| Žalgiris Arena | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kaunas, Lithuania |
| Broke ground | 26 September 2008 |
| Opened | 18 August 2011 |
| Owner | Kaunas City Municipality |
| Construction cost | 168.8M litas € 50 million |
| Architect | Eugenijus Miliūnas |
| Capacity | Basketball 15,442 Concerts 17,500 Hockey 13,762 Circus 15,400 Boxing 15,261 Volleyball 13,666 Handball 13,807 |
| Tenants | |
| BC Žalgiris | |
Žalgiris Arena is a multi-purpose 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 seating capacity for basketball games is 15,442, 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 euros). The arena was opened on 18th of August 2011 with a basketball match between Lithuania and Spain.
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 facade is made of high-end and higly transparent glass. A part of the facade has a unique metal wall, which is already naturally encrust with rust.
It is equipped with some unique technical solutions, such as power windows and modern ice-making installation.[1] An advanced audio equipment (amplifiers, digital mixing engines and stage boxes) by Yamaha is installed in the Žalgiris Arena.[2] 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.
| Preceded by Spodek Katowice |
EuroBasket Final Venue 2011 |
Succeeded by Arena Stožice Ljubljana |