Old Gyumri Tour

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

Gorki Street to Square

Ghorghanian Street: Gorki Street to Square

Turn Left at next crossing, on Gorki (Bebutovskaya – 16th) Street, and look for archway on right side.

26. Right: archway/courtyard, 1878. Over the archway you can see two wonderful carvings flanking the top of the arch. One is a copy of the ancient Armenian tree of Life symbol often found on Armenian khachkars and the other of a lion. The old courtyard within is deteriorated but had a magnificent underpinning of finely hewn black tufa arches to support the central bridge that connects the dwellings. The yard serves several families and a bakery, but in its day the building was a “profit house”, where some areas were rented out.

The courtyard was also a location for one of Armenia's most beloved films, “Tango of Our Childhood”, starring Mher (“Frunze”) Mkrchian, whose home-museum is on this tour.

27. Right: Dwelling, 1870. The large black tufa building has a courtyard in back. The huge green gate is original to the house and shows the Alexandropol love for ostentatious display.

28. Opposite: Treaty House, 1870. Currently used as the Dashnak political party headquarters, this grand building was originally the Turkish Consulate, boasting a rival front gate to the house opposite. Go into the yard if the gate is open to view the inside porch and yard (partially preserved).

29. Left: Dwelling, 1876. White joints were fashionable in the 1870s, as were red and black tufa from 1860-1880. Thereafter both began to disappear. This is a fine example of the 1870s style, along with the large windows and arched entry. Look at the window above the main entry arch; there once was a set of French Doors and a wooden balcony.

30. Right & Left: Dwellings, 1880-1900s. Built after the 1870s so buildings began to be built with no white joints as with #29. The buildings are a mixture of styles, including multicolored tufa, black tufa and varying window and doors styles. The metal balconies are 20th century; the style in Alexandropol was to build self-contained wooden balconies with no outside staircases.

Continue to Gai Street, turn Left to the next street.

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