Gyumri

Gyumri
From top left: Gyumri skyline with Mount Aragats • Mother Armenia Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God • Dzitoghtsyan Museum Independence Square • Sev Berd Fortress Vartanants Square and Gyumri City Hall
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Hayrakaghak (Father-city)
Gyumri Location of Gyumri in Armenia
Coordinates: 40°47′22″N 43°50′51″E / 40.78944°N 43.84750°E / 40.78944; 43.84750
Country	Armenia
Marz	Shirak
Founded	5th century BC as Kumayri rebuilt in 1837 as Alexandropol
Government
• Mayor	Samvel Balasanyan
Area
• Total	54 km2 (21 sq mi)
Elevation	1,509 m (4,951 ft)
Population (2011 cenus)
• Total	121,976
• Density	2,300/km2 (5,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Gyumretsi
Time zone	GMT (UTC+4)
Postal code	3101-3126
Area code(s)	(+374) 312
Vehicle registration	45 am
Website	www.gyumri.am
Sources: Population[1]

Coordinates: 40°47′22″N 43°50′51″E / 40.78944°N 43.84750°E / 40.78944; 43.84750 Gyumri (Eastern Armenian: Գյումրի; Western Armenian: Կիւմրի), is the second largest city in Armenia and the capital of the Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. It is around 126 km north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the city had a population of 121,976, down from 150,917 reported at the 2001 census. Its name has been changed several times. It was originally founded as Kumayri, later re-founded as Alexandropol (Russian: Александрополь; Armenian: Ալեքսանդրապոլ) between 1837 and 1924 during the Russian rule, then Leninakan (Armenian: Լենինական; Russian: Ленинакан) between 1924–90, then as Gyumri.

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. In 720 BC, the Cimmerians conquered the region and probably founded the Kumayri settlement, which bears phonetic resemblance to the word used by ancient Armenian in reference to Cimmerians.^[2] Historians believe that Xenophon passed through Kumayri during his return to the Black Sea, a journey immortalized in his Anabasis.^[3]

At the decline of the Urartu 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 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 colonists.^[4]

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 to become part of the Emirate of Armenia under the Umayyad Caliphate.

Kumayri was a significant and quite-developed urban settlement during the Middle Ages. According to the Armenian scholar Ghevond the Historian, the town was a centre of the Armenian rebellion led by Artavazd Mamikonian against the Islamic Arab Caliphate, between 733 and 755. After 2 centuries of Islamic rule over Armenia, the Bagratids declared independence in 885 establishing the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. 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 family, who were descendents 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 Byzantines Empire in 1045 and later to the Seljuk invaders in 1064. Under the foreign rulers, the town had gradullay 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 Eaastern Armenian territories, mainly Lori and Shirak, entered into a new period of growth and stability, becoming a trade centre between the east and the west. After the Mongols captured Ani in 1236, Armenia turned into a Mongol protectorate as part of the Ilkhanate, and the Zakarids became vassals to the Mongols. 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 invaded Armenia and Georgia, and captured more than 60,000 of the survived local people as slaves. Many districts including Shirak were depopulated.^[5] In 1410, Armenia fell under the control of the Kara Koyunlu Shia Oghuz Turkic tribe. According to the Armeian 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.^[6]

Under the rule of the Turkic tribes, Kumayri was known to the Turks as Gümrü.

Iranian rule

In 1501, most of the Eastern Armenian territories including Kumayri were swiftly conquered by the emerging Safavid dynasty of Iran led by Shah Ismail I.^[7] 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 and later under the Qajar dynasty of Persia. It remained under the Persian rule until June 1804, when the northern part of Eastern Armenia was ceded by the Russian Empire as a result of the Russo-Persian War between 1804 and 1813 and the signing of the Treaty of Gulistan.

Russian rule

In June 1804, the Russian 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 signed on 1 January 1813 between Imperial Russia and Qajar Persia.

Gyumri and the surrounding territories became part of the Russian Empire during the Russo-Persian War between 1804 and 1813 and the resulting Treaty of Gulistan of 1813. The Russians controlled over the town on 12 June 1804, around 25 years earlier than the rest of Eastern Armenia. During the period of the Russian rule, Gyumri became one of the developing cities in the Transcaucasus. In 1829, in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War, 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, and Doğubeyazıt- settled in and around Gyumri. The Russian poet Alexander Pushkin visited Gyumri during his journey to Erzurum 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, who had changed her name to Alexandra Fyodorovna after converting to Orthodox Christianity.

A major Russian fortress was built on the site in 1837. Alexandropol was finally formed as a town in 1840 to become the centre 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 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 edg of the city during the 1830s in response to the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829]].

Alexandropol has been quickly transformed to become one of the major centres of the Russian troops during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. After the establishment of the railway station in 1899, Alexandropol witnessed a significant growth and becmae the largest city in Eastern Armenia. By the end of the 19th century, Alexandropol was home to 430 shopping stores as well as several workshops and cultural institutions.

20th century and beyond

In 1902, the first bank in the city was opened. Until the sovietization of Armenia in 1920, Alexandropol had 31 manufacturing centres including beer, soap, textile, etc. After the October Revolution 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. However, the Ottomans withdrew from the city on 24 December 1918, as a result of the Armistice of Mudros.

On 10 May 1920, the local Bolshevik Armenians aided by the Musilim population, attempted a coup d'état 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 the Turkish-Armenian War, Turkey attacked Alexandropol and occupied the city on 7 November 1920, as a result of the Battle of Alexandropol. After the battle, the Turkish forces were headquartered in Alexandropol. Turks presented the Republic of Armenia with an ultimatum that Armenians were forced to accept, otherwise Turkey would have invaded the capital Yerevan from their headquarters in Alexandropol. Armenia was forced to sign the Treaty of Alexandropol to stop the Turkish advance towards Yerevan, to put an end to the Turkish-Armenian War. However, the Turkish forces withdrew from Alexandropol after the Treaty of Kars in October 1921.^[8]

Being under the Soviet rule, the name of the city was changed in 1924 to Leninakan after the deceased Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. 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 centre in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and its second-largest city, after the capital Yerevan. The city suffered major damage during the 1988 Spitak earthquake, which devastated many parts of the country. The earthquake occurred along a known thrust fault with a length of 60 kilometers (37 mi). Its strike 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, walked the fault scarp in 1992 and found that the vertical displacement measured 1 m (3 ft 3 in) along most of the length with the southwest end reaching 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in).^[9]

The earthquake had a disastrous impact on the city, as many buildings are still not recovered. According to Armenian government sources, around 3,500 residents of Gyumri remain homeless.

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.^[10]

Gyumri was celebrated as the Capital of Culture of the Commonwealth of Independent States for 2013. Major events took place in the city on 30 June 2013.^[11]

On 12 January 2015, Valery Permyakov, a serviceman from the Russian 102nd Military Base, murdered seven members of an Armenian family in Gyumri.^[12]

Geography and climate

Gyumri is 126 km north of the capital Yerevan at the central part of the Shirak plateau. It has an approximate height of 1550 metres above sea level. The Akhurian River 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 196 km away from the Black Sea. The surrounding lands of the city are reach with tuff, basalt and clay. Gyumri has a semi-arid continental climate, characterized with cold and snowy winter where the minimum temperature could fall down to −41 °C (−42 °F). On the other hand, summer in Gyumri is relatively hot with temperatures could reach up to 36 °C (97 °F). The annual precipitation averages 500 millimetres (20 in).

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. Their own dialect is very close to Western Armenian.

Population and ethnic groups chart of Gyumri throughout history:

Year	Population	Armenians (%)	Russians (%)	Others (%)
1829	~600
1830	4,000
1850	15,000
1873	20,000
1897 [14]	30,616	21,771 (71.1%)	5,157 (16.8%)	3,688 (12%): 1,090 Azeris, 415 Jews, 316 Lithuanians, 266 Greeks, 127 Georgians
1914	51,300
1923	58,600
1926 [15]	42,313	37,520 (88.7%)	3,634 (8.6%)	1, 159 (2.7%):
1939[16]	67,729	62,159 (91.8%)	4,249 (6.3%)	1,321 (1.9%)
1959 [16]	108,446	100,960 (93.1%)	5,630 (5.2%)	1,856 (1.7%)
1970	164,966
1984	222,000
1989	122,587
2001	150,917
2010	146,100

^a Called Tatars prior to 1918

Religion

The majority of the population in Gyumri belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church. 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 of the Armenian Church.^[17]

The Armenian Catholic Church is a minority in Armenia under the jurisdiction of the Ordinariate of Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe, based in Gyumri.^[18] There are around 16,000 Armenian Catholics in the Shirak Province. The seat of the Ordinariate for Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe Armenian Catholic Church is the Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs in Gyumri.^[19]

The presence of the small Russian Orthodox community along with the Russian military base personnel is marked with the church of Saint Nikolai the Wonderworker and the church of Saint Arsenije.^[20]

Currently 9 churches are found in Gyumri:

• Marmashen Monastery of the 10th century: located 6 km northwest of Gyumri.
• Church of the Holy Saviour or Surp Amenaprkich, constructed between 1859-1873: designed to resemble the Cathedral of Ani. The church was heavily damaged by the 1988 Spitak earthquake and is currently under reconstruction.
• 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 of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
• Surp Nshan or Holy Sign Church: built in 1870.
• Saint Nikolai the Wondeworker Russian Orthodox Church, also known as Plplan Zham (the Shimmering Chapel), built between 1875 and 1880.
• Saint Arsenije Russian Church of 1910, commonly known as the church of Kazachi Post.
• Saint Gregory the Illuminator's Church of Gyumri.
• Saint Jacob of Nisibis Church: or Surp Hakob Mtsbinetsi Church, opened in 2005.
• Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs of the Catholic Armenians, opened in 2015.

Culture

Museums

Gyumri is home to many prominent museums of Armenia, including:

• Aslamazyan Sisters House-Museum built in the 1880s: home to more than 700 drawings, paintings and other works of the Soviet-era artists "Aslamazyan sisters".
• Dzitoghtsyan Museum of Social Life and National Architecture of Gyumri: an old mansion, housing collections related to both history and the everyday-life of Gyumri, as well as paintings and other works of art.
• Sergey Merkurov House-Museum.
• House-Museum of Avetik Isahakyan.
• House-Museum of Hovhannes Shiraz.
• House-Museum of Mher Mkrtchyan.

Art

Throughout centuries, Kumayri-Gyumri was labelled as the "city of crafts and arts",^[21] 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 presented Anoush to the public in Alexandropol. In 1923, the first Armenian opera theatre was opened in Gyumri, while the Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre was founded in 1928. Prominent directors Ruben Simonov and Vardan Ajemian, 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.^[21]

The first printing house of Gyumri was founded in 1876 by G. Sanoyan and operated until 1918. It published literary works (including Avetik Isahakyan's first book), calendars, textbooks. Another printing house, Ayg (founded 1892), published historical books and the first periodical of Gyumri, Akhuryan.^[22]

Gyumri is home to the Gyumri Biennial, organized by the artist Azat Sargsyan and the Gyumri Centre of Contemporary Art (GCCA).^[23] Gyumri was officially declared Commonwealth of Independent States cultural capital in 2013.^[24]

Monuments

• Kumayri historic district: is the old part of Gyumri with its unique architectural style. 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. Almost all the structures of the Kumayri district have survived two major earthquakes, in 1926 and 1988. The historic district of Kumayri occupies the central part of modern-day Gyumri.
• Sev Berd or the Black Fortress (Armenian: Սև բերդ; Russian: Чёрная Кре́пость, Chornaya Krepost): is an abandoned Russian imperial fortress in Gyumri built between 1834 and 1847, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of the Turkish border. It was erected in response to the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829. Currently, it is a national cultural heritage monument of Armenia.^[25]
• The monumental statue of Mother Armenia erected in 1975.
• Vartanants Square, the central town square of Gyumri.
• Independence Square.
• Charles Aznavour Square.
• Garegin Nzhdeh Square.
• Gyumri Railway Station square.
• Gyumri Central Park, founded during the 1920s on the site of the old cemetery of the city.

The restoration process of the damaged buildings of Gyumri has been spearheaded by Earthwatch to preserve the city's unique architecture.^[26]

Although suffering severe damages during the disastrous earthquake in December 1988, Gyumri is still preserving its own architectural characteristics.

Transportation

Air transportation

Gyumri is served by the international Shirak Airport, about 5 km to the southeast of the city centre. It was inaugurated in 1961 and is the second largest airport in Armenia. It has scheduled flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

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 400 km radius.^[27]

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. As a result, Alexandropol became an important rail hub.

As of 2015, the Gyumri Railway Station operates regular trips to Yerevan, Tbilisi and (in the summer season) Batumi. The South Caucasus Railway CJSC, is the current operator of the railway sector in Armenia.

Economy

During the pre-Soviet era, Alexandropol was considered the third largest trade and cultural centre in Transcaucasia after Tiflis and Baku (Yerevan would not rise to prominence until being proclaimed as the capital of independent Armenia in 1918 and Armenian SSR in 1920).^[28] At the end of the 19th century, the population of Alexandropol has grown up to 32,100 inhabitants, with a majority of Armenians.

The economy of Gyumri is mostly depended on construction sector, tourism and banking services. Industry has a big share in the domestic product as well. The most important industrial activities are the production of building materials (tufa and basalt), hosiery and textile manufacturing, and food industries. Gyumri is home to the beer manufacturers Gyumri Brewery owned by the Sovrano company. The factory produces lager beer under the brands Gyumri and Ararat.^[29] The other beer producer in Gyumri is Aleksandrapol Brewery.^[30]

The city is also home to a large hosiery manufacturing enterprise from the Soviet period. Other major enterprises include 2 factories specialized in metal-plastic products, 2 electrical machines manufacturing plants, and a factory for chemical products. The nearby village of Akhuryan is home to the largest sugar factory in the Southern Cucasus region.

Education

Gyumri has a large number of educational institutions. It is considered the main cultural and educational centre of northern Armenia. The city has the following higher educational centers:

• Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute named after Mikael Nalbandian
• Progress University
• Imastaser Anania Shirakatsi University
• Gyumri campus of National Polytechnic University of Armenia
• Gyumri campus of Armenian State University of Economics
• Gyumri campus of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory
• Gyumri campus of Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts
• Gyumri campus of Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography
• Gyumri campus of European Regional Educational Academy
• Gyumri campus of Haybusak University of Yerevan

In 2014, the Gyumri Technology Center was opened in the city aiming turn Gyumri into a regional and international center of information and high technologies.^[31]

As of 2015, the city is home to 47 public education schools, 23 nursery schools and 7 special schools for music regularly operating in the city.

Sport

Gyumri has a major contribution in the sports 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 Ara Abrahamian in Greco-Roman wrestling.

The city is home to the Armenian football club FC Shirak. They play their home games at the Gyumri City Stadium, the oldest football stadium in Armenia, dating 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 is the all-time leading scorer for the Armenia national football team.

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 was opened on 13 September 2014. It is home to four natural-grass and two artificial turf regular-sized football training pitches.^[32]

Many special sport schools are serving the young generation of Gyumri such as the School of Gymnastics, the School of Athletics named after Robert Emmiyan, the School of Football named after Levon Ishtoyan and other special schools of boxing, weightlifting, wrestling, martial arts and chess.

Gyumri is a hometown to many former and current World, Olympic and European champions in several types of sports, including:

• Yurik Vardanyan, the seven-times world and the 1980 Olympic weightlifting champion in the -82.5 kg category.^[33][34]
• Robert Emmiyan, the 1986 European champion in long jump.^[35]
• Levon Julfalakyan, the 1986 world and 1988 Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling champion (74 kg).^[36]
• Mnatsakan Iskandaryan, the 1990 and 1991 world and 1992 Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling champion (68 kg).
• Israel Militosyan, the 1989 world and 1992 Olympic weigntlifting champion in the men's -67.5 kg category.
• Mkhitar Manukyan, the 1998 and 1999 World Greco-Roman Wrestling champion (62 kg).
• Meline Daluzyan, the 2007 and 2008 European weightlifting champion in the women's -63 kg category.
• Tigran Vardan Martirosyan, the 2008 European weightlifting champion in the -85 kg category.
• Nazik Avdalyan, the 2008 European and 2009 world weightlifting champion in the women's -69 kg category.
• Arsen Julfalakyan, the 2009 European and 2014 World Greco-Roman Wrestling champion (74 kg).
• Tigran Gevorg Martirosyan, the 2010 world weightlifting champion in the men's -77 kg category.
• Artur Aleksanyan, the 2012 and 2013 European and 2014 World Greco-Roman Wrestling champion (96 kg).

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Gyumri is twinned with^{[37][38][39][40]}

• Alexandria, United States of America (since 1990)
• Ashfield, United Kingdom (since 1998)
• Białystok, Poland (since 2013)
• Córdoba, Argentina (since 2002)
• Créteil, France (since 2009)
• Laval, Canada (since 2003)
• Mozdok, Russia (since 2011)
• Nardò, Italy (since 2009)
• Osasco, Brazil (since 2006)
• Pitești, Romania (since 2012)
• Plovdiv, Bulgaria (since 2004)
• Thessaloniki, Greece (since 2000)
• Xi'an, China (since 2013).

Famous natives

Mkrtich Armen, novelist Mariam Aslamazian, artist Khachatur Avetisyan, composer Olga Chekhova, actress Robert Emmiyan, European long jump record holder George Gurdjieff, mystic and philosopher Tigran Hamasyan, jazz pianist and composer Avetik Isahakyan, poet Mnatsakan Iskandaryan, wrestling Olympic champion (1992) Levon Ishtoyan, footballer, Soviet champion with FC Ararat (1973) Levon Julfalakyan, wrestling Olympic champion (1988) Edmond Keosayan, film director Vazgen Manukyan, former Prime Minister of Armenia

Sergey Merkurov, sculptor Israel Militosyan, weightlifting Olympic champion (1992) Ashot Mkhitaryan, distinguished weightlifting trainer Levon Mkrtchyan, film director Mher Mkrtchyan, actor Artur Petrosyan, footballer Sheram, gusan, poet and composer Hovhannes Shiraz, poet Svetlana Svetlichnaya, film actress Armen Tigranian, opera composer Gennady Timchenko, businessman Seda Tutkhalyan, Russian gymnast Yurik Vardanian, weightlifting Olympic champion (1980)

See also

• List of Honorary Citizens of Gyumri

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gyumri.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gyumri.

• Official municipality website
• Surp Amenaprkich cathedral in Gyumri

Gyumri Places of worship Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God Church of the Holy Saviour Surp Nshan Church Saint Gregory the Illuminator's Church Saint Jacob of Nisibis Church Saint Nikolai the Wondeworker Church Saint Arsenije Church Saint Alexandra the Martyr's Church Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs Landmarks Kumayri historic district Sev Berd Fortress Poloz Mukuch Beerhouse Mother Armenia Diocese of Shirak Vartanants Square Independence Square Charles Aznavour Square Museums and culture Aslamazyan Sisters House-Museum Dzitoghtsyan Museum of National Architecture Sergey Merkurov House-Museum House-Museum of Avetik Isahakyan House-Museum of Hovhannes Shiraz House-Museum of Mher Mkrtchyan Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre Science and Education Gyumri Technology Center Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute Progress University Gyumri Academy of Fine Art Lord Byron School Sports and recreation Gyumri City Stadium FC Shirak Gyumri Football Academy Gyumri Chess School October Cinema Gyumri Central park Victory Park Transportation Shirak Airport Gyumri Railway Station

Shirak Province Capital: Gyumri Towns Artik Gyumri Maralik Villages Aghin Aghvorik Akhurik Akhuryan Alvar Amasia Aniavan Anipemza Anushavan Arevshat Arevik Arapi Ardenis Aregnadem Arpeni Ashotsk Aygabats Azatan Bagravan Bandivan Basen Bashgyugh Bavra Bayandur Beniamin Berdashen Byurakn Dzithankov Dzorakap Dzorashen Garnarich Geghanist Getk Getap Gharibjanyan Ghazanchi Goghovit Gtashen Gusanagyugh Harich Hartashen Hatsik Haykadzor Haykasar Haykavan Hayrenyats Hoghmik Horom Hovit Hovtashen Hovtun Hovuni Isahakyan Jajur Jajuravan Jradzor Jrapi Jrarat Kakavasar Kamo Kaps Karaberd Karmrakar Karmravan Karnut Keti Krasar Krashen Lanjik Lernagyugh Lernakert Lernut Lusaghbyur Lusakert Marmashen Mayisyan Meghrashat Meghrashen Mets Mantash Mets Sariar Mets Sepasar Musayelyan Nahapetavan Nor Kyank Norshen Panik Pemzashen Pokr Mantash Pokr Sariar Pokr Sepasar Pokrashen Salut Saragyugh Sarakap Saralanj Sarapat Saratak Sarnaghbyur Shaghik Shirak Shirakavan Sizavet Spandaryan Tavshut Torosgyugh Tsaghkut Tsoghamarg Tufashen Vahramaberd Vardaghbyur Vardakar Voghji Voskehask Yerazgavors Zarishat Zorakert Zuygaghbyur Non-community villages Aghin kayaran Bardzrashen Darik Hatsikavan Kamkhut Kharkov Paghakn Yeghnajur Former villages Akhuryan kayaran Aravet Lorasar Yerizak

Cities and towns in Armenia Aragatsotn Ashtarak Aparan Talin Ararat Artashat Ararat Masis Vedi Armavir Armavir Metsamor Vagharshapat Gegharkunik Gavar Chambarak Martuni Sevan Vardenis Kotayk Hrazdan Abovyan Byureghavan Charentsavan Nor Hachen Tsaghkadzor Yeghvard Lori Vanadzor Akhtala Alaverdi Shamlugh Spitak Stepanavan Tashir Tumanyan Shirak Gyumri Artik Maralik Syunik Kapan Agarak Dastakert Goris Kajaran Meghri Sisian Tavush Ijevan Ayrum Berd Dilijan Noyemberyan Vayots Dzor Yeghegnadzor Jermuk Vayk Capital city Yerevan

Authority control VIAF: 239220299 GND: 4805235-8 BNF: cb15575590j (data)