The Cascade ( hy, Կասկադ, ''Kaskad'') is a giant stairway made of limestone in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

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 ''Ox ...

. It links the downtown

Kentron Denel Dynamics, formerly Kentron, is a division of Denel SOC Ltd, a South African armaments development and manufacturing company wholly owned by the South African Government. It underwent a name change from Kentron to Denel Aerospace Systems dur ...

area of Yerevan with the Monument neighborhood ( Arabkir and

Kanaker-Zeytun Kanaker-Zeytun ( hy, Քանաքեռ-Զեյթուն վարչական շրջան, translit=K'anak'err-Zeytun varčakan šrĵan), is one of the 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, located in the northeastern part of the city. As of the ...

districts). Designed by architects

Jim Torosyan Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim' ...

, Aslan Mkhitaryan, and Sargis Gurzadyan the construction of the cascade started in 1971 and was partially completed in 1980. Inside the Cascade, underneath the exterior steps, are seven escalators that rise along the length of the complex. There are also exhibit halls connected to some of the landings along the escalators which compose the

Cafesjian Museum of Art Officially, Cafesjian Center for the Arts (CCA, Armenian: (Gafesčyan arvesti kentron), also known as the Cafesjian Museum Foundation) is an art museum in Yerevan, Armenia. It is located at the central Kentron District, in and around the Yerevan ...

. The exterior of The Cascade features multiple levels adorned with fountains and modernist sculptures from the Cafesjian collection. The stairs afford walkers unobstructed views of central Yerevan and

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat or , ''Ararat''; or is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in the extreme east of Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest peak in Turkey and th ...

. At the base of the Cascade is a garden courtyard with statues by contemporary sculptors such as Botero,

Lynn Chadwick Lynn Russell Chadwick, (24 November 1914 – 25 April 2003) was an English sculptor and artist. Much of his work is semi-abstract sculpture in bronze or steel. His work is in the collections of MoMA in New York, the Tate in London and th ...

, and

Barry Flanagan Barry Flanagan OBE RA (11 January 1941 – 31 August 2009) was an Irish-Welsh sculptor. He is best known for his bronze statues of hares and other animals. Biography Barry Flanagan was born on 11 January 1941 in Prestatyn, North Wales. F ...

. There are a number of cafes and restaurants on both sides of the Cascade frequented by locals and tourists. Classical and jazz concerts often take place at the Cascade during spring, summer and early autumn, with spectators sitting on the steps.

History

Construction began in 1971 during the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

era. The first phase was completed in 1980. The second phase began in earnest in 2002 and lasted until 2009. The complex was handed over to the American-Armenian magnate and collector

Gerard Cafesjian Gerard Leon Cafesjian ( hy, Ջերարդ Լեւոն Գաֆէսճեան, 26 April 1925 – 15 September 2013) was a businessman and philanthropist who founded the Cafesjian Family Foundation (CFF), the Cafesjian Museum Foundation (CMF) and the Ca ...

in the early 2000s during which the complex underwent further renovation. A large museum complex is planned at the zenith but remains stalled and is still in the early stages of construction.

Gallery

File:Cascada, Ereván, Armenia, 2016-10-03, DD 20.jpg, First level File:2014 Erywań, Kaskady (03).jpg, Second level File:2014 Erywań, Kaskady (11).jpg, Third level File:ArtCascade4.jpg, Fourth level from stairs File:2014 Erywań, Kaskady (18).jpg, Fourth level File:2014 Erywań, Kaskady (22).jpg, Fifth level: "Divers" by David Martin File:Cascada, Ereván, Armenia, 2016-10-03, DD 18.jpg, Cascade and park File:Cascada, Ereván, Armenia, 2016-10-03, DD 19.jpg, "Mujer Fumando un Cigarrillo" by

Fernando Botero Fernando Botero Angulo (born 19 April 1932) is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...

File:2014 Erywań, Park przy Kaskadach (20).jpg, "The Cat" (Lo Gato) by Fernando Botero File:Centurion (5211881978).jpg, "Roman Warrior statue" by Fernando Botero File:2014 Erywań, Park przy Kaskadach (07).jpg, "Shadows I" sculpture by Jaume Plensa File:2014 Erywań, Pomnik Aleksandra Tamaniana (03).jpg, Monument to

Alexander Tamanian Alexander Tamanian (, March 4, 1878 – February 20, 1936) was a Russian-born Armenian neoclassical architect, well known for his work in the city of Yerevan. Life and work Tamanian was born in the city of Yekaterinodar in 1878 in the family ...

File:Yerevan Opera House from Cascade.jpg, Nighttime view of Yerevan from the Cascade File:Cafesjian Center for the Arts (CCA 1).jpg, General view

References

Cafesjian Center for the ArtsAbout Yerevan Cascade
{{Yerevan landmarks Buildings and structures in Yerevan Stairways Tourist attractions in Yerevan Mount Ararat

History

Gallery

See also

References