Alytus is the largest city in Southern Lithuania and is located within reasonable distance from two of the largest cities in the country – Vilnius and Kaunas. The city lies on the banks of the largest river in Lithuania – Nemunas, which splits the city in two halves. The city is surrounded by picturesque sights, which the curving river creates. Alytus will be the smallest of the six host cities to welcome EuroBasket 2011, therefore teams that will play in Alytus will be accommodated in nearby resorts.
The city was scribbled into the Lithuanian basketball map as the first Alytus team was admitted to the Lithuanian League (LKL) in 1995. Alita Alytus managed to win two bronze medals and helped to develop players such as the twins Darjus and Ksistof Lavrinovic. However, the club went bankrupt and was only recently replaced by another team in the top-tier of Lithuanian basketball.
Facts:
Population: 74 563
Area: 45 km2
Time zone in summer: EEST (UTC+3)
Temperature in August: average high - °C, average low - °C
Temperature in September: average high - °C, average low - °C
Alytus Arena
Unlike the other cities hosting EuroBasket 2011, Alytus reconstructed the old arena to suit the standards instead of building a new one. The universal arena in Alytus will be capable of seating up to 5,500 spectators in a basketball game and will be one of the venues that will host the group stage of EuroBasket 2011. After the European Championship is over, the arena will return into the hands of the local basketball club – Alytus, which used to play the home games in the venue.
Facts:
Opened: 2011
Basketball capacity: 5 500
Home team: Alytus
