What trip is complete without photographs? History of the Armenian SSR city of Leninakan

Leninakan

It is very high here - almost 1535 meters above sea level. It is already very cold here on autumn days; in the lowlands of Meghri we were drenched in sweat, and then we stepped onto frozen ground, under prickly needles of snow. It is very elegant here - a few years before the Patriotic War, Leninakan began to be rapidly built up, just as thoughtfully and comprehensively, according to plan, as Yerevan. The central square in the city is simply beautiful. In its huge square, the rectangle of the large city council building stands spectacularly; From each of its corners, three geometrically even streets diverge in bundles of rays, forming a tetrahedral star. The streets - Kirov, Shaumyan, Spandaryan, Pushkinskaya and others - were put in order, well built up and sharply destroyed the original official type of layout, which consisted of a checkerboard of parallel and perpendicular lines, bearing simple numbers instead of names.

The old camp symmetry of the city has disappeared. Leninakan - a city on a mountain - received its “geodette”, a rounded planning line corresponding to the mountain elevation, where the ring and radius begin to dominate.

A whole group of builders is now engaged in the improvement of the city; the plan is signed, in addition to a team of architects and a major architectural consultant, also by a representative of the city sanitary inspection, a water supply and sewerage engineer, a forestry scientist, a transport specialist, engineers: a geologist, an electrician, a heating engineer, etc. And this is here, in Leninakan, is justified at every construction site.

There has never been a lot of greenery here before - now Leninakan residents have their own Park of Culture and Recreation; here they drank river water from Akhuryan - now, 38 kilometers away, pipes carry clean spring water from the Ghukasyan region to the city; visiting guest performers occasionally played here - now the Leninakan Drama Theater, with its talented director and good cast, not only competes with the Yerevan drama, but sometimes even beats it (in the “Shakespearean days”, for example, artistic superiority was recognized for the Leninakan production "Twelfth Night") The population of Leninakan more than tripled during the Soviet years; the city's textile plant, one of the largest in Transcaucasia, is growing every year; in second place (after Baku) is a huge meat processing plant, where mountains of meat are processed, from where the skin goes to the Kirovakan and Yerevan tanneries, and where they begin to use all the waste so that not a bone or hair is wasted.

Leninakan is a large railway center with famous railway workers throughout our Union, and this is a big and important fact in the conditions of Transcaucasia. The Leninakan Knot is a family of courageous, cheerful people, proud of their long revolutionary tradition, their participation in the “May Uprising”, their strong ties with railway workers throughout our country, famous for their drivers, locomotive master Andranik Khachatryan, who received the title of Hero of the Socialist on November 6, 1943 Labor, and Garegin Abadzhyan, wearing the Order of Lenin. But it’s not just these signs of great industrial and cultural prosperity that make Leninakan unique as a city, and it’s not just this that gives scope to its construction - it’s the complexity of growth, the connection between the personal and the public, the near and far, the tasks of today with an eye to the days to come , which especially distinguishes Leninakan.

In 1828, during the Russian-Turkish War, there was no city here, but was not located on the site of the present Leninakan, but a few kilometers from it, the small, unknown village of Gyumri. Russian soldiers who fought the Turks in these places changed this name into the Ukrainian Gumry, with the emphasis on the first syllable. The wolfish grin of bare mountains on the horizon, the highway going far to the west, into the stronghold of Kars, which was more than once stained with the blood of Russian soldiers, the border approaching the auxiliary areas of the city...

During the war of 1828–1829, fleeing from the massacre of Armenians organized by the Turks, several Armenian families moved to Russian territory, to Gyumri. These were mainly Armenian artisans, with strong work skills, knowledge of crafts, an ancient guild tradition, enormous capacity for work and initiative. A few years later, in 1837, the tsarist government founded the Alexandropol fortress on the site of present-day Leninakan; in 1840 this fortress became a district town of the Georgian-Imereti province; in 1850 - a district town of the Erivan province.

The provincial town retained the original symmetry of a military camp, a formal and boring style, but the population - local Gyumri residents and new settlers - gave this impersonal external form of the city the most diverse and characteristic content. The population was talented; it was proactive and enterprising. It is not for nothing that many prominent people came from here, from Gyumri-Leninakan; first of all, Avetik Isahakyan, who still dearly loves his father’s city; three musicians - Nikolay Tigranyan, Armen Tigranyan and Vargan Tigranyan; the famous scientist and natural history historian Khachatur Sedrakovich Koshtoyants and many others, including the sculptor Sergei Dmitrievich Merkurov, in whose interesting memoirs many pages are devoted to his hometown, old Alexandropol.

The self-respect of the old local craftsmen - goldsmiths, pottery, carpet weaving and especially construction - remains from the ancient workshops with their pride and dignity. The ancient customs of these original talents, and most importantly, their original methods of work, passed down from master to student, survived until their very last years, slowly disappearing from the stage. The festivals of the masters with their magnificent and colorful ritual have also been preserved. One of the young Armenian writers several years ago created a script about the ancient customs of Leninakan masters. He spoke about one of the specialties: “searching for water.”

In old Gyumri there were many self-taught builders who built a bathhouse, a spring, and residential buildings. The first step in such construction projects was to be able to find water. This procedure required great art and a unique ceremony. The old men slowly, step by step, walked along the ground, almost testing it with their tongues and recognizing all its hidden signs. They caught special earthen bugs and let a whole handful of them crawl along the ground. Usually these bugs crawled in one direction - towards a source of moisture. The old men followed them; Along the way, they pulled out stems of herbs and tasted their roots in their mouths to see how moist they were. So, slowly, following the beating of invisible life in the earth, these masters “tortured” the water with real pathfinders and found it. And with amazing skill, without any mathematical or hydraulic knowledge, they made it flow out. It seems to us that the profession of the Leninakan old men, water seekers, is a remnant of an ancient art, a great specialty, traces of which are preserved in the Crimea, in Azerbaijan, in Central Asia, in the so-called “kyagris”, underground galleries, special Asian water pipelines, witty and completely original.

But along with this “old” Leninakan, still alive in all its colorfulness, the new Leninakan is stretching mighty shoots into the future. Its budget grows unusually: in 1913 the city spends 147,866 gold rubles; in 1923, in poverty and ruin after the Dashnak adventure, the young Soviet city, exhausted by the world imperialist war, was still powerless - it spent 360,121 rubles in the then depreciated “banknotes”. But look what happens in 1941, the year of a new intense war! Over a period of less than two decades, the city budget has increased almost sixty-four times - and this is real money, behind which there are real values: iron, wood, cars, etc.

Where there were artisan shops, there are 107 large industrial enterprises. In the last year of the war in the city there were 100 doctors and 600 teachers, 6 hospitals, 5 clinics, 4 children's clinics, 19 secondary and junior high schools, 2 FZO schools, a two-year pedagogical institute, pedagogical college, medical, field farming, railway technical schools, a music school, - I list in detail not in order to tire the reader, but so that he himself pays attention to the diversity of Leninakan’s educational profile. The city trains its personnel in all the specialties it needs; he covers almost all the youth of his region in vocational schools. Having lived here for two weeks, attended meetings in the city council, and received a reception from the secretary of the city committee, you cannot help but notice that the city knows what it wants; sees and plans for a long time ahead, has everything he needs at home. He is also independent in the direction of his growth. Yerevan is growing with palaces and villas upward, towards Kanaker and Arabkir, away from plants and factories. Leninakan grows downwards, towards the textile plant, towards the working-class area, rapidly industrializing.

Leninakan residents managed to guess in the modest pink stone with which the peasants paved the street, a building material of all-Union significance, and “Artiktuf” with its own railway line grew up next to Leninakan.

Leninakans, at an altitude of 1500–1800 meters, called forth from the ground the fruit of hot Ukrainian fields - sugar beets - to create a sugar industry in Armenia.

Leninakans are looking into the future, preparing secondary technical personnel, and there is no doubt that they will ask for and receive their own university or college in the future.

Archaeological research indicates that people settled in the territory where modern Gyumri is located back in the Bronze Age. It is also known that the settlement on the site of which the city stands was called Kumayri in ancient times. Scientists have associated this name with “Gimirrai” - this was the name given to the Cimmerian tribes who raided the western coast of the Black Sea and then settled in the ancient Armenian regions of Vanand, Shirak and Ayrarat. Historians suggest that ancient Gyumri was the center of an alliance of Cimmerian-Scythian tribes.

The ancient Greek historian Xenophon wrote about the “populous, flourishing city of Kumayri” in his work “Anabasis”, and in the Armenian chronicles Gyumri, known at that time as Kumayri, was first mentioned in the 8th century: the Armenian historian Ghevond writes about it on the pages dedicated to the uprising of 773-775 that broke out against the Arab conquerors.

In the years 885-1045, Gyumri, as part of the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia, a single independent state, experienced the golden age of its country's history.

In 1555, the territory in which Gyumri is located became part of Persia, and at the end of the Russian-Persian War of 1804-1813, the Russian Empire became the rightful owner here.

A series of renamings

In 1837, construction of a Russian fortress began in Gyumri. During the same period, Emperor Nicholas I arrived here and renamed the city Alexandropol in honor of his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. The official administrative status of the city of Alexandropol was granted in 1840.

By the end of the 19th century, the border fortress city of Alexandropol turned into one of the largest trade and cultural centers in Transcaucasia in terms of size and importance. Crafts flourished here, trade was brisk, and railway lines connected the city with the main centers of the region.

After the First World War, the Turks ruled here for a short time, and in 1921, Soviet power was established on the territory of Armenia.

In 1924, Alexandropol was renamed Leninakan. At the beginning of 1991, the city again began to be called Kumayri, and after Armenia gained sovereignty (in the same year) it acquired its current name - Gyumri.

Beauty in ruins

The prosperous, populous city would still be a highlight of any tourist route in Armenia if the elements had not intervened. Gyumri, located in an unstable 8-9 point seismic zone, has repeatedly experienced earthquakes, but the natural disaster that occurred in December 1988 became a national disaster, and its traces are still clearly visible in the appearance of the city.

The earthquake with its epicenter in Spitak, also known as the Leninakan earthquake, literally leveled most of Gyumri. Nowadays, many areas of the city have been rebuilt, but a significant part of the priceless historical monuments have disappeared forever.

Walk around the city

Today Gyumri makes an ambivalent impression. At first glance, calm and tranquility reign here, and only cars and modern clothes of pedestrians disturb the illusory feeling that you are in the beginning of the last century. On the other hand, walking along the cobblestones of the once magnificent Old Town, which has been destroyed, you will feel an atmosphere of drama: beautiful old houses with spectacular red and black tuff decoration turn out to be disfigured by cracks upon closer inspection, and fragments of historical sights can still be seen lying directly on the ground. However, such a trip will give you emotions that few other places can experience.

Although the Old City is still in a very deplorable state due to a lack of funds for restoration, work is still being done, and Gyumri is worthy of a visit.

From the 1860s to the 1920s, about a thousand beautiful buildings were built in Gyumri from the local rock - tuff. Initially, their decor combined red and black colors, but later, when the red tuff ran out, they began to use white plaster to decorate the facades, alternating with black tuff masonry.

Of the later buildings of the last century, a number of residential buildings with semicircular arches and lancet windows attract attention - an original rethinking of traditional Armenian architecture.

Today it is possible to explore Gyumri in an orderly and purposeful manner, following a walking tourist route. Follow the signs and pay attention to information boards installed near attractions.

Taking a leisurely stroll through the romantic narrow streets of ancient quarters with miniature shops and stalls, visiting the market in search of traditional Armenian delicacies, you will understand why Gyumri has long been called the city of poets and ashugs, crafts and arts, and is also considered the capital of Armenian humor.

Sights of Gyumri

In the 80s of the last century, they planned to organize a historical and cultural reserve in the historical district of the city, since the best ensemble of commercial and craft architecture in Armenia is represented here, but these plans were prevented by the elements.

The historical quarter is located in the center of Gyumri, between Shahumyan Street and the park. Near the Church of Surb Yot Verk there is a board with a diagram of the area, indicating the location of historical attractions.

central square

In Soviet times, this spacious area was called May Uprising Square, then Freedom Square, and in 2009 it became known as Vardanants.

In general, it has not changed its appearance, which it acquired in 1926 after one of the earthquakes.

The Church of the Seven Wounds of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Yot Verk Surb Astvatsatsin), located here, was built in 1873-1884 on the site of a 17th century chapel. In 1988, she was the victim of a fatal earthquake. By 2001, on the occasion of the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia, the temple had been largely restored, but at its foot there still lie the original fragments of the domes that fell during the natural disaster.

The interior of the church is skillfully decorated with paintings, and its distinctive feature is that it is the only Armenian church with an iconostasis on the altar.

The Church of the All Savior (Amenaprkich) adorns the southern part of the square. It was built in 1860-1873 and is considered the most beautiful and of particular historical value. The temple was built according to the design of Tadevos Andikyan in the image of the cathedral in Ani, an ancient city located today in Turkish territory. This is a luxurious building with rich ornaments, skillfully decorating the facade and interiors.

Under Soviet rule, the church's bell tower was blown up, and it itself began to serve as a concert hall. During the 1988 earthquake, the temple was destroyed almost to the ground. Today it is being restored, but the process is going very slowly, since the building is being assembled literally bit by bit, like a broken precious vase, trying to use the surviving original fragments. Over the 20 years during which the reconstruction lasted, it was almost possible to return the church to its former appearance: specialists led by the architect traveled to Turkey, visited Ani and took accurate measurements so that the temple in Gyumri corresponded to its prototype.

On the eastern side of the temple there is a square, on the territory of which there are copies of ancient khachkars (carved steles with images of crosses and relief ornaments), destroyed in the oldest medieval cemetery in Julfa.

Modern khachkars can also be found on city streets. The art of creating these intricate, intricate carvings is included in the intangible UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.

In the center of the square there is a sculptural composition depicting the Armenian hero, legendary commander, defender of the Christian faith Vardan Mamikonyan, who died in the 5th century in the Battle of Avarayr with the hordes of Iranian Sassanids. The Armenian Apostolic Church canonized Sparapet (commander-in-chief) Vardan Mimikonyan and the soldiers who fell with him.

Black Fortress

On the elevated western outskirts of Gyumri, which was the center of the city in the 19th century, a gloomy cylindrical structure made of black tuff rises on a hill.

This height has long been strategic in military terms, and after the entry of Armenian territories into the Russian Empire, the construction of the Sev Gkhul fortress - the Black Sentinel - began here. Designed to protect the borders from the Persian and Turkish threats, it is perfectly preserved and consists of semicircular barracks, as well as the remains of a Cossack post and settlement.

During archaeological work under the Black Fortress, more ancient cultural layers were discovered, which indicates that the structure was erected on the site of more ancient buildings.

The fortress wall offers an impressive panorama of Gyumri on one side, and on the other, behind the power lines, you can see the border with Turkey and the monumental sculpture-allegory of Mother Armenia.

Russian chapel

The Church-Chapel of the Archangel Michael was erected in 1879-80. and served as a funeral church: the funeral service for Russian soldiers who fell during numerous assaults on the Turkish fortress of Kars took place here. The necropolis in the chapel courtyard is called the Hill of Honor.

The design of the chapel is very unusual: the walls are reinforced with powerful buttresses, and a pyramidal dome in the Russian style rises above them. The Armenians call it Plplan (Brilliant): the metal dome brightly reflects the glare of the sun.

Museums

In a building built in 1872, one of the best examples of pre-revolutionary architecture in Gyumri, there is a museum of national architecture and urban life. Here you can see photographs, household items, and local history exhibits that date back to the Alexandropol period. Entrance to the museum is paid (about 120 rubles).

The house-museum of the Aslamazyan sisters, which also houses an art gallery, is also worth a visit. In 2014, the jury of the “Museum Night” competition recognized it as the best in Armenia. The museum, located in a beautiful building with carved wooden balconies, was opened in the 80s of the last century. After the earthquake, it took a long time to restore it, and it reopened to the public only in 2004. The exhibition features paintings and ceramics by Mariam Aslamazyan and her younger sister Eranui - more than 600 exhibits in total. The works of the famous sisters are known not only in Armenia. Some of them are exhibited in the Tretyakov and Dresden galleries.

Central Park

Local residents and guests of Gyumri love to spend time in this green corner. Actually, there are no special attractions in the park, but the atmosphere reigning here is completely special. It is like an illustration for Soviet films of the 50s: an observation deck with a colonnade, telephone booths, a fountain with a sculpture of a girl with an oar, and, of course, a Ferris wheel, which offers a magnificent view of the city and the surrounding area.

Neighborhoods of Gyumri

From Gyumri you can go on exciting excursions to the surrounding area. During the tour, explore the picturesque landscapes and places where archaeological excavations are being carried out. It is interesting to visit ancient temples and monasteries. Among them:

• the ruins of the Gyumri fortress, built during the times of the Urartu state;
• monastery complex Harichavank (VII-XIII centuries);
• Marmashen monastery (10th century);
• cathedral in the former capital of the Bagratid kingdom Ani (XI century);
• ruins of the basilica of Anipemza (5th century);
• the famous monastery of Harich, from the middle of the 19th century. being the summer residence of the Catholicos.

Seasons

The climate in Gyumri, as in most of mountainous Armenia, is sharply continental, with hot, dry summers and frosty, moderately snowy winters. Of the large cities, Gyumri is the coldest. The frosty winter lasts from December to March inclusive, sometimes the air temperature drops to –40 °C and below.

Spring comes at the end of March. June, as a rule, is significantly cooler than the other summer months, since it is in June that the greatest amount of precipitation falls. From July to the end of September it is hot, the temperature sometimes exceeds +35 °C (such heat usually occurs in August).

Warm autumn in Gyumri lasts until early November, and then it gets colder.

Restaurants

Gyumri is a wonderful place for gourmets: the choice of food here is excellent, and prices in restaurants and cafes are low.

The Cherkezi Dzor restaurant, comfortably nestled in the picturesque gorge of the same name, is called a fish paradise. They only serve fresh fish that is caught locally. It is prepared in different ways, and the signature dish is sturgeon kebab. A kebab of sturgeon and trout will cost 500 rubles per kilogram. The atmosphere in the restaurant is homely, there are open and closed areas.

Many tourists are delighted with the Gyumri Hacatun restaurant: the prices are low and the portions are huge. The restaurant presents Armenian and Georgian cuisine in all its glory. The sturgeon and lamb shish kebab deserve special praise. The only drawback is that the cash desk does not accept bank cards.

Adherents of Caucasian cuisine will also enjoy the Vanatur restaurant.

Fans of Italian cuisine can check out Pizza DiNapoli. This restaurant has an excellent selection of pizzas and salads prepared according to traditional Italian recipes. An additional bonus is free Wi-Fi.

To sit down with a truly delicious aromatic espresso, go to Le Café. The hospitable staff knows how to properly prepare an invigorating drink. The only frustrating thing is that the establishment opens on May 1, when the season begins, but in winter the cafe is closed.

Accommodation

Gyumri lives a rather modest life and is not the best place to build luxury hotels. Mostly budget hotels are presented here, but there are several 4-star hotels.

Judging by the positive reviews from tourists, the number 1 hotel in Gyumri is Nane Hotel. It is located north of the historical center. This small, cozy hotel has a wonderful interior, spacious rooms with modern furniture, and courteous staff. The cost of daily accommodation is from 2,240 rubles. It also includes Wi-Fi and a wonderful breakfast: homemade scrambled eggs, honey, local cheese, cottage cheese, fresh fruit.

The Berlin Art Hotel, built by the German Red Cross after the 1988 earthquake and originally served as a hospital, is also popular. From the outside the building looks unpretentious, but within its walls cleanliness and order reign. Works of contemporary art are exhibited here. An excellent breakfast and Wi-Fi are included in the price, which starts from 1,735 rubles per night. The hotel has developed a system of discounts for tourist groups, humanitarian organizations and tourists who stay here for a long time.

Among the modest hotels: Guest House Dompolski, Vanatur Hotel, Guest House Dompolski (prices - from 500 rubles per day). It’s clean, the staff is polite, tourists are provided with Wi-Fi (it doesn’t always work quickly) and breakfast, however, is light and monotonous. These hotels are within walking distance from the city center.

If you intend to visit Gyumri in autumn or winter, check whether your hotel is well heated: many tourists complain about dampness and cold in the rooms of even those hotels that are considered prestigious.

How to get there

Gyumri Shirak Airport is located 5 km from the city and receives flights from Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and Sochi.

You can get to Gyumri from Yerevan by train, bus or minibus. Travel time is 2.5 hours.

If you like freedom of movement, rent a car in Yerevan. The road surface on the highway is not the best, but there are beautiful views outside the window, and you can make a stop in any picturesque place.

In 2016, the film “Earthquake” was released, telling about the events of the Spitak earthquake in Armenia in 1988. The city of Spitak was completely destroyed in half an hour, and along with it the settlements of Gyumri, Vanadzor, Stepanavan. This film tells directly about the city of Leninakan, which is now called Gyumri. We came here to see the remains of the ruins and talk with the locals who lived through this terrible time.

In the city center, everything was rebuilt a long time ago; the city hall stands on Vardanants Square.

And in the center of the square, the monument to Vardan Mamikonyan is the national hero of Armenia, the leader of the Armenian uprising against the Iranian Sassanids, who tried to impose the Zoroastrian religion.

When asked by locals in a cafe: “What to see here?”, everyone answered: “We have beautiful churches.” There are even two of them in this square.
Church of the Virgin Mary.

And the Amenaprkich Church, which is still being restored.

By the way, this is what it looked like after the earthquake.

But this is not entirely interesting to us. Having learned the direction of movement to the area where the devastation of those times remained, we went to look for the ruins.

To be honest, even without the earthquake the city is not in the best condition, although it is the second largest city in Armenia.

An electrician's nightmare

Little by little we reached that area, destroyed but never restored.

It feels like the earthquake here happened not 29 years ago, but yesterday.

The government set a period of 2 years for restoration, however, after 3 years the Soviet Union collapsed, and therefore the period was postponed. Actually, the consequences of the 1988 earthquake have not yet been eliminated. What is noteworthy is that the Union threw all its financial and labor forces into helping those affected by the disaster in Spitak: more than 45 thousand volunteers came from the republics. Tens of thousands of parcels from all over the Soviet Union arrived in the city and surrounding settlements as humanitarian aid.

During this earthquake, about 30,000 people died and more than 140,000 people were disabled.

And someone dropped everything and left.

Here you can see how one strong wall of the house was preserved, but a completely different wall was built on it from the remains of bricks.

This house just had a wall propped up

There are also beautiful buildings nearby.

This memorial square

There is a memorial sign installed here, but its meaning is almost impossible to understand.

And on the other side of the square is a new monument to “Innocent Victims, Merciful Hearts,” depicting a pile of people and concrete blocks.

The inscription on the stone slab nearby in Russian and Armenian reads:

“At 11:41 a.m. on December 7, on a foggy and gloomy December day in 1988, the mountains trembled and the earth shook with great force.

Cities, villages, schools, kindergartens and industrial enterprises were instantly destroyed. More than a million people were left homeless.

In this tragic hour, 25 thousand people died, 140 thousand became disabled, 16 thousand were rescued from the rubble.

And the living looked for their loved ones among those buried under the ruins.

And the children called their parents, and the parents called their children.

And thousands with merciful hearts were with them in this grief.

And all the republics of the USSR and many countries of the world extended a helping hand to the Armenian people.

The people's grief for the innocent victims of the Spitak earthquake is deep.

May God rest their souls.

Eternal memory to them!”

Along the square there are tombstones for the dead.

In front of the church you can see a fallen dome.

One of the interesting acquaintances happened at a gas station on the way out of the city towards Yerevan. I was surprised by the very strange method: when refueling, they counted not liters, but kilograms of gas. First, the guy filled the bottle, which was standing on a scale, then poured it from the bottle into the car. This whole procedure took about half an hour. During this time, we managed to communicate with him about the earthquake. At this time he was about 10 years old, but he remembers these events perfectly like a bad dream. Then he told how many people from the fraternal republics came and helped rebuild the city, and then they were given a new apartment. He spoke with great warmth about the USSR and was very sorry that this country no longer existed.

#255#! have their own history, their own traditions and individual historical events, Gyumri is one of such cities.

Climate.

Name.

Religion.

Population.

Army.

"Rich" city.

Currently, Gyumri is at the peak of its development. Many places destroyed during the 1988 earthquake are being reconstructed and will soon appear in new glory. It is important for all Armenians that Gyumri finally gains integrity and an overall pleasant appearance, without the destroyed parts of the city. Residents of Gyumri are waiting for everyone to visit them and, better than any guide, they will show picturesque places and tell a huge number of stories so that you will want to return to the city.