The iconic Wintercircus in the city of Ghent, with over a century of history, has been reborn as a new entertainment space.

Wintercircus first opened its doors in 1885 in the Flemish city of Ghent and for years was a much-loved venue and home to a popular indoor circus that entertained crowds and thrilled visitors for almost sixty years. Ultimately, the bankruptcy brought on by World War II forced it to close its doors in 1944. After the war, the building had a singular and curious history, even operating as a classic car parking lot in the 1970s before being acquired by sogent, the Ghent urban development agency, in 2005.

The renovation of Wintercircus was carried out in two phases, which included structural improvements, the installation of modern technical facilities, and the redesign of public spaces. More than a century after its inauguration, the building has been completely transformed into a modern leisure and technology center, which was honored with the Ghent Monuments Prize in 2022. While preserving several aspects of its original exterior architecture, the interior of Wintercircus now tells a completely different story, with community, art, business, and ideas at the forefront.

The Bose Professional solution

Refurbishing a nearly 150-year-old structure to meet the flexible multimedia needs of the modern era was no easy task. The renovated Wintercircus was designed to host a wide variety of large-scale events and contained separate business, dining, and community spaces. Each area required a coherent, reliable, and high-quality audio solution that would unify the existing systems, deliver exceptional sound clarity, and preserve its historic charm.

We were looking for a solution that not only helped us with daily music for public visitors when they entered the building, but we also wanted something that could help us with professional conferences and, even more, something that could help us with immersive experiences from a cultural perspective, explains Louis Jonckheere, CEO of Wintercircus.

The team responsible for restoring Wintercircus faced several challenges from the start of the project, and one of the most significant was figuring out how to design a state-of-the-art audiovisual system that connected multiple commercial and leisure spaces while seamlessly integrating into the building’s historic architecture. It was essential to use all existing conduits and pathways to preserve the building’s original aesthetics and to install the equipment without altering its historic elements.

Sovilux, the integrator for this project, understood that they would have to design and deliver a powerful, precise, and respectful system that preserved the architectural heritage of the venue. Given this special task, they worked closely with Bose Professional to design a solution that addressed each unique requirement while emphasizing interoperability, ensuring that all components could work together seamlessly.

To ensure a complete and integrated audiovisual solution, Sovilux designed the Bose Professional Professional system to work perfectly with other devices and technologies, such as video systems, digital signage, third-party control systems, and wireless microphone systems.

"It was an interesting project for us to implement the variety of loudspeakers that Bose Professional has in its range. In the atrium, we provided a more technical solution with steerable loudspeakers. Our subwoofers offer a very immersive sound, and our goal is to have the same decibel volume everywhere", says Jonckheere.

Today, Wintercircus has a new look and sound that blends old-world style with the modern technological era. Sovilux and Bose Professional Professional together took on the challenging task of combining modernity and history. For Wintercircus staff, operations have now been simplified, as the intuitive control interface allows them to easily manage complex audiovisual setups and adapt to any type of event with minimal training. For Wintercircus staff and crew, the completed work has exceeded expectations.

For me, the end result is much more than I expected, especially the sound experience in our exhibition rooms and in the Grand Central Atrium. It’s more than immersive, remarked the project manager.

Key strategies included the use of a centralized, mobile control system with custom DSP settings and routing configurations that allowed easy management of audio, video, and lighting, while reducing complexity for the venue staff. The system was also designed using standardized audiovisual protocols and connectivity options, such as Dante for audio over IP, to ensure the system’s flexibility and future readiness.Sovilux utilized over 19 different loudspeaker and subwoofer designs to provide uniform and customized coverage in the various areas of the venue, while also delivering the high sound pressure levels needed for large-scale events in the main hall. The final system included more than 50 ArenaMatch series loudspeakers, 40 DesignMax series loudspeakers, and nearly 50 FreeSpace series loudspeakers. The business spaces were equipped with more than 20 VB-S and VB1, and more than a dozen MSA12X loudspeakers were installed to deliver directional, focused sound in larger rooms. At the center of the installation are 15 PowerShare PSX series amplifiers, providing versatile, high-fidelity sound throughout the venue. All these systems were designed with the ability to scale and support future enhancements should Wintercircus continue to evolve in the coming years.

The reimagining of Wintercircus combines history and innovation to offer visitors a modern experience.

Thanks to the expertise of Bose Professional and Sovilux, Wintercircus has become a shining example of how to integrate sophisticated, modern technology into a historic landmark.

Wintercircus not only maintains its distinction as a historic monument from Ghent’s past, but also stands as a new and vibrant part of its future, where a new story is being told through a different sound.

With Wintercircus, our motto is ‘never stop wondering.’ If we think about what a circus meant to people in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was a chance to show them things they had never seen or experienced before. That’s precisely what we want to recreate at Wintercircus now: bring shows and experiences that feel new to the audience, and the Bose Professional sound experience is extremely important in making that happen, said Lonckheere.