Republic Square

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is a beautiful city with many old and new buildings. There are many places to visit that are well-known and loved, but one of them has a special role to play. This place is Republic Square. Just as the architect Alexander Tamanyan (he was also the architect of Yerevan) planned, the Republic Square was to become the administrative centre of Yerevan. He and his colleagues transformed Yerevan from a regional city into a large metropolis, building ever more imposing structures. The square is also called "the heart of Yerevan". The construction of the square was carried out from 1924 until 1958. All leaning buildings were demolished and replaced by new ones. The construction of most buildings was completed in the 1950s. The last building, the National Gallery, was completed in 1977. In 2003 the place was renovated. Here extensive excavations were carried out.

In the place of this square, there used to be another place called Maydan. During the Soviet era it was called Lenin Square and a statue of Lenin raised on the square and military parades were held twice a year. After Armenia's independence, the statue of Lenin was removed and the square was renamed. Travel writer Deirdre Holding said that Republic Square is "certainly one of the most beautiful central places that were created anywhere in the world during the 20th century". The place is easy to reach by transport. Republic Square is called "hanrapetutyan hraparak" in Armenian. The square is surrounded by five large buildings made of neoclassical pink and yellow tufa with large Armenian motifs: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Post Office, the National History Museum, the National Gallery and the Hotel Armenia (now Marriott). All of them were built similar to the government palace with its big, white tower clock and, as an architectural ensemble, give the impression of great stylistic unity. The place is easy to reach by transport.

It should be mentioned that the arcades, the sculptures were made of different coloured tufa (pink, cream, and ocher yellow). In front of the National Museum, one may reveal the "singing fountains". Especially in summer evenings, when the fountains with colourful lights dance to the waltzes by Johann Strauss or chansons by Aznavour, this square becomes a popular meeting place for the young and the old. On September 21 (Independence Day), national parades and numerous other festivities take place here. Next to the museum, seven drinking fountains called "Seven Springs" are situated. They were built in 1965 and renovated in 2010. The drinking fountains, which are the peculiarity of Yerevan and Armenia, can be found everywhere. You can always see many people from abroad and Yerevan in Republic Square, as this is a popular spot. One may find many coffee houses, restaurants, shopping centres, banks, and parks nearby.