Klaipeda is the third largest city in Lithuania and the only sea-port of the country. Originally founded by Baltic tribes, the city was built by the Teotonic Order in 1252 and named Memel after a river 40 kilometers south. For most of its history, Klaipeda, was part of Prussia and later Germany before falling into Lithuanian hands after the First World War. The German heritage is still highly visible, but the sea-port status has seen the city blooming on its own.
Despite not having a very strong basketball team in the city, Klaipeda has still managed to develop many international-level stars such as Arvydas Macijauskas, Tomas Delininkaitis and Saulius Stombergas. The local side Neptunas has always been among the midlevel Lithuanian sides and relies on developing young talents.
Facts:
Population: 238 000
Area: 110 km2
Time zone in summer: EEST (UTC+3)
Temperature in August: average high 20,1 °C, average low 13,6 °C
Temperature in September: average high 16,4 °C, average low 10,2 °C
Klaipeda Arena
There was no modern arena in Klaipeda and EuroBasket 2011 was a great opportunity to build one in the third-largest city in Lithuania. The arena in Klaipeda, which can seat up to 5,500 spectators in a basketball game, will host one of the groups in the European Championship. As a side-note, the arena will visually resemble a catamaran, which suits the geographical location of the city.
Facts:
Opened: 2011
Basketball capacity: 5 500
Home team: Neptunas
