Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
, serving as the administrative center of
Shirak Province
Shirak ( hy, Շիրակ, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north. Its capital and largest city is Gyumri, which is the second largest city ...
in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city was known as Alexandropol,; hy, Ալեքսանդրապոլ it became the largest city of Russian-ruled
Eastern Armenia with a population above that of
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
. The city became renown as a cultural hub, while also carrying significance as a major center of Russian troops during Russo-Turkish wars of the 19th century.
The city underwent a tumultuous period during and after
World War 1. While Russian forces withdrew from the South Caucasus due to the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
, the city became host to large numbers of Armenian refugees fleeing the
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...
, in particular hosting 22,000 orphaned children in around 170 orphanage buildings. It was renamed to Leninakan; russian: Ленинакан during the Soviet period and became a major industrial and textile center in
Soviet Armenia
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...
.
The city's population rapidly grew to above 200,000 prior to the
1988 Spitak earthquake
The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake ( hy, Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, ), occurred on December 7 at with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale, MSK intensity of X ( ...
, when it was devastated, with the city's population being reduced to 121,976 as of the 2011 census. The city was renamed to Gyumri under modern independent Armenia soon after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and post-earthquake reconstruction efforts have continued in the city to this day.
Today, Gyumri continues to grapple with the lasting effects of the 1988 earthquake, but remains known as the cultural hub of Armenia due to the many artists and craftsman who originated from the city. The city is also in particular notable for the large
Kumayri historic district
The Kumayri historic district, also known as the Kumayri Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, is the oldest part of Gyumri with its own unique architecture. It has more than a thousand buildings dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries. The d ...
that managed to mostly survive the 1988 earthquake, dating back mainly to the 19th century and being one of the few surviving places in the world with authentic urban
Armenian architecture
Armenian architecture comprises architectural works with an aesthetic or historical connection to the Armenian people. It is difficult to situate this architectural style within precise geographical or chronological limits, but many of its monume ...
.
Name
The area of modern-day Gyumri was originally known as Kumayri during the period of the Kingdom of
Urartu
Urartu (; Assyrian: ',Eberhard Schrader, ''The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament'' (1885), p. 65. Babylonian: ''Urashtu'', he, אֲרָרָט ''Ararat'') is a geographical region and Iron Age kingdom also known as the Kingdom of V ...
. Over time, the name became disrupted through phonetic changes to Kumri, then Gumri, and finally Gyumri. In 1837, Gyumri was renamed Alexandropol after Czar Nicholas I's wife, Princess
Alexandra Fyodorovna. Between 1924 and 1990, the city was known as Leninakan in honor of
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
. Following independence, the original name Kumayri was used until 1992, when Gyumri was chosen as the name of the city.
History
Classical antiquity and the ancient Armenian Kingdom
Archaeological excavations conducted throughout the Soviet period have shown that the area of modern-day Gyumri has been populated since at least the third millennium BC. The area was mentioned as Kumayri in the historic
Urartian inscriptions dating back to the 8th century BC. Kumayri may be identical with the city of Gymnias or Gumnias mentioned by
Xenophon
Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...
in his
''Anabasis''.
At the decline of the
Urartu
Urartu (; Assyrian: ',Eberhard Schrader, ''The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament'' (1885), p. 65. Babylonian: ''Urashtu'', he, אֲרָרָט ''Ararat'') is a geographical region and Iron Age kingdom also known as the Kingdom of V ...
Kingdom by the second half of the 6th century BC, Kumayri became part of the
Achaemenid Empire. The remains of a royal settlement found just to the south of Gyumri near the village of
Beniamin dating back to the 5th to 2nd centuries BC, are a great example of the Achemenid influence in the region. However, at the beginning of the 5th century BC, Kumayri became part of the
Satrapy of Armenia
The Satrapy of Armenia (Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴 or 𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴𐎹 ), a region controlled by the Orontid dynasty (570–201 BC), was one of the satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC that later became an ind ...
under the rule of the
Orontids. An alternative theory suggests that Kumayri has been formed as an urban settlement in the late 5th century BC, ca. 401 BC, by
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
colonists.
Later in 331 BC, the entire territory was included in the
Ayrarat province of
Ancient Armenian Kingdom as part of the Shirak canton. Between 190 BC and 1 AD Kumayri was under the rule of the
Artaxiad dynasty of Armenia. During the 1st century AD, Shirak was granted to the
Kamsarakan family, who ruled over Kumayri during the
Arsacid Kingdom of Armenia.
Medieval period
Following the partition of Armenia in 387 between the Byzantines and the Persians, and as a result of the fall of the Arsacid Kingdom of Armenia in 428, Shirak including Kumayri became part of the
Sasanian Empire of Persia. In 658 AD, at the height of the Arab Islamic invasions, Kumayri was conquered during the
Muslim conquest of Persia
The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, was carried out by the Rashidun Caliphate from 633 to 654 AD and led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire as well as the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion.
Th ...
to become part of the
Emirate of Armenia under the
Umayyad Caliphate
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...
.
Kumayri was a significant and quite-developed urban settlement during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. According to the Armenian scholar ''Ghevond the Historian'', the town was a center of the Armenian rebellion led by ''Artavazd Mamikonian'' against the Islamic Arab
Caliphate
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
, between 733 and 755. After 2 centuries of Islamic rule over Armenia, the
Bagratids declared independence in 885 establishing the
Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia
The Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia, also known as Bagratid Armenia ( xcl, Բագրատունեաց Հայաստան, or , , 'kingdom of the Bagratunis'), was an independent Armenian state established by Ashot I Bagratuni of the Bagratuni dynasty ...
. Kumayri entered e new era of growth and progress, particularly when the nearby city of Ani became the capital of the kingdom in 961. By the second half of the 10th century, Kumayri was under the influence of the Armenian
Pahlavuni
Pahlavuni ( hy, Պահլավունի; classical orthography: Պահլաւունի) was an Armenian noble family, a branch of the Kamsarakan, that rose to prominence in the late 10th century during the last years of the Bagratuni monarchy.
Orig ...
family, who were descendants of the Kamsarakans. The Pahlavunis had a great contribution in the progress of Shirak with the foundation of many fortresses, monastic complexes, educational institutions, etc.
After the fall of Armenia to the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
in 1045 and later to the
Seljuk invaders in 1064. Under the foreign rulers, the town had gradually lost its significance during the following centuries, until the establishment of the
Zakarid Principality of Armenia in 1201 under the
Georgian protectorate. During the Zakarid rule, the Eastern Armenian territories, mainly Lori and Shirak, entered into a new period of growth and stability, becoming a trade center between the east and the west. After the Mongols captured
Ani
Ani ( hy, Անի; grc-gre, Ἄνιον, ''Ánion''; la, Abnicum; tr, Ani) is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia.
Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the ...
in 1236, Armenia turned into a
Mongol protectorate as part of the
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm ...
, and the Zakarids became vassals to the
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...
. After the fall of the Ilkhanate in the mid-14th century, the Zakarid princes ruled over Lori, Shirak, and Ararat plain until 1360 when they fell to the invading Turkic tribes.
By the last quarter of the 14th century, the
Ag Qoyunlu Sunni
Oghuz Turkic tribe took over Armenia, including Shirak. In 1400,
Timur
Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...
invaded Armenia and Georgia, and captured more than 60,000 of the survived local people as slaves. Many districts including Shirak were depopulated.
In 1410, Armenia fell under the control of the
Kara Koyunlu
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu ( az, Qaraqoyunlular , fa, قره قویونلو), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, En ...
Shia Oghuz Turkic tribe. According to the Armenian historian
Thomas of Metsoph, although the Kara Koyunlu levied heavy taxes against the Armenians, the early years of their rule were relatively peaceful and some reconstruction of towns took place.
Under the rule of the Turkic tribes, Kumayri was known to the Turks as ''Gümrü''.
Persian and Russian rules
In 1501, most of the
Eastern Armenian territories including Kumayri were conquered by the emerging
Safavid dynasty of Iran led by Shah
Ismail I
Ismail I ( fa, اسماعیل, Esmāʿīl, ; July 17, 1487 – May 23, 1524), also known as Shah Ismail (), was the founder of the Safavid dynasty of Safavid Iran, Iran, ruling as its King of Kings (''Shahanshah'') from 1501 to 1524. His re ...
. Soon after in 1502, Kumayri became part of the newly formed ''Erivan Beglarbegi'', a new administrative territory of Iran formed by the Safavids. During the first half of the 18th century, Kumayri became part of the
Erivan Khanate under the rule of the
Afsharid dynasty
The Afsharid dynasty ( fa, افشاریان) was an Iranian dynasty founded by Nader Shah () of the Qirqlu clan of the Turkoman Afshar tribe
Afshar ( az, Əfşar افشار; tr, Avşar, ''Afşar''; tk, Owşar; fa, اَفشار, Āfshār) ...
and later under the
Qajar dynasty of Persia.
In June 1804, the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
forces controlled over Shirak region at the beginning of the
Russo-Persian War of 1804 and 1813. Kumayri became officially part of the Russian Empire at the
Treaty of Gulistan
The Treaty of Gulistan (russian: Гюлистанский договор; fa, عهدنامه گلستان) was a peace treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and Iran on 24 October 1813 in the village of Gulistan (now in the Goranboy Distr ...
signed on 1 January 1813 between Imperial Russia and Qajar Persia.
During the period of Russian rule, Gyumri became one of the developing cities in the
Transcaucasus. In 1829, in the aftermath of the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
, there was a big influx of Armenian population, as around 3,000 families who had migrated from territories in the Ottoman Empire -in particular from the towns of
Kars,
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010.
The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...
, and
Doğubeyazıt- settled in and around Gyumri. The Russian poet
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
visited Gyumri during his journey to
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010.
The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...
in 1829.
In 1837 Russian
Tsar Nicholas I arrived in Gyumri and changed the name into Alexandropol. The name was chosen in honour of Tsar Nicholas I's wife, Princess
Charlotte of Prussia
Alexandra Feodorovna ( rus, Алекса́ндра Фёдоровна, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandrə ˈfjɵdərəvnə), born Princess Charlotte of Prussia (13 July 1798 – 1 November 1860), was empress consort of Russia, Empress of Russia as the wife of Em ...
, who had changed her name to ''Alexandra Fyodorovna'' after converting to
Orthodox Christianity
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Chur ...
.
A major
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n fortress was built on the site in 1837. Alexandropol was finally formed as a town in 1840 to become the center of the newly established
Alexandropol Uyezd, experiencing rapid growth during its first decade. In 1849, the Alexandropol Uyezd became part of the
Erivan Governorate
The Erivan Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its centеr in Erivan (present-day Yerevan). Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometеrs, roughly corresponding to what is now most of central A ...
. The town was an important outpost for the Imperial Russian armed forces in the
Transcaucasus where their military barracks were established (e.g., at Poligons, Severski, Kazachi Post). The Russians built the
Sev Berd fortress at the western edge of the city during the 1830s in response to the
Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829.
Alexandropol had been quickly transformed to become one of the major centers of the Russian troops during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. After the establishment of the railway station in 1899, Alexandropol witnessed significant growth and became the largest city in Eastern Armenia. By the end of the 19th century, Alexandropol was home to 430 shopping stores, several workshops, cultural institutions, a girl's gymnasium, a commercial school, a theater, and leather, bear, and soap enterprises.
Modern history
In 1902, the first bank in the city was opened. Until the sovietization of Armenia in 1920, Alexandropol had 31 manufacturing centers including beer, soap, textile, etc. After the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
of 1917 and the Russian withdrawal from the
South Caucasus, the Ottoman forces launched a new offensive capturing the city of Alexandropol on 11 May 1918, during the
Caucasus Campaign in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. However, the Ottomans withdrew from the city on 24 December 1918, as stipulated by the
Armistice of Mudros
Concluded on 30 October 1918 and taking effect at noon the next day, the Armistice of Mudros ( tr, Mondros Mütarekesi) ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I. It was signed by th ...
. On 6 December 1918, the Armenian army reoccupied the city.
The newly established
Republic of Armenia proclaimed on 28 May 1918, included the city of Alexandropol. On 10 May 1920, the local Bolshevik Armenians aided by the Muslim population, attempted a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
in Alexandropol against the Dashnak government of Armenia. The
uprising was suppressed by the Armenian government on May 14 and its leaders were executed. However, during
another Turkish invasion, Turkish troops attacked Alexandropol and occupied the city on 7 November 1920. Armenia was forced to sign the
Treaty of Alexandropol on December 3 to stop the Turkish advance towards Yerevan, however a concurrent Soviet invasion led to the fall of the Armenian government on December 2. The Turkish forces withdrew from Alexandropol after the
Treaty of Kars
The Treaty of Kars ( tr, Kars Antlaşması, rus, Карсский договор, Karskii dogovor, ka, ყარსის ხელშეკრულება, hy, Կարսի պայմանագիր, az, Qars müqaviləsi) was a treaty that est ...
was signed in October 1921 by the unrecognized Soviet and Turkish governments.
Under
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
rule, the name of the city was changed in 1924 to Leninakan after the deceased Soviet leader
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
. The city suffered an
earthquake in 1926, when many of its significant buildings were destroyed including the Greek church of Saint George.
Leninakan became a major industrial center in the
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and its second-largest city, after the capital Yerevan. The city suffered major damage during the
1988 Armenian earthquake
The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake ( hy, Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, ), occurred on December 7 at with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (''Devastating''). The shock occurre ...
, which devastated many parts of the country. The earthquake occurred along a known thrust fault with a length of . Its
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
was parallel to the Caucasus range and dipped to the north-northeast.
Bruce Bolt, a seismologist and a professor of earth and planetary science at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, walked the fault scarp in 1992 and found that the vertical displacement measured along most of the length with the southwest end reaching .
The earthquake had a disastrous impact on the city, as many buildings are still not recovered. , according to some news websites, between 4,000 and 5,000 residents of Gyumri remain homeless, although there are no official figures provided by the local authorities of the city.
At the time of the
breakup of the Soviet Union, the city was renamed ''Kumayri'' between in 1990 until 1992 when it was finally given the name ''Gyumri''. The
Russian 102nd Military Base is located in the city.
Gyumri was celebrated as the Capital of Culture of the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
for 2013. Major events took place in the city on 30 June 2013.
On 12 January 2015, Valery Permyakov, a serviceman from the Russian 102nd Military Base,
murdered seven members of an Armenian family in Gyumri.
On 25 June 2016,
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
delivered a Holy Mass at Gyumri's
Vartanants Square
Vartanants Square ( hy, Վարդանանց Հրապարակ ''Vartanants Hraparak'') or Vardanants Square, is the large central town square in Gyumri, Armenia. It is bordered by the Abovyan street from the west, Gai street from the north, Shahumya ...
. Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II also took part in the ceremony.
Geography and climate
Gyumri is north of the capital
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
at the central part of the
Shirak plateau. It has an approximate height of
above sea level, the high altitude line being . The
Akhurian River
The Akhuryan ( hy, Ախուրյան ''Axuryan''; xcl, Ախուրեան ''Axurean''; russian: Арпачай or Ахурян), or Arpachay ( tr, Arpaçay) is a river in the South Caucasus. It originates in Armenia and flows from Lake Arpi, al ...
passes through the western suburbs. The Shirak plateau is surrounded with the
Pambak Mountains from the east and
Aragats volcanic range from the south. The city of Gyumri is away from the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
. The surrounding lands near the city are rich in
tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertin ...
,
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
and
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
.
Gyumri has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Dfb''), characterized by freezing and snowy winters where the minimum temperature in extreme spells can plummet to . On the other hand, summer in Gyumri is relatively hot with temperatures reaching up to . The annual precipitation averages .
Demographics
Population
The population of Gyumri has gradually grown since 1840 after gaining the status of town. A huge decline of the population was due to the disastrous earthquake of 1988. The residents here have a distinct look and style, and a boundless pride in their city. The dialect of Gyumri is a variant of
Karin dialect, closely related to Western Armenian.
Religion
The majority of the population in Gyumri belongs to the
Armenian Apostolic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
. The
Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of Gyumri -also known as the Cathedral of the Seven Wounds of the Holy Mother of God- is the seat of the
Diocese of Shirak
Diocese of Shirak ( hy, Շիրակի թեմ ''Shiraki t'em''), is one of the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church covering the northern, central and south-western parts of the Shirak Province of Armenia. It almost covers 4/5th of the province ...
of the Armenian Church.
The
Armenian Catholic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, image = St Elie - St Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral.jpg
, imagewidth = 260px
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminat ...
is a minority in Armenia and is under the jurisdiction of the
Ordinariate of Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe, based in Gyumri. There are around 16,000 Armenian Catholics in the
Shirak Province
Shirak ( hy, Շիրակ, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north. Its capital and largest city is Gyumri, which is the second largest city ...
. The seat of the
Ordinariate for Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe for the Armenian Catholic Church is the
Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs in Gyumri.
The presence of the small Russian Orthodox community along with the Russian military base personnel is marked with the
Saint Alexandra the Martyr's Church (within the Russian base), the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel and the Church of Saint Arsenije.
However, many historic churches in Gyumri were either ruined or destroyed, including:
*Dprevank Monastery and the Basilic Church of old Kumayri dating back to the 7th century: it was the first ever church built in old Kumayri. However, the monastic complex was completely destroyed in 1852, during the construction of Russian military barracks.
*Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, opened in 1850. It was completely destroyed in 1933–34.
*Holy Mother of God Armenian Catholic Church, built between 1849 and 1854. Although standing, the building was turned into a private residence during the Soviet period.
*Russian church of the Seversky 18th Dragoon Regiment, built in 1856. It was consecrated in 1901 and destroyed during the Soviet period.
*Russian church of the Caucasian 7th Rifle Regiment, built during the 1850s. It was completely destroyed during the Soviet period.
*Russian church of the Caucasian 8th Rifle Regiment, built during the 1850s. It was completely destroyed during the Soviet period.
*Russian church of the Baku 154th Infantry Regiment, built during the 1850s. It was completely destroyed during the Soviet period.
, Gyumri is home to the following church buildings:
*
Saint Alexandra the Martyr's Church within the complex of the Russian military base, built in 1837–42. It was completely renovated and reopened on May 8, 2008.
*
Church of the Holy Saviour or Surp Amenaprkich, constructed between 1859–1873: designed to resemble the
Cathedral of Ani
The Cathedral of Ani ( hy, Անիի մայր տաճար, ''Anii mayr tačar''; tr, Ani Katedrali) is the largest standing building in Ani, the capital city of medieval Bagratid Armenia, located in present-day eastern Turkey, on the border with ...
. The church was heavily damaged by the 1988 Spitak earthquake and is currently under reconstruction.
*Surp Nshan or Holy Sign Church: Opened in 1870.
*Saint Gregory the Illuminator's Church, built between 1875 and 1880.
*Saint Michael the Archangel Russian Orthodox Church, locally known as ''Plplan Zham'' (the Shimmering Chapel), built between 1875 and 1880.
*
Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God: also known as Seven Wounds of the Holy Mother of God, constructed between 1873–1884. Currently, it is the seat of the
Diocese of Shirak
Diocese of Shirak ( hy, Շիրակի թեմ ''Shiraki t'em''), is one of the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church covering the northern, central and south-western parts of the Shirak Province of Armenia. It almost covers 4/5th of the province ...
of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
*Saint Arseny Russian Orthodox Church, built during the 1870s and opened in 1910. It is locally known as the church of Kazachi Post.
*Saint Hripsime Chapel, opened in 1992.
*Saint Jacob of Nisibis Church: or Surp Hakob Mtsbinetsi Church, opened in 2005.
*Surp Sarkis Chapel, built in 2008 and opened in 2011.
*Surp Minas Chapel, opened in 2013.
*
Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs of the Catholic Armenians, opened in 2015.
Culture
Museums and art
Gyumri is home to many prominent museums of Armenia, including the House-Museums of sculptor
Sergey Merkurov, poets
Avetik Isahakyan
Avetik Sahak Isahakyan ( hy, Ավետիք Սահակ Իսահակյան; October 30, 1875 – October 17, 1957) was a prominent Armenian lyric poet, writer and public activist.
Biography
Isahakyan was born in Alexandropol in 1875. He was edu ...
and
Hovhannes Shiraz
Hovhannes Shiraz ( hy, Հովհաննես Շիրազ) (April 27, 1914 – March 14, 1984) was an Armenian poet.
Biography
Shiraz was born Onik Tadevosi Karapetyan in the city of Alexandropol, then part of the Russian Empire (now Gyumri, Arme ...
, and actor
Mher Mkrtchyan. The
Aslamazyan Sisters Gallery, built in the 1880s, is home to more than 700 drawings, paintings and other works of the Aslamazyan sisters who were the Soviet-era artists. The
Dzitoghtsyan Museum of Social Life and National Architecture of Gyumri is an old mansion, housing collections related to both history and the everyday-life of Gyumri, as well as paintings and other works of art.
Throughout centuries, Kumayri-Gyumri was labelled as the "city of crafts and arts",
being famous for its schools, theaters and
gusans.
In 1865, an amateur theatre group in Gyumri performed H. Karinyan's "Shushanik". In 1912, Gyumri was home to the first opera show ever staged in Armenia, when composer
Armen Tigranian
Armen Tigranian or Tigranyan or Dikranian ( hy, Արմեն Տիգրանի Տիգրանյան; 26 December 1879, Alexandropol – 10 February 1950, Tbilisi) was an Armenian composer, conductor and sociocultural activist. His best-known work is ' ...
presented
Anoush to the public in Alexandropol. In 1923, the first Armenian opera theatre was opened in Gyumri (where the first
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
performance in Armenia took place in 1924), while the Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre was founded in 1928. Prominent directors
Ruben Simonov
Ruben Nikolayevich Simonov (russian: Рубен Николаевич Симонов (2 April 1899, Moscow, Russian Empire – 5 December 1968, Moscow, Soviet Union) was a Soviet and Russian actor, theater director and pedagogue. People's Artist of ...
and
Vardan Ajemian
Vardan Mkrtchi Ajemian ( hy, Վարդան Մկրտչի Աճեմյանը; September 15, 1905 in Van, Ottoman Empire – January 24, 1977 in Yerevan, Soviet Armenia) was an Armenian theatrical director and actor. He was named People's Artist of USSR ...
, actors
Mher Mkrtchyan,
Azat Sherents and
Varduhi Varderesyan worked in theatre. The theatre's new building was opened in 1972. The artistic director is
Nikolay Tsaturyan. Gyumri is known for its 19th-century architecture and
urban constructions.
The first printing house of Gyumri was founded in 1876 by G. Sanoyan and operated until 1918. It published literary works (including
Avetik Isahakyan
Avetik Sahak Isahakyan ( hy, Ավետիք Սահակ Իսահակյան; October 30, 1875 – October 17, 1957) was a prominent Armenian lyric poet, writer and public activist.
Biography
Isahakyan was born in Alexandropol in 1875. He was edu ...
's first book), calendars, textbooks. Another printing house, Ayg (founded 1892), published historical books and the first periodical of Gyumri, ''Akhuryan''.
Gyumri is home to the Gyumri Biennial, organized by the artist Azat Sargsyan and the Gyumri Center of Contemporary Art (GCCA). Gyumri was officially declared
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
cultural capital in 2013.
Music
The city of Gyumri has a great contribution in
Armenian folk music. Throughout the 19th century, Alexandrapol was considered the center of folk and traditional Armenian music. The musical culture of Alexandrapol has greatly influenced the art of
Jivani, who is considered the founder of modern Armenian folk music during the 19th century. Another 19th-century
ashik
An ashik ( az, aşıq, ; tr, âşık; fa, عاشیق) or ashugh ( hy, աշուղ; ka, აშუღი) is traditionally a singer-poet and bard who accompanies his song—be it a dastan (traditional epic story, also known as '' hikay ...
Sheram
Sheram (born Grigor Talian, 20 March 1857, Alexandropol – died 7 March 1938, Yerevan) was an Armenian composer, poet-musician ('' gusan''), and folk musician ('' ashug'').
He is known as the founder of the modern gusan (Armenian popular compos ...
who was born in Alexandropol, is one of the earliest
gusans of traditional Armenian music in the modern history of Armenia. He is one of the most celebrated Armenian composers of folk music.
The mystic philosopher of Alexandropol
George Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (; rus, Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев, r=Geórgy Ivánovich Gurdzhíev, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪd͡ʑ ɡʊrd͡ʐˈʐɨ(j)ɪf; hy, Գեորգի Իվանովիչ Գյուրջիև; c. 1 ...
has produced many influential works of music during the 20th century.
Different genres of music became popular in the city during the 2nd half of the 20th century.
Rock,
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
and
ethnic rock are widely popular through the local famous rock band
Bambir
Bambir is an Armenian rock band from Gyumri. Spanning 4 decades and with more than 50 musicians passing through its ranks, the band has moved into its second generation- as in, sons of the original members are operating as a separate four-piece ...
, active since 1978.
In 1986, the
Gyumri State Orchestra of Folk Instruments was founded, followed by the
Gyumri State Symphonic Orchestra founded in 1993. In 1997, the
KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir
The KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir (frequently named and known as KOHAR) is a symphony orchestra and choir based in Gyumri, Armenia.
History
KOHAR was founded in 1997 as an independent musical and cultural institution by the Armenian culture ...
was founded in Gyumri through the efforts of the Lebanese-Armenian philanthropist Harout Khatchadourian. Soon after, KOHAR became one of the most celebrated choirs in Armenia as well as throughout the
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
.
Influenced by Gurdjieff, the Armenian musician
Levon Eskenian Levon may refer to:
Music
* "Levon" (song), a song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
* Levon & the Hawks, an original alternative name for The Band
*Love for Levon, a concert held on October 3, 2012 in New Jersey as a tribute to the late drummer/sing ...
founded
The Gurdjieff Ensemble in 2008. The award-winning ensemble gathers many of Armenia's leading practitioners of traditional music, performing on
duduk,
sring,
kamancha,
oud
, image=File:oud2.jpg
, image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921
, background=
, classification=
* String instruments
*Necked bowl lutes
, hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum
, ...
,
kanōn,
santur,
tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bi ...
,
saz,
daf,
dhol
Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes nort ...
, and
tombak.
The ''Renaissance'' international music festival of Gyumri is held annually since 2009.
In 2011
WhoCares
WhoCares was a supergroup formed by Ian Gillan of Deep Purple and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath in 2011 with the participation of a great number of rock artists as a charity project to raise money to rebuild a music school in Gyumri, Armenia, a ...
, a
supergroup formed by
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice.
Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...
and
Tony Iommi with the participation of a great number of rock artists, raised money to build the "Octet" music school in Gyumri (opened two years later).
Monuments
*
Kumayri historic district
The Kumayri historic district, also known as the Kumayri Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, is the oldest part of Gyumri with its own unique architecture. It has more than a thousand buildings dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries. The d ...
: is the old part of Gyumri with its unique architecture. It has more than a thousand buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The district is one of few places in the Republic of Armenia, and the world, with authentic urban
Armenian architecture
Armenian architecture comprises architectural works with an aesthetic or historical connection to the Armenian people. It is difficult to situate this architectural style within precise geographical or chronological limits, but many of its monume ...
. Almost all the structures of the Kumayri district have survived the two major earthquakes in 1926 and 1988 respectively. The historic district of Kumayri occupies the central and western part of modern-day Gyumri.
*
Sev Berd or the ''Black Fortress'' ( hy, Սև բերդ; russian: Чёрная Кре́пость, ''Chornaya Krepost''): is an abandoned
Russian imperial
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...
fortress in Gyumri built between 1834 and 1847, located east of the closed
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
with Turkey. It was erected in response to the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
of 1828–1829. Currently, it is a national cultural heritage monument of Armenia, used as an art and cultural center
*The monumental statue of
Mother Armenia
Mother Armenia ( hy, Մայր Հայաստան ) is a female personification of Armenia. Her most public visual rendering is a monumental statue in Victory Park overlooking the capital city of Yerevan, Armenia.
Mother Armenia statue in Yerevan
...
erected in 1975.
*
Vartanants Square
Vartanants Square ( hy, Վարդանանց Հրապարակ ''Vartanants Hraparak'') or Vardanants Square, is the large central town square in Gyumri, Armenia. It is bordered by the Abovyan street from the west, Gai street from the north, Shahumya ...
is the central town square of Gyumri.
*
Independence Square.
*
Charles Aznavour Square.
*Garegin Nzhdeh Square.
*Gyumri Central Park, founded during the 1920s on the site of the old cemetery of the city.
*
Statue of Avetik Isahakyan (Gyumri)
The restoration process of the damaged buildings of Gyumri has been spearheaded by
Earthwatch to preserve the city's unique architecture.
In spite of suffering severe damages during the disastrous
earthquake in December 1988, Gyumri is still preserving its own architectural characteristics.
Local customs
The residents are Gyumri are widely known as conservative people. Traditions and local customs are widely preserved by the local citizens. It is very common among Armenians to refer to the ''dignity of Gyumri'' ( hy, Գյումրվա թասիբ ''Gyumrva tasib'').
Gyumri is considered to be the "laughter and humor capital" of Armenia. The jokes and anecdotes of local humorists like ''Jgher Khachik'' and ''
Poloz Mukuch
Poloz Mukuch (real name Mkrtich Ghazarosi Melkonyan, 7 January 1881, Alexandropol, Erivan Governorate, Russian Empire - 15 February 1931, Leninakan, Armenian SSR, TSFSR, USSR) was a popular Armenian satirist and fabulist from Gyumri.
Biography ...
'' are widely known by the local citizens. Many works have been published to narrate about the legacy and heritage of the humor in Gyumri.
The city celebrates the "Gyumri Day" annually on the first Sunday of October. It is marked with many cultural and entertainment activities.
Media
Gyumri has 4 regional TV stations:
*Tsayg TV, operating since 1991.
*Shirak Public TV, operating since 1992.
*Gala TV, operating since 2005.
*Shant, operating since 1994.
''Shrjapa'', a weekly, is the local newspaper of Gyumri.
Transportation
Air transportation
Gyumri is served by the international
Shirak Airport, about to the southeast of the city center. It was inaugurated in 1961 and is the second largest airport in Armenia. At the beginning of 2006, the government of Armenia felt the importance of having a second international airport, when adverse weather conditions meant that many flights had to be diverted from Yerevan's
Zvartnots International Airport into Gyumri's Shirak Airport. New air traffic control equipment allowed airport workers to identify planes in a radius.
Following moderate use in 2005 and 2006 during which annual passenger traffic was at about 46,000 and several hundred aircraft movements took place each year, the airport's activity quickly declined again to the point where in 2016 passenger traffic amounted to only 12,421 and a mere 54 aircraft movements took place. However, in the beginning of 2017, as part of new efforts to develop Gyumri and its tourism industry, the government focused on revitalizing the airport. Multiple new airlines began operating flights to the airport, including
Taron Avia, a new Armenian airline based in Gyumri. In order attract more customers, the Ministry of Nature Protection made meteorological services free for all airlines flying to Gyumri, lowering ticket costs. The
Gyumri Technology Center also participated in helping revitalize the airport by adding interior design details to improve the airport's look.
Railway
The railway junction of Gyumri is the oldest and the largest one in Armenia. It was formed in 1897 and the first railway link to Alexandropol that connected the city with Tiflis was completed in 1899. The rail line was then extended from Alexandropol to Yerevan (in 1902), Kars (in 1902),
Jolfa (in 1906), and
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
. As a result, Alexandropol became an important rail hub.
, the
Gyumri Railway Station operates regular trips to Yerevan and
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of t ...
. The South Caucasus Railway CJSC, is the current operator of the railway sector in Armenia.
Public vans and taxis
Public transport is dominated by the private sector in Gyumri. Public transit is mainly served by public vans, locally-known as ''
marshrutka''. Most of the ''marshrutkas'' Russian-made
GAZelle
A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third ...
vans with 13 seats that operate with certain routes and stops. As of 2017, the one-way trip fee is AMD 100 (around US$0.21). Passengers need to pay the money directly to the driver when getting out of the vehicle, with no established ticketing system.
The central station of the city serves as bus terminal for inter-city transport, serving outbound routes towards other major cities and towns in Armenia, as well as cities in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. The M-7 Motorway passes across the Shirak Province from east to west, connecting the city of Gyumri with the rest of Armenia.
Armenia is among the top 10 safest countries where one can wander around and go home alone safely at night. Taxis are available in the city at any time of the day or night.
Economy
During the pre-Soviet era, Alexandropol was considered the third-largest trade and cultural center in Transcaucasia after
Tiflis and
Baku (
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
would not rise to prominence until being proclaimed as the capital of independent
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
in 1918 and
Armenian SSR in 1920). At the end of the 19th century, the population of Alexandropol had grown to 32,100 inhabitants, with a majority of Armenians.
The economy of Gyumri is mainly based on industry and construction. However, tourism and banking services are also among the developed sectors in the city.
The industrial sector in the provincial center Gyumri includes the production of building materials (tufa and basalt), hosiery and textile manufacturing, food processing and dairy products, alcoholic drinks, electronic machines, etc. The largest industrial plant in Gyumri is the ''Gyumri-Beer'' Brewery opened in 1972. The factory produces a variety of
lager beer
Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storage ...
under the brands ''Gyumri'', ''Ararat'' and ''Aleksandrapol''. The city is also home to the "Factory of Bending Machinses" opened in 1912, the "Arshaluys" hosiery manufacturing enterprise established in 1926, the "Karhat" machine tools plant opened in 1959, the "Chap Chemical LLC" since 1999, the "Armtex Group" clothing factory since 2000, and the "Lentex" hosiery manufacturing plant is operating since 2001. Other industrial firms of the city include the "Aleqpol" factory for dairy products, the "Anusharan" confectionery plant, and the "Gold Plast" plant for building materials.
The nearby village of
Akhuryan is home to the "Lusastgh-Sugar" factory (opened in 2010), the largest sugar producers in the Southern Caucasus region.
Education
Gyumri has a large number of educational institutions, following the capital Yerevan in the number of educational institutions. It is considered the cultural and educational center of northern Armenia.
As of 2017, Gyumri is home to the following higher educational centers:
*
Shirak State University named after
Mikael Nalbandian, opened in 1934 and is currently home to 7 faculties.
* Gyumri campus of the
National Polytechnic University of Armenia, operating since 1959 with 2 faculties:
**Faculty of Technologies and sectoral economics,
**Faculty of Natural sciences and communication systems.
* Gyumri campus of
Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan
Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan ( hy, Երևանի Կոմիտասի անվան պետական կոնսերվատորիա), also known as Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YKSC) or Yerevan State Conservatory (YSC), is a state-owned college ...
, operating since 1988.
* Progress Gyumri University, opened in 1990.
* Shirakatsy campus of
Haybusak University of Yerevan, operating since 1991.
* Imastaser Anania Shirakatsi University, opened in 1992.
* Gyumri campus of
Armenian State University of Economics
The Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE) ( hy, Հայաստանի պետական տնտեսագիտական համալսարան) is a state-owned university of economics in Yerevan, the capital Armenia, founded in 1975.
History
The facul ...
, operating since 1997.
* Gyumri campus of
Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts
State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia (SAFAA, hy, Հայաստանի գեղարվեստի պետական ակադեմիա), is a state-owned public university located in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded in 1946, operating jointly with the Yerevan State ...
, operating since 1997.
* Gyumri campus of
Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography
The Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography (YSITC; hy, Երևանի թատրոնի և կինոյի պետական ինստիտուտ) is a state university and higher education institution based in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. ...
, operating since 1997.
In 2014, the
Gyumri Technology Center was opened in the city, in an attempt to turn Gyumri into a regional and international center of information and high technologies.
The Gyumri branch of
Tumo Center for Creative Technologies was opened in May 2015, following a fundraising initiative by
Shant TV
Shant TV ( Armenian: Շանթ հեռուստատեսություն) is a private television broadcasting company in Armenia. Shant TV was founded by Arthur Yezekyan in Gyumri, the second largest city of Armenia, in 1994. Shant TV launched a full ...
. It will move to the old theatre building of Gyumri upon the completion of the reconstruction process, expected in June 2019.
, the city is home to 47 public education schools, 23 pre-school kindergartens, as well as 7 special schools for music.
Sport
Football
Gyumri is home to the Armenian
football club
FC Shirak
Football Club Shirak ( hy, Շիրակ Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ), commonly known as Shirak, is an Armenian professional sports club based in Gyumri. Shirak is known for its professional football team which is one of the oldest football ...
. They play their home games at the
Gyumri City Stadium
Gyumri City Stadium ( hy, Գյումրիի քաղաքային մարզադաշտ) is an all-seater football stadium in Gyumri, Armenia. It is currently the home venue of the Armenian Premier League club FC Shirak of Gyumri. The current capacity o ...
, the oldest football stadium in Armenia dating back to 1924. Shirak are one of the most popular football teams in Armenia, having won the championship of the
Armenian Premier League four times, with the most recent one in the
2012–13 season. Shirak have also won the
Armenian Independence Cup once. The native of Gyumri and former Shirak player
Artur Petrosyan was the all-time leading scorer for the
Armenia national football team
The Armenia national football team ( hy, Հայաստանի ֆուտբոլի ազգային հավաքական, ''Hayastani futboli azgayin havak'akan'') represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation o ...
until his record was surpassed by
Henrikh Mkhitaryan in 2013.
Aragats FC was the second football club that represented the city. However, the club was dissolved in 2002 due to financial difficulties.
The
Gyumri Football Academy of the
Football Federation of Armenia
The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) ( hy, Հայաստանի Ֆուտբոլի Ֆեդերացիա, ''Hayastani Futboli Federats’ia'') is the governing body of association football in Armenia. Its headquarters are located in Yerevan.
The Fe ...
was opened on 13 September 2014. It is home to four natural-grass and two artificial turf regular-sized football training pitches.
Futsal
Futsal is also very popular in Gyumri. Being one of the most successful Futsal teams in Armenia, FC Gyumri played at the
Armenian Futsal Premier League. Starting from 2017–18 season, FC Gyumri became known as ''Shirak Futsal'', representing the futsal branch of
FC Shirak
Football Club Shirak ( hy, Շիրակ Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ), commonly known as Shirak, is an Armenian professional sports club based in Gyumri. Shirak is known for its professional football team which is one of the oldest football ...
. The newly founded ''Sh.S.U. Futsal'' -representing the
Shirak State University- will also participate in the domestic league competition. The futsal teams of Gyumri regularly play their home games at the Armen Sargsyan Sports Hall, located in the Ani district at the northwest of the city.
Olympic individual sports
Gyumri has made a major contribution to the sporting life of Armenia. Many Olympic and world champion wrestlers, weightlifters and boxers are from Gyumri. The city is notable for its worldwide champions in individual sports, such as
Robert Emmiyan in long jump,
Yurik Vardanyan and
Nazik Avdalyan in weightlifting and
Artur Aleksanyan in
Greco-Roman wrestling.
Many special sport schools are serving the young generation of Gyumri such as the Robert Emmiyan school of athletics, Levon Ishtoyan football school, Tigran Petrosian school of chess, Ludvig Mnatsakanyan school of winter sports, Artur Aleksanyan school of wrestling, Yurik Vardanyan school of weightlifting, Aleksan Haobyan school of tennis and table tennis, as well as other special schools for boxing, artistic gymnastics, sambo-judo, fencing, and chess. The city is also home to the Gyumri Swimming Complex. The National Federation of Black Belts of
Aikido
Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in aroun ...
(NFBBA) is based in Gyumri since its establishment in 2012.
The Gyumri State Sports College of Olympic Reserve and Gyumri School of Sport Masters are among the prominent sport schools in Armenia that produced many champions in several individual sports.
Twin towns – sister cities
Gyumri is
twinned with:
*
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
, United States (1990)
*
Ashfield, United Kingdom (1998)
*
Białystok, Poland (2013)
*
Créteil
Créteil () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Cr� ...
, France (2009)
*
Domodedovo, Russia (2014)
*
Glendale, United States (2015)
*
Halle, Germany (2020)
*
Mozdok
Mozdok (russian: Моздо́к; os, Мæздæг, ''Mæzdæg''; Kabardian: Мэздэгу) is a town and the administrative center of Mozdoksky District of North Ossetia – Alania, Russia, located on the left shore of the Terek River, n ...
, Russia (2011)
*
Nardò, Italy (2013)
*
Osasco
Osasco () is a municipality in São Paulo State, Brazil, located in the Greater São Paulo and ranking 5th in population among São Paulo municipalities. According to the IBGE 2015, Osasco currently has the 9th highest gross domestic product in B ...
, Brazil (2006)
*
Petah Tikva, Israel (2019)
*
Pitești, Romania (2012)
*
Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2004)
*
Tver
Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population:
Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...
, Russia (2022)
*
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...
, China (2013)
People
*
Artur Aleksanyan, Olympic, European and world champion in wrestling
*
Mourad Amirkhanian, opera singer (
bass-baritone)
*
Mkrtich Armen, Armenian novelist
*
Mkrtich Arzumanyan
Mkrtich Arzumanyan ( hy, Մկրտիչ Արզումանյան; born August 10, 1976), better known as Mko ( hy, Մկո) is an Armenian actor, humorist, showman, screenwriter, and producer. He was born in Gyumri (formerly Leninakan). He is known fro ...
Armenian actor
*
Mariam Aslamazian
Mariam Arshaki Aslamazyan (russian: Асламаз́ян Мариа́м Арша́ковна; Armenian: Մարիամ Ասլամազյան; 20 October 1907 – 16 July 2006) was a Soviet painter, recognized as a People's Artist of the Armenian SSR ...
, Soviet-Armenian painter
*
Khachatur Avetisyan, Armenian composer
*
Nazik Avdalyan, weightlifting world champion
*
Olga Chekhova
Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova (; russian: Ольга Константиновна Чехова; 14 April 1897 – 9 March 1980), known in Germany as Olga Tschechowa, was a Russian-German actress. Her film roles include the female lead in Alfred ...
, Russian actress
*
Robert Emmiyan, European long jump record holder
*
Bagrat Galstanyan
Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan - Armenian: Բագրատ Եպիսկոպոս Գալստանեան (born May 20, 1971), is an Armenian theologian and a cleric of the Armenian Apostolic Church who is currently serving as primate of the Diocese of Tavush. ...
, Armenian theologian and cleric
*
Alik Gunashian, popular singer
*
George Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (; rus, Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев, r=Geórgy Ivánovich Gurdzhíev, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪd͡ʑ ɡʊrd͡ʐˈʐɨ(j)ɪf; hy, Գեորգի Իվանովիչ Գյուրջիև; c. 1 ...
, mystic and philosopher
*
Tigran Hamasyan
Tigran Hamasyan ( hy, Տիգրան Համասյան; born July 17, 1987) is an Armenian jazz pianist and composer. He plays mostly original compositions, which are strongly influenced by the Armenian folk tradition, often using its scales and mod ...
, jazz pianist and composer
*
Avetik Isahakyan
Avetik Sahak Isahakyan ( hy, Ավետիք Սահակ Իսահակյան; October 30, 1875 – October 17, 1957) was a prominent Armenian lyric poet, writer and public activist.
Biography
Isahakyan was born in Alexandropol in 1875. He was edu ...
, Armenian poet
*
Mnatsakan Iskandaryan, wrestling Olympic champion (1992)
*
Levon Ishtoyan, footballer, Soviet champion with
FC Ararat (1973)
*
Levon Julfalakyan, wrestling Olympic champion (1988)
*
Araksya Karapetyan, Armenian-American TV anchor
*
Emil Kazaz, Armenian-American sculptor
*
Karekin Khajag, journalist, victim of the
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Lat ...
*
Edmond Keosayan, film director
*
Hayk Kotanjian, Armenian military diplomat
*
Shushanik Kurghinian, Armenian influential writer
*
Vazgen Manukyan
Vazgen Mikayeli Manukyan (Armenian: , born 13 February 1946) is an Armenian politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Armenia from 1990 to 1991. From 1992 to 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Manukyan was acting Defence Min ...
, former Prime Minister of Armenia
*
Flora Martirosian
Flora Artashesi Martirosian ( hy, Ֆլորա Արտաշեսի Մարտիրոսյան; February 5, 1957 – November 20, 2012) was an Armenian folk singer, founder of the "Artists for Peace" Foundation, and initiator of the cultural movement Never ...
, Armenian folk songs performer
*
Sergey Merkurov, Soviet sculptor
*
Israel Militosyan, weightlifting Olympic champion (1992)
*
Ashot Mkhitaryan, weightlifting trainer
*
Levon Mkrtchyan, film director
*
Mher Mkrtchyan, renowned actor
*
Albert Nalchajyan
Albert Nalchajyan (born August 22, 1939 in Gyumri (Leninakan), Armenia) is an Armenian psychologist. Spheres of his scientific interests include Psychology, Ethnology and Philosophy.
Biography
Albert Nalchajyan was born on August 22, 1939, in L ...
, psychologist and writer
*
Artavazd Peleshyan, film director
*
Artur Petrosyan, footballer, manager of the Armenian team
*
Samvel Sevada, painter and poet
*
Sheram
Sheram (born Grigor Talian, 20 March 1857, Alexandropol – died 7 March 1938, Yerevan) was an Armenian composer, poet-musician ('' gusan''), and folk musician ('' ashug'').
He is known as the founder of the modern gusan (Armenian popular compos ...
, ''gusan'', poet and composer
*
Hovhannes Shiraz
Hovhannes Shiraz ( hy, Հովհաննես Շիրազ) (April 27, 1914 – March 14, 1984) was an Armenian poet.
Biography
Shiraz was born Onik Tadevosi Karapetyan in the city of Alexandropol, then part of the Russian Empire (now Gyumri, Arme ...
, Armenian poet
*
Nariné Simonian French-Armenian musical director
*
Karen Smbatyan, Armenian painter
*
Svetlana Svetlichnaya, actress
*
Armen Tigranian
Armen Tigranian or Tigranyan or Dikranian ( hy, Արմեն Տիգրանի Տիգրանյան; 26 December 1879, Alexandropol – 10 February 1950, Tbilisi) was an Armenian composer, conductor and sociocultural activist. His best-known work is ' ...
, opera composer
*
Nikoghayos Tigranian, composer and ethnomusicologist
*
Gennady Timchenko, Russian businessman
*
Seda Tutkhalyan
Seda Gurgenovna Tutkhalyan (russian: Седа Гургеновна Тутхалян, hy, Սեդա Գուրգենի Թութխալյան; born 15 July 1999) is a Russian artistic gymnast. She is the 2014 Youth Olympic Games Individual All-aroun ...
, Russian gymnast
*
Valmar, Armenian painter
*
Yurik Vardanian, weightlifting Olympic champion (1980)
*
Boris Vladimirov,
Soviet Army officer
*
Mkhitar Manukyan
Mkhitar Manukyan ( hy, Մխիթար Մանուկյան, born 20 September 1973) is a retired Armenian- Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler. He competed at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 2004. He also won a world title in 199 ...
, world wrestling champion
* Meline Daluzyan, european weightlifting champion
* Tigran Vardan Martirosyan, european weightlifting champion
*
Nazik Avdalyan, european and world weightlifting champion
* Arsen Julfalakyan, european and world wrestling champion
* Tigran Gevorg Martirosyan, world weightlifting champion
See also
* Aleksandropolsky Uyezd, Alexandropol Uyezd
*
Sev Berd
*
Russian 102nd Military Base
* List of Honorary Citizens of Gyumri
Notes
References
External links
Official municipality websiteSurp Amenaprkich cathedral in Gyumri
{{Portal bar, Europe
Gyumri,
Populated places in Shirak Province
Populated places established in the 8th century BC
Cities destroyed by earthquakes