At the time of its opening in 1913, the Palladium cinema was the largest in the Baltics. It featured 250 seats, a balcony, a café and top-notch equipment. The seating area was later extended to 1,080 seats, making it the largest in the whole of Europe.
Its glorious history was stopped — or rather, paused — in the beginning of the 21st century, when the venue was closed. Palladium reopened in 2011 after major restoration as a concert hall with a capacity to accommodate 2,000 people.
The main concept of the interior — a city within a city — was clear from the beginning. In Greek, “palladium” refers to a statue of Pallas Athena, deemed a city’s talisman.
The restoration project preserved the stairs from the 1960s, and recovered lamps and lampshades, later used for the foyer’s lighting. The vintage feel is supported by used speakers and TV screens and the old-fashioned roof-slate finish of the bar.
