EURO 2012 host-cities - Kharkov

   Seats at Euro-2012 Stadiums

Region: Kharkov oblast
Population: 1,461,000
Area: 310 km²
Elevation: 152 m above-sea level
Distance to other EURO 2012 host-cities:
Donetsk – 315 km
Kiev – 480 km
Lviv – 1,015 km
Warsaw – 1,250 km
Wroclaw – 1,515 km
Poznan – 1,570 km
Gdansk – 1,600 km
Kharkov is the largest city in Eastern Ukraine and the second largest in the country. It is an important scientific, industrial, cultural and students’ center of the state. It is considered to be the birthplace of Soviet nuclear industry. Also it bears an unofficial title of the first capital of Ukrainian state. Today’s Kharkiv is a modern, dynamic metropolis with a million and a half of habitants.
Founded in 1654 by Cossack settlers, a town is situated at the confluence of Lopan and Kharkov rivers. Therefore in honor of the latter it was named. After founding the city served as defense protection of the southern border of the Russian empire against the nomads. Advantageous geographical position immediately provided Kharkov with status of an important commercial and industrial center. In the period from 1919 to 1934 the city was a capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. At this time the city became a major industrial center and was the third after Moscow and Leningrad. Therefore, after World War II became one of the greatest scientific and industrial centers of the Soviet Union.
Kharkov at all times paid a lot of attention to the development of physical training and sports. Therefore, here you can find all the facilities that are necessary for rising a champion. In 2009, the Association of Sports Journalists of Ukraine even awarded the title “the Sportiest city in the country”. Despite the high achievements of the Kharkov athletes in various sports, the most beloved and popular among the citizens remains football. Kharkov is proud of its FC "Metalist". Five consecutive years FC became bronze medalist of the Ukrainian premier league and showed the high-end game fights for the UEFA Cup, defeating the well-known clubs in Europe.
Kharkov football success of past and present paved the way for the city to one of the biggest sporting event. In June, 2012, the city will host the European football championship. Three group matches of EURO 2012 will take place on Kharkiv stadium "Metalist", which, after a global reconstruction leaded in accordance with high standards of UEFA is one of the best football arenas in Ukraine.
How to get. Kharkov still don’t have connection with European cities. The only exception is Vienna (Austria). There are also direct flights to Istanbul and Moscow from Kharkov International Airport.
However, the best option: first to fly to Kiev and than get to Kharkov. All the more, you could use transportation service from the airport "Borispol" that will carry you to Kharkov in 7h. Also you could buy a ticket for a train (this trip would take 6 h) or for plane (1h).
It is more convenient to buy tickets for high-speed train that will connect Kharkov to other EURO 2012 host-cities. The road to Kiev will take only 3.5 hours to Donetsk – 1 hour 50 minutes, Lvov – 6.5 hours. Also there is regular bus transportation between all host-cities.