Old Gyumri Tour

Visit Kumayri museum, historic houses, workshops, taverns, guesthouses and museums that make up Old Gyumri (formerly known as Alexandropl).

Ghorghanian Street to Gorki Street

Ghorghanian Street to Gorki Street: Alexandropol courtyards, Military Canteen

Turn Right on Ghorghanian (Karskaya – 21st).

22. Right: Courtyard, 1880-1900. At the first opening between buildings, go into the yard to the back of the building. Through the old porch frame you can still see the finely detailed stonework of this magnificent if tired black tufa building. In the far right of the old courtyard is a niche in the wall which may have been used to hold a statue, though no one who lives there remembers. Also note the door lintels, with their distinct arch angle. These are the same as you saw in number 29, on Rustaveli. It's the same building.

23. Right: Military Administration Bldg., 1930s. The fine wrought iron fence enclosed a front courtyard that sets off the painted building with a red star and a hammer & sickle emblem at the top. On the left was a canteen and Post Exchange during Soviet times. On the far right of the building notice how the wall just stops, cutting the window frames in half. The architect intended to continue the building, but due to limited property land it remained incomplete.

24. Right: Dwelling, 1850's. Taking the narrow stairway between the next set of buildings, you will stop in front of one of the oldest houses in the district, this magnificently detailed building is a hallmark to true craftsmanship. The trim on the cornice and sides of the walls look like 12th century Gordon knots, but they were carved from stone in the 1850s. The 1926 earthquake destroyed the building, and the owners rebuilt using the pieces of the elaborate carvings as they fit, creating the current look.

25. Right: Large dwelling, 1865, 1913. The house is actually in three parts. The part on the left was built in the 1865 by the Ghasabian family, who added the right part 48 years after, using the old style of architecture pre-1900s. The third section, on the far left, was rebuilt after the 1988 earthquake. Without proper funds or engineering, the owners were unable to maintain the same wall angle as the other sections, and chose to lean the wall back to prevent it from collapsing.

The text for this walking tour was edited by the Kumaiyri Preserve-Museum.