Kauno Arena
Encyclopedia
Žalgiris Arena is an indoor arena
in the New Town
of Kaunas
, Lithuania
. The arena is located on an island of the Nemunas River. It is the largest indoor arena in the Baltics
. The arena's maximum possible capacity for basketball games is 15,442 seats, and 16,160 seats for concerts (when the stage is in the middle, and 11,256 when stage is in the side of the arena). The Žalgiris Arena replaced the Kaunas Sports Hall
as a major venue in the city. Arena is operated by the ŪBIG Investments Group - a branch of commercial Ūkio bank
and owned by Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Romanov
.
The Žalgiris Arena is used to host basketball games as well as concerts. The arena's namesake basketball club BC Žalgiris
, which currently competes in the domestic LKL
and the Euroleague
, uses the facility for all of its European and LKL home fixtures. The Žalgiris Arena is scheduled to hold the playoffs and finals of the 37th European Basketball Championship
, which will take place on September 2011.
The construction of the arena started in September 2008; the main contractor of the arena is Lithuanian construction company Vėtrūna, chief architect – Eugenijus Miliūnas. The total cost of the arena is estimated to be 168.8 M litas (50 million euro
s). The arena was opened on 18th of August 2011 with a basketball match between Lithuania
and Spain
.
is made of high-end and higly transparent glass. It is equipped with some unique technical solutions, such as power windows and modern ice-making installation. An advanced audio equipment (amplifiers, digital mixing engines and stage boxes) by Yamaha is installed in the Žalgiris Arena. The Žalgiris Arena has 48 VIP suites, 21 suites for the Žalgiris basketball club and media, 9 suites for a single rent, an exhibition hall, and a fitness center.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in the New Town
Centras (Kaunas)
Centras is an elderate in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, based on two neighbourhoods of Kaunas - the Old City and the New City. It lies at the confluence of two major Lithuanian rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris....
of Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. The arena is located on an island of the Nemunas River. It is the largest indoor arena in the Baltics
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
. The arena's maximum possible capacity for basketball games is 15,442 seats, and 16,160 seats for concerts (when the stage is in the middle, and 11,256 when stage is in the side of the arena). The Žalgiris Arena replaced the Kaunas Sports Hall
Kaunas Sports Hall
Kaunas Sports Hall , also known as the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Hall is the second largest arena of Kaunas, Lithuania. It is the first arena built in the residential Žaliakalnis neighbourhood of Kaunas specially for basketball in Europe and is referred to as a "Mecca of the Lithuanian basketball"....
as a major venue in the city. Arena is operated by the ŪBIG Investments Group - a branch of commercial Ūkio bank
Ukio Bankas
Ūkio Bankas is a Lithuanian commercial bank based in Kaunas. More than 50% of shares are owned by Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Romanov who therefore is in the control of the bank. It is the fifth largest and oldest private bank in Lithuania...
and owned by Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Romanov
Vladimir Romanov
Vladimir Nikolayevich Romanov ; born 1947 in Tver Oblast, Russian SFSR, USSR) is an ethnic Russian businessman who also holds Lithuanian citizenship following that country's independence from the Soviet Union. He is chairman of UBIG Investments which is the majority shareholder in Scottish Premier...
.
The Žalgiris Arena is used to host basketball games as well as concerts. The arena's namesake basketball club BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
, which currently competes in the domestic LKL
Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...
and the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
, uses the facility for all of its European and LKL home fixtures. The Žalgiris Arena is scheduled to hold the playoffs and finals of the 37th European Basketball Championship
Eurobasket 2011
EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time Eurobasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted the 1939 championship. FIBA Europe asserted that Lithuania managed to...
, which will take place on September 2011.
The construction of the arena started in September 2008; the main contractor of the arena is Lithuanian construction company Vėtrūna, chief architect – Eugenijus Miliūnas. The total cost of the arena is estimated to be 168.8 M litas (50 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s). The arena was opened on 18th of August 2011 with a basketball match between Lithuania
Lithuania national basketball team
The Lithuanian national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in international men's basketball. Lithuania won bronze medals in three out of five Olympic tournaments it participated in....
and Spain
Spain national basketball team
The Spanish national basketball team is the basketball team representing Spain in international competitions, organized and run by the Spanish Basketball Federation...
.
Arena information
The Žalgiris Arena is the largest in the Baltic states and covers 39,684 m². It seats up to 17,500 spectators for concerts (with the additional seats added). It's situated in the eastern part of the Nemunas river island and it's shape has nine corners. Arena's facadeFacade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
is made of high-end and higly transparent glass. It is equipped with some unique technical solutions, such as power windows and modern ice-making installation. An advanced audio equipment (amplifiers, digital mixing engines and stage boxes) by Yamaha is installed in the Žalgiris Arena. The Žalgiris Arena has 48 VIP suites, 21 suites for the Žalgiris basketball club and media, 9 suites for a single rent, an exhibition hall, and a fitness center.