Doneck / Donetsk
Industrial city from eastern Ukraine will be hosting an important event such as EURO 2012? Yes, that is true! But this is just a next step in a rich history of this interesting place, which is situated only 100 km from the Sea of Azov. Doneck became a city in 1917, although it was of great importance as early as since the 1st half of the 19th century, especially thanks to coal mining and processing of metals. The significance of the Doneck are is still high thanks to mining; for example the salt you are using in your kitchen might be from one of the mines around Doneck. The city got its name, Doneck, after a river which is not flowing through the city. Approximately 1 milion people live in Doneck. They are mostly Russians or Ukrainians. The language spoken is Russian, even among the Ukrainian population of Doneck. EURO 2012 of course will not take place deep in the mines. The most attractive matches will be played in the newly built Donbass Arena. The capacity of the stadium is 50000 people. It is the first stadium in Eastern Europe which satisfies UEFA Elite-Class standard. Special illumination will turn the stadium into a shiny dominant of Doneck. After EURO 2012, the stadium will become a home stadium of FC Shakhtar.
