode of Vilnius. Following extensive research, conservation and restoration, the palace reopened to the public on 12 April 2024 as a branch of the Contemporary Art Centre. Today, its programme includes exhibitions, educational activities, concerts and other cultural events.

Challenge

Adapting a protected historic building for contemporary cultural use required an audio system capable of supporting very different formats without imposing a single permanent production layout on the restored interiors. The 420-square-metre event hall, with capacity for up to 150 guests, needed to accommodate conferences, screenings and small concerts, while also providing higher-output sound reinforcement when required.

Technology and Solution

Vilnius-based integrator Scenos Techninis Servisas (STS), a long-standing VGD Project partner in Lithuania, developed the audio solution around L-Acoustics A Series, X Series and LA4X amplified controllers.

The venue uses several complementary configurations. A portable system based on four A15 Wide loudspeakers and four KS21 subwoofers can be deployed for events requiring greater output and flexible positioning.

For cinema, conferences and smaller performances, eight compact 5XT enclosures are distributed around the hall, with an X8 positioned behind the projection screen and additional A15 Wide and KS21 systems providing the main and low-frequency reinforcement. LA4X amplified controllers provide amplification, processing and system control.

“Designing an audio system for a historic space required a careful balance between acoustic performance, flexibility, and respect for the restored architecture. The hall’s high ceilings and extensive hard surfaces required a carefully considered approach to achieve consistent coverage and speech intelligibility, while ensuring that the audio system remained discreet within the restored architecture. At the same time, the system needed to adapt to the different ways the space is used. Combining distributed coaxial loudspeakers with the A15 Wide and KS21 system gave us the flexibility to meet these requirements without compromising the character of the interior,” says Julius Gružinskas, Head of Design Department at Scenos Techninis Servisas.

From the outset, our goal was to create a coherent audio infrastructure that could support a wide range of event formats: "Sapieha Palace is surrounded by an active park that attracts many visitors during the summer season, so we deliberately designed part of the system to be portable and usable beyond the main hall. The same equipment can be reconfigured for outdoor events, conferences, film screenings, or concerts, allowing the venue to respond to different programme requirements without the need for separate sound systems. Just as importantly, we wanted this flexibility to remain practical in everyday use, so the system is straightforward for the venue’s technical team to configure and operate,” says J. Gružinskas."

The audio installation was completed in 2023 as part of the palace’s adaptation for contemporary cultural use.

The short equipment list

Portable sound system
A15 Wide  4
KS21  4
LA4X  2

Surround cinema sound system
5XT 8
X8 1
A15 Wide  2
KS21 2
LA4X 2

Sound reinforcement system
A15 Wide 4
S21  4
LA4X  2

products

back next