Stadium Info
- Name: Samara Arena
- Location: Radiotsentr district, 10 kilometers to the north of the city centre.
- Capacity: 45,000.
Stadium Facts
The stadium stands on Samara’s highest point in the Radiotsentr district.
Samara Arena is 65 meters high, as tall as Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral or the two famous towers of London’s Tower Bridge.
Samara Arena looks like a spaceship. Its design is unique and highly symbolic, considering Samara’s major contribution to space exploration.
The last 900metre stretch from the public transport stations to the stadium entrance features a series of figures marking the final countdown. The numbers from nine to one are installed each 100 meters.
It is the home arena for FC Krylia Sovetov.
SAMARA City Information
- Administrative centre of Samara Region.
- Founded in 1586.
- Total population: 1.2 million people.
- Total area: 382 sq km.
Samara is located on the bank of the Volga River, one of largest rivers in the world and the longest river in Europe. It is a major economic, industrial, cultural and scientific centre. Throughout the 20th century, Samara’s history was closely intertwined with space, as it became the very place where launch vehicles were designed and manufactured. Another point of pride for Samara residents in the fact that their city boasts the largest square in Europe, Kuybysheva Square, which will host the FIFA Fan Fest™. Samara also has the highest railway station building in Europe (101 m) with an observation deck, and the longest embankment in Russia (5 km).
Samara City Facts
Samara was established in 1586 as a fortress town, and got its name from a nearby river. The fortress was intended to serve as an outpost to control the middle reaches of the Volga River and the Samara River delta, and protecting the country from nomads. It also helped protect the sea route from Kazan to Astrakhan.
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to journey into outer space on board the Vostok spacecraft, launched into orbit by an R-7 rocket designed in Samara. Gagarin landed near Engels, Saratov Region, and got on a flight to Samara, where he spent a few days after his mission.
During the Great Patriotic War Samara was home to Dmitry Shostakovich, the greatest composer of the 20th century. It was here that he finished his famous Seventh Symphony, which was performed for the first time by the Bolshoi Theatre orchestra.
