- Place
- Klaipėda City Municipality
- Region
- Klaipėda
- Type
- municipal professional performing-arts institution housed in Klaipėda's historic marksmen's guild complex
- Address
- 36 Šaulių Street, Klaipėda 92231
- Coordinates
- 55.71713, 21.13032
- Visit duration
- 1.5-2.5 hours for a concert; 10-20 minutes to view the historic exterior without attending an event
- Best time
- according to the official programme; check the outdoor park-stage series in summer and arrive early for evening performances
Klaipėdos koncertų salė, Klaipėda Shooters' House, Officers' House, KKS
More than an event building, this is a nineteenth-century Klaipėda cultural site
Klaipėda Concert Hall stands in the city centre at 36 Šaulių Street. The Google listing point at 55.7171281, 21.1303188 marks the building rather than a guaranteed vehicle entrance or a particular door. From the street, look for the long pale rendered facade, dark red window frames and doors, bands of plaster ornament, and red tiled roof. Several construction phases were joined together here, so the deliberately irregular facade is part of the building's character.
The latest official 2026 venue page describes the main auditorium as a 534-seat hall. It hosts more than symphonic and chamber concerts: the programme includes choral, contemporary, world-music, jazz, family, and educational events, while a separate section lists productions by partner organisers. In summer, part of the institution's own programme moves to the outdoor park stage in the courtyard.
On 21 July 2026, Google's public map response showed a score of 4.6 out of 5, while a search source reproducing the same Google data counted about 1,559 reviews. That indicates popularity, not an audit of artistic quality or accessibility; choose an event by its programme, performers, seating plan, and your individual requirements.
The marksmen's guild created a range, garden, and the city's largest hall
The venue's official history traces Klaipėda's town marksmen's guild to the late seventeenth century. In 1841, the organisation bought a large plot between present-day Šaulių and S. Nėries streets, first installing a shooting range and soon erecting a brick headquarters beside the street. The guild received corporate rights in 1843. Behind the house lay a garden with an orchestra pavilion and a small structure known as the glass pavilion.
The range was rebuilt in 1878; the official account cautiously says that the building was probably remodelled at the same time, receiving decorative plasterwork and a large hall with a stage. It became Klaipėda's largest concert hall, while townspeople could hire a smaller ballroom. Celebrations, shooting tournaments, and cultural events filled the halls and garden, and at times the Shooters' House stage competed with the city theatre.
The Shooters' House should not be mistaken for a cemetery chapel. A Cultural Heritage Department plan for Klaipėda's New Town identifies the marksmen's headquarters, now the Concert Hall, and the cemetery chapel or Orthodox church complex as separate sites. The nearby Sculpture Park does occupy the former municipal cemetery, but the concert-hall building grew from the guild headquarters and leisure complex.
From the Officers' House to the present concert institution
During the Soviet period, the former Shooters' House became an Officers' House. Although its institutional purpose was military, it continued to host the kinds of cultural activity associated with such clubs at the time. The premises were transferred to the Music Centre in 1991, returning music to the centre of the complex's identity.
A major reconstruction was completed in December 2004. The professional performing-arts institution established by Klaipėda City Council began work here in April 2005. Two anniversaries therefore need to be distinguished: the cultural life of the Shooters' House reaches back into the nineteenth century, while the present Klaipėda Concert Hall institution dates from 2005.
The municipal heritage strategy singles out the guild's house and cultural garden as part of the growth of Wilhelm Town, today's New Town. Do not look only at the main door: variations in the facade, differing openings, plaster details, and the direction of the former garden reveal a complex that grew over time rather than from one unified design.
Three professional ensembles and several distinctive concert cycles
The institution comprises three professional ensembles: the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra, the Klaipėda mixed choir Aukuras, and the Klaipėda Brass Quintet. They develop their own programmes, collaborate with soloists and guest ensembles, and perform beyond this auditorium. The calendar is therefore not simply a list of touring productions; much of it is created in Klaipėda itself.
Long-running programmes include the orchestral Klaipėda Music Spring, the contemporary-music festival Permainų muzika, the year-end Salve Musica festival, and the Summer Concert Series. The International Klaipėda Cello Festival and Competition is not annual; the official site announces its next edition for 3-9 May 2027. The Klaipėda International Cello Academy is another strand of this work.
The institution's official overview states that it presents more than 380 events of different kinds per season, but that total covers varied formats. Check the organiser before buying: events in the Concert Hall's own programme follow its and Kakava's terms, while a partner event may have another ticket seller, price structure, discount policy, and refund rules.
A 534-seat auditorium, conference room, and two foyers
The official venue-hire page current on 21 July 2026 gives the main auditorium a capacity of 534. This is newer than the figure of 600 that still appears in some older descriptions, so use the live seating map and the ticket layout for the chosen event. Stage equipment, closed sections, or an organiser's configuration can reduce the number of seats actually sold.
Other publicly offered spaces include a 145 sq m conference room, a 219 sq m first-floor foyer, and a 207 sq m second-floor foyer. They host conferences, meetings, exhibitions, receptions, and smaller performances, so the experience depends on the precise space printed on the ticket.
The official 2025 easy-read guide says that the venue is adapted for visitors with disabilities and mentions visual and intellectual disabilities specifically; the website also provides easy-read and sign-language information. No comprehensive public specification was found for the complete step-free route, every doorway, a hearing loop, or the exact number of wheelchair spaces. Confirm an appropriate seat, companion arrangements, entry route, and assistance with the box office before purchasing.
Tickets, box-office hours, and event admission follow different timetables
Tickets for the Concert Hall's own programme are sold at its box office and online through Kakava; a partner-event page may direct buyers to another distributor. There is no single tariff. On 21 July 2026, upcoming in-house programme pages included free events and tickets at EUR 13.40, EUR 23.40, and EUR 29.40, while special festive programmes cost more. Before paying, check the date, seat, discount conditions, and service charge for the selected event.
Regular box-office hours were Monday to Friday, 11:00-19:15, with a lunch break from 14:30 to 15:15. On a Saturday with an event, the office opens two hours before the performance; it is closed on Sunday. A temporary later schedule operated for the Summer Concert Series from 25 June to 18 July 2026, so always check the official page for future seasonal changes.
Box-office hours do not say when the audience may enter, and the institution's administrative hours are not public visiting hours. Follow the ticket and event page. The official venue description mentions parking beside the building but does not guarantee a space; allow extra time in this central district before a popular concert, or arrive on foot or by public transport.
