{"id":37846,"date":"2019-05-13T17:54:33","date_gmt":"2019-05-13T13:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.armgeo.am\/?p=37846"},"modified":"2019-05-13T18:13:19","modified_gmt":"2019-05-13T14:13:19","slug":"gyumri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.armgeo.am\/en\/gyumri\/","title":{"rendered":"Gyumri"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gyumri is the second largest city in Armenia, after the capital, Yerevan. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. Located in Shirak Province in the northwest part of Armenia, it is close to the border with Turkey, and not too far from Georgia either. <\/span><\/p>\n

A brief history<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The city has gone by many names. The first evidence of Gyumri was inscriptions from the time of the Urartian kingdom referring to \u201cKumayri\u201d. This was its original name as far as we know. In the time of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, it was called Alexandrapol, named after Tsar Nikolas\u2019 wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. Later, Armenia became a member of the Soviet Union. Alexandrapol was then renamed Leninakan, after Vladimir Lenin. After the dissolution of the USSR, the First Republic of Armenia officially named the city Gyumri. <\/span><\/p>\n

Gyumri has a historical reputation as being a center for arts. \u00a0Some of Armenia\u2019s most famous writers were from Gyumri. Poets Avetik Isahakyan and Hovhannes Shiraz were both native Gyumretsis. There are museums in the city dedicated to these poets. The city has also been home to many painters, and still is. These days there are musical groups such as the Gohar Ensemble, and other orchestras and choirs, and a famous rock group called Bambir is from Gyumri.<\/span><\/p>\n

Russia perhaps has a stronger influence in Gyumri than in other cities in Armenia. In 19th century Russian was already very widely spoken by the people in the city, and Russia had a military presence there. Even today, Russia\u2019s military base in Armenia is located in Gyumri. Russian soldiers thus make up a small part of the population. Many kids go to Russian schools. Still, though, Armenian traditions and cultural values are just as strong in Gyumri as in any other place in Armenia.<\/span><\/p>\n\n