Abovyan Street ( hy, Աբովյան Փողոց), is a street at the central

Kentron district Kentron ( hy, Կենտրոն վարչական շրջան, translit=Kentron varčakan šrĵan), is one of the 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. It comprises the downtown, the commercial centre of the city. As of the 2011 census, the ...

of the

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 ' ...

n 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 ...

. It was known as Astafyan Street between 1868 and 1920. The street runs from the central Republic Square to the statue of prominent Armenian writer

Khachatur Abovian Khachatur Abovian ( hy, Խաչատուր Աբովյան, Khach’atur Abovyan; (disappeared)) was an Armenian writer and national public figure of the early 19th century who mysteriously vanished in 1848 and was eventually presumed dead. He was ...

(1809–1848), who the street is named after. Abovyan Street is the first planned street of the Armenian capital. Located at downtown Yerevan, Abovyan Street is mainly home to cultural and educational institutions, luxurious residential buildings, elite brand shops, commercial offices, coffee shops, hotels, restaurants and night clubs.

History

In 1855, 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 ...

viceroy of

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

confirmed the planning of Yerevan streets. The average width of the streets was planned to be from 6 to 20 meters. Astafayan Street was planned to be 20 meters wide. Astafyan was the first street in Yerevan that was built according to a certain plan. It was opened in 1863 and was named Astafyan after Mikhail Astafyev, the governor 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 ...

from 1860 to 1862. Avetisyan, Kamsar
Աբովյան փողոցի պատմությունը ''(The History of Abovyan Street)''
Sovetakan Grogh publishing house, Yerevan, Armenian SSR, 1979. The street was officially called Astafyevskaya (russian: Астафьевская улица), but the residents of Yerevan called it in their way – changing the suffix "-yevskaya" to "-yan". That was the main reason why it was known as Astafyan ( hy, Աստաֆյան փողոց), not Astafyevskaya. In 1904, the

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, w ...

system began to be constructed on Abovyan Street and was completed in 1906. It only operated 12 years, until 1918. The first

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

in Yerevan passed on Abovyan Street in 1933.

Notable buildings

*Arno Babajanyan concert hall, * Grand Hotel Yerevan, *The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel, *Ibis Yerevan Center, *Artists' Union of Armenia, *

Moscow Cinema Moscow Cinema ( hy, Մոսկվա կինոթատրոն ''Moskva kinotatron''), is a cinema hall in the Armenian capital Yerevan, located at the Charles Aznavour Square, adjacent to Abovyan Street. History and structure The cinema was opened in 19 ...

, * Stanislavski Russian Theatre of Yerevan, * The churches of Katoghike and Surp Anna, *

Yerevan State Medical University The Mkhitar Heratsi Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU, hy, Երեվանի Մխիթար Հերացու անվան Պետական Բժշկական Համալսարան), is an Armenian medical university located in Yerevan, Armenia. History On ...

Shops

Abovyan Street is home to a number of luxury fashion brands including: Cop-Copine, Etam, Mango,

Mexx Mexx is a Dutch fashion brand that was created by Rattan Chadha in 1986 by merging his brands Moustache (for men) and Emmanuelle (for women). Take the first letter of both brands and add two kisses to it: Mexx. M (oustache) + E (manuelle) + XX ( ...

, Motivi, Nougat London, Okaïdi, Olsen, Promod and Sinéquanone.

Gallery

File:St peter paul yerevan 1930.png, Saint Paul and Peter Church stood on the street until 1933 when it was destroyed File:Surp Anna Yerevan 2014 (3).jpg, The churches of Katoghike and Surp Anna File:2014 Erywań, Ulica Abowiana 1 (01).jpg, 19th-century building on Abovyan street File:Old building of Yerevan State University2.jpg, The 19th-century building of the YSU on 52 Abovyan, home to the Faculty of Theology, Faculty of History and Faculty of Economics and Management File:Yerevan, Abovyan st. 2, Arakan gimnazia, 1916 - panoramio.jpg, Arno Babajanian concerts hall at Abovyan Street File:The Alexander Hotel Yerevan (4).jpg, The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel

References

External links

History of Abovyan Street
{{Yerevan landmarks Transport in Yerevan Roads in Armenia Streets in Yerevan