Republic Square (Yerevan)

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Republic Square (Yerevan)
Coat of Arms of Yerevan.png
Square in Yerevan
Republic Square (Yerevan)
Republic Square, June 2013
Basic data
place Yerevan
District Kentron
Created 1924
Hist. Names Lenin Square
Confluent streets Abowjanstrasse, Nalbandjanstrasse, Tigran-Mezi-Allee, Wasgen-Sargsjani-Strasse, Wasgen-Sargsjani-Strasse, Amirjanstrasse
Buildings Government Building No. 1, Museum Building, Armenia Marriott Hotel, Government Building No. 2, Union and Communication Building
use
User groups Foot traffic , car traffic
Space design Water organ, drinking fountain

The Republic Square ( Armenian Հանրապետության հրապարակ Hanrapetutyan Hraparak shortly  Hraparak , "town square"; to 1991, Lenin Square , Armenian Լենինի հրապարակ lenini Hraparak ; Russian площадь Ленина Ploshchad Lenina ) is the central square in Yerevan , capital of Armenia . The two-part square and the buildings surrounding it were built between 1924 and 1977.

In its place there has always been a town square commonly called Maidan. When the redesign began in 1924, it was named Leninplatz and from 1940 had a statue of Lenin. With the achievement of Armenian independence, the statue of Lenin was removed in 1991 and the square was given its current name.

The Republic Square is considered to be the most important public space in the city and Yerevan's architectural highlight and the city's most prominent architectural ensemble.

architecture

Republic Square consists of two sections. On the one hand there is an oval roundabout with a stone pattern in the middle that looks like a traditional Armenian carpet from above. The second, trapezoidal section is adorned with a fountain with a water organ in front of the museum building. The square is surrounded by five main buildings made of pink and yellow tuff with a bottom made of basalt. The neoclassical style buildings show many Armenian motifs.

Attractions

Government Building No. 1

Government Building No. 1

The building is the seat of the Government of Armenia (the Council of Governing Ministers, not the Executive). Originally it was the seat of the Council of People's Commissars of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (the executive branch of Soviet Armenia ).

The north-western part was built in 1926-1929 according to plans by Alexander Tamanian  . The remaining parts were designed in 1938 by Gevorg Tamanian, Alexander's son, who completed construction in 1941.

Museum building

Museum building

The museum building houses the Armenian Historical Museum and the Armenian National Gallery

Construction began in the 1950s and ended with the completion of the National Gallery in 1977. The building was designed by Mark Grigorian  and Eduard Sarapjan . A small part of the ensemble, the Arno Babadschanjan concert hall, dates from 1916.

Armenia Marriott Hotel

Armenia Marriott Hotel

The building was constructed in 1958 under the name Armenia based on designs by Mark Grigorjan and Eduard Sarapjan . Today's luxury hotel is considered the flagship hotel of Armenia. It offers 380 rooms.

Government Building No. 2

Government Building No. 2

The building was designed by Samwel Safarjan, Rafajel Israjeljan  and Warasdat Arewschatjan and was completed in 1955. There are incomplete friezes over the windows on the first floor. The building was the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2016.

Union and communications building

Union and communications building

The building, constructed from 1933 to 1956, was based on designs by Mark Grigorian and Eduard Sarapian. It was the seat of the Ministry of Transport and Communication until 2016.

Lenin statue

The statue of Lenin and the government building on a 1978 Soviet postage stamp

The 7-meter-high statue of the Soviet leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was created by the Greek-Russian sculptor Sergei Dmitrijewitsch Merkurow and the Armenian architects Natalja Paremusowa (Նատալյա Փարեմուզովա) and Levon Wardanow (Լևոն Վարդանով). It was erected on November 24, 1940 on an 11 meter high pedestal. The monument faced the planned National Gallery and was considered a masterpiece of monumental art. Before the formal collapse of the Soviet Union on April 13, 1991, the statue was removed from its base, laid out on a truck like a human corpse and driven past the cheering people. It was later placed in the courtyard of the National Gallery. The pedestal was demolished in the summer of 1996.

replacement

The empty space left by the statue of Lenin inspired the most varied designs, none of which were finally implemented.

On December 31, 2000, a 24-meter-high illuminated cross was erected in place of the Lenin monument. This installation was completed on New Year 2001 when the Armenian State and the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the 1700th anniversary of the Christianization of Armenia. The cross was illuminated by 1700 symbolic lamps and remained the center of the celebration year throughout the year. After the celebrations ended in 2001, the cross was dismantled. There were public discussions both before it was built and after it was dismantled.

In February 2004, an oversized screen was set up on the open space, on which various organizations and products were advertised. It was dismantled again in 2006.

drafts

Several competitions were held in Armenia to select a replacement for the statue of Lenin. One of the most common suggestions is to move the Monument to  David of Sasun on Republic Square. According to Diana K. Ter-Ghazaryan, because of the non-political nature of this Armenian national hero, an epic narrative would be a safe choice; However, in 2013 she wrote that the relocation of the monument from its current location in front of the Yerevan train station seems very unlikely.

Water organ

The water organ with 2750 fountains was built in 1968 on the occasion of the city's 2750th anniversary. After being defective for years, the water organ was renovated by the French company Aquatique Show International for EUR 1,400,000 and put back into operation on November 1st, 2007. From May to October there is a computer-controlled water, light and music show every evening from around 9 p.m. to around 11 p.m.

Christmas tree

Since 1950, a Christmas tree has been put up on Republic Square every December.

drinking fountain

The drinking fountain

The drinking fountain ( Armenian պուլպուլակ pulpulak ) next to the museums has seven fountains and is therefore called  Yot aghbyur (“seven springs”). It was installed in 1965 and renovated in 2010.

history

The main square of Yerevan, 1916

A town square with different dimensions has existed at this point in Yerevan for centuries. During renovations in 2003, the layer from the 18th and 19th centuries became visible. In his general plan for Yerevan from 1906 to 1911, Boris Mehrabjan ( Armenian Բորիս Մեհրաբյան ; 1870–1936) designed the central square of the city.

In 1924,  Alexander Tamanian redesigned the square  in his general plan for Yerevan. The construction of the square in its current form began in 1926 with the construction of the government building. The main construction phase was in the 1950s. The construction work came to an end with the completion of the National Gallery in 1977. The square was named Lenin Square after the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin .

Parades

During the Soviet era, military parades were held in Lenin Square on May 1st , May 9th ( Victory Day ) and October 7th ( October Revolution day ) every year . The leadership of Soviet Armenia stood on a podium below the statue of Lenin. The last of these parades was held in 1988.

Military parades to celebrate Armenia's independence were held on September 21, 1996 (5th anniversary), 1999 (8th anniversary), 2006 (15th anniversary), 2011 (20th anniversary), and 2016 (25th anniversary).

Concerts

On September 30, 2006, the French-Armenian chansonnier Charles Aznavour gave  a concert on Republic Square.

On April 23, 2015, the Armenian-American rock band System of a Down  gave their first concert in Armenia on Republic Square. The free concert was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide and was attended by thousands of people.

On June 8, 2017, Russian hip hop musician Timati gave  a free concert on Republic Square, which was attended by more than 40,000 people.

Political demonstrations

On April 24, 1965, a large, 24-hour protest demonstration took place on what was then Lenin Square on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

In January 1974, Razmik Zohrapyan, a member of the illegal National Association party, burned a portrait of Lenin in what was then Lenin Square as a protest against Soviet totalitarian rule.

Demonstrations in Republic Square on April 20, 2018

After the presidential election on February 19, 2008 , President Serzh Sargsyan , who was elected but not yet in office, organized   a demonstration with 60,000 to 70,000 possible supporters, who were brought in buses to Republic Square from various parts of Yerevan and all of Armenia. However, many participants went to Freedom Square, where a demonstration was held by rival politician  Levon Ter-Petrosyan  , who questioned the outcome of the election. Ter-Petrosyan's demonstration was violently ended. Subsequently, in March 2008, the armed forces of Armenia temporarily occupied Republic Square.

Dozens of hydrogen-filled balloons exploded during a demonstration by the Republican Party of Armenia with a concert in Republic Square on May 4, 2012. 144 people were injured.

From April 17-23, 2018, large demonstrations were held in Republic Square during the 2018 Revolution in Armenia . These were led by  Nikol Pashinyan  and were directed against the government of the newly elected Prime Minister  Serzh Sargsyan . On April 22nd, after opposition leader Pashinyan was arrested, police officers were stationed on Republic Square. Dozens of protesters were arrested. In the evening about 115,000 protesters filled the entire square and the adjacent streets. The following day, the released Sargsyan became the center of a mass celebration. The next day, Genocide Remembrance Day , dozens of protesters met in the square to clean the square and the adjacent streets.

Other events

In 1968, on the 2750th anniversary of Yerevan, extraordinary celebrations took place on what was then Lenin Square. The water organ was given its intended purpose.

On June 25, 2016,  Pope Francis  and the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II Nersissian held  an ecumenical service on Republic Square. About 50,000 people took part.

literature

  • Diana K. Ter-Ghazaryan: "Civilizing the city center": symbolic spaces and narratives of the nation in Yerevan's post-Soviet landscape . In: Nationalities Papers . tape 41 , no. 4 , 2013, p. 570-589 , doi : 10.1080 / 00905992.2013.802766 ( tandfonline.com ).
  • Kamsar Avetisjan: Yerewani endhanur nkaragire ( Երևանի ընդհանուր նկարագիրը) . In: Hajrenagitakan etjudner ( Հայրենագիտական ​​էտյուդներ) . Sovetakan grogh, Yerevan 1979, p. 72–81 (Armenian, armenianhouse.org ).
  • Edmond Tigranian: Yerewani WI Lenini anwan hraparaki kaghakaschinakan aspektnere ( Երևանի Վ. Ի. Լենինի անվան հրապարակի քաղաքաշինական ասպեկտները) . In: Lraber hassarakakan gitutjunneri ( Լրաբեր հասարակական գիտությունների) . No. 9 , 1985, pp. 24–29 (Armenian, asj-oa.am ).

Web links

Commons : Republic Square of Yerevan  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Serge Schmemann: In the Caucasus, Ancient Blood Feuds Threaten to Engulf 2 New Republics. In: nytimes.com. July 8, 1992, accessed on June 23, 2018 (English): "On the former Lenin Square, now Republic Square, the statue of Lenin is gone and his pedestal is being prepared for demolition"
  2. ↑ a b c d Ter-Ghazaryan 2013, p. 584
  3. ^ Eugenie Harris Gross, Jeffrey Gross: The Soviet Union: a guide for travelers . J. Murray, 1977, p. 255 (English): “Lenin Square, at the center of the city, contains the most outstanding architectural ensemble in Yerevan. The buildings surrounding the square express a single architectural concept. "
  4. ↑ a b Tigranian 1985, p. 25
  5. ↑ a b Tigranian 1985, p. 27
  6. ↑ 1947-1991 The State Gallery of Armenia. In: gallery.am. Retrieved June 23, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Matthew Karanian, Robert Kurkjian: Edge of Time: Traveling in Armenia and Karabagh . Stone Garden Productions, 2002, ISBN 978-0-9672120-2-9 , pp. 78 : "The country's flagship hotel is still the massive Hotel Armenia, which faces Republic Square in the heart of the city. In 2003 the hotel will be renamed the Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan to reflect its new ownership. "
  8. ^ Marriott . In: Asian Hotel & Catering Times . tape 26 , 2001, p. 7 (English): “... the 380-room Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan”
  9. ↑ Samwel Safarjan wastakawor chartarapet (Սամվել Սաֆարյան վաստակավոր ճարտարապետ). In: archmuseum.am. Retrieved June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  10. ^ History - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. In: mfa.am. Retrieved June 23, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Chossogh kotoghner. Lenini ardsan (Խոսող կոթողներ. Լենինի արձան). In: www.1tv.am. July 10, 2015, archived from the original on August 8, 2016 ; Retrieved June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  12. ↑ Ter-Ghazaryan 2013, p. 583
  13. ↑ Katherine Verdery: What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next? Princeton University Press, 1996, ISBN 978-1-4008-2199-0 , pp. 232 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
  14. ↑ Salima Tuayeva: From Vladimir to Video: Action movies replace a stoic dictator in Republic Square. In: archives.armenianow.com. February 6, 2004, accessed June 23, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Ter-Ghazaryan 2013, p. 585
  16. ↑ Hraparakum jrajin hrawarutjun e linelu (Հրապարակում ջրային հրավառություն է լինելու). In: aravot.am. June 25, 2007, Retrieved June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  17. ↑ Yerewani Hanrapetutjan hraparaki schatrwannere kgorzarkwen minchev nojemberi 1-e (Երեւանի Հանրապետության հրապարակի շատրվանները կգործարկվեն մինչեւ նոյեմբերի 1-ը). In: armenpress.am. September 27, 2007, accessed June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  18. ↑ Yerevan Singing Fountains. In: iarmenia.org. August 16, 2017, accessed June 23, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Amanore jew tonazare Jerevanum` kendani patmutjun (Ամանորը եւ տոնածառը Երեւանում `կենդանի պատմություն). In: mediamax.am. December 26, 2012, accessed June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  20. ↑ Richard Brookes: The General Gazetteer; or Compendious Geographical Dictionary . 17th edition. London 1820 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search): “Erivan… The Meidan is and open square, 400 paces over, in which are very fine trees.”
  21. ↑ Yerevan Walking Tour: Republic Square Excavations. In: armenianheritage.org. Retrieved June 23, 2018 .
  22. ↑ Hanrapetutjan hraparak (Հանրապետության հրապարակ). In: yerevan.am. Retrieved June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  23. ↑ Avetisyan 1979, p. 80
  24. ↑ Lenini ardsan` (an) kendani patmutjun (Լենինի արձան `(ան) կենդանի պատմություն). In: www.mediamax.am. November 27, 2012, archived from the original on August 4, 2016 ; Retrieved June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  25. ↑ a b Ter-Ghazaryan 2013, p. 582
  26. ↑ Sorahandes. 7 tarwa entazkum wotsch mi nor technika (Զորահանդես. 7 տարվա ընթացքում ոչ մի նոր տեխնիկա). In: www.a1plus.am. September 21, 2006, archived from the original on August 9, 2016 ; Retrieved June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  27. ^ Noyan Tapan: Armenia Marks Independence Anniversary With Military Parade. In: asbarez.com. September 21, 1999, accessed June 23, 2018 .
  28. ↑ Hanrapetutjan hraparakum anzkazwez sorahandes` nwirwaz HH ankachutjan 15-rd taredardsin (Հանրապետության հրապարակում անցկացվեց զորահանդես `նվիրված ՀՀ անկախության 15-րդ տարեդարձին). In: armenpress.am. September 21, 2006, archived from the original on August 9, 2016 ; Retrieved June 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  29. ^ Emil Danielyan: Armenia Parades Military Might On Independence Day. In: azatutyun.am. September 21, 2011, accessed June 23, 2018 .
  30. ↑ Military Parade Highlights Independence Day Celebrations in Armenia. In: asbarez.com. September 21, 2015, accessed June 23, 2018 .
  31. ↑ May 12 - Charles Aznavour's concert in Armenia. In: repatarmenia.org. Archived from the original on May 22, 2016 ; accessed on June 23, 2018 (English).
  32. ^ Lucy Westcott: System of a Down's Pilgrimage to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide. In: newsweek.com. April 23, 2015, accessed June 23, 2018 .
  33. ↑ Timatii bazotja hamergin Jerewanum aweli kan 40,000 handissates he hawakwel (Տիմատիի բացօթյա համերգին Երևանում ավելի քան 40,000 հանդիսատես էր հավաքվել). In: panarmenian.net. June 9, 2017, accessed June 23, 2018 .
  34. ↑ Mark Malkasian: Gha-ra-bagh !: The Emergence of the National Democratic Movement in Armenia . Wayne State University Press, 1996, ISBN 978-0-8143-2604-6 , pp. 76 (English): “They were also among the university students who skipped classes on April 24, 1965, marching instead toward Yerevan's Lenin Square ...”
  35. ^ Karen Petrone: The Great War in Russian Memory . Indiana University Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-253-00144-3 , pp. 288 (English).
  36. ^ Benjamin Lieberman: The Holocaust and Genocides in Europe . A&C Black, 2013, ISBN 978-1-4411-9478-7 , pp. 213 (English): “On the fiftieth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide thousands gathered in Lenin Square in the Yerevan ...”
  37. ↑ Simon Payaslian: The Political Economy of Human Rights in Armenia: Authoritarianism and Democracy in a Former Soviet Republic . IB Tauris, 2011, ISBN 978-0-85773-169-2 , pp. 87 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search): “In January 1974, Razmik Zohrapyan, a member of the NUP, burned Lenin's picture in Lenin Square (now Republic Square) in protest of Soviet totalitarian rule.”
  38. ^ Joseph Pennington: Cable: 08YEREVAN164_a. In: wikileaks.org. February 28, 2008, accessed June 24, 2018 .
  39. ↑ Sabrina Tavernise: Emergency Order Empties Armenian Capital's Streets. In: nytimes.com. March 3, 2008, accessed on June 24, 2018 (English): "By Sunday night, military units moved in, taking up position at places like the government buildings at Republic Square"
  40. ↑ Vote 2012: Accident at RPA rally causes 144 injuries. In: armenianow.com. May 4, 2012, accessed June 24, 2018 .
  41. ↑ Armenian Protesters Detained At Yerevan's Central Square. In: rferl.org. April 22, 2018, accessed June 24, 2018 .
  42. ↑ Joshua Kucera: Armenian opposition leader arrested, but protesters rally. In: eurasianet.org. April 22, 2018, accessed June 24, 2018 .
  43. ^ Samuel Osborne: 'I got it wrong': Celebrations in Armenia as prime minister resigns after days of protests. In: independent.co.uk. April 23, 2018, accessed June 24, 2018 .
  44. ^ Diana Ghazaryan: Yerevan's Republic Square: Protest Epicenter Gets Citizen Clean-Up. In: hetq.am. April 24, 2018, accessed June 24, 2018 .
  45. ^ Francis: Apostolic Journey to Armenia: Ecumenical Encounter and Prayer for Peace. In: w2.vatican.va. June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2018 .
  46. ↑ Elisabetta Povoledo: Pope Francis to Armenians: Seek Peace, but Never Forget Genocide. In: nytimes.com. June 25, 2016, accessed June 24, 2018 .

Coordinates: 40 ° 10 ′ 40 ″  N , 44 ° 30 ′ 45.9 ″  E