If Nothing is Done in the Next Year, the Balcony of 'Varrem-Marem' Will Collapse Irretrievably: Leon Barseghyan

Leon Barseghyan, the president of the Asparez club council, wrote on his Facebook page: "The balcony of 'Varrem-Marem' in Gyumri and the adjacent building and yard, which were allocated to the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Armenia by the Gyumri City Council in 2009, have not received any aid for 12 years for rescue or even for preservation. During this time, the upper structure has collapsed and been destroyed, leaving only the walls and most of the balcony intact. Now the government intends to allocate all of this to the Polytechnic University to renovate and preserve it through the Entrepreneurship Incubator Foundation, the World Bank, and the Synopsis company. If nothing is done in the next year, it will collapse irretrievably, and we will lose this beloved piece for both the people of Gyumri and visitors. It is desirable that when renovated, people will still have the opportunity to go out on this balcony for photos. If indeed nothing will be done, the sooner the government returns these buildings, the better, we will gather funds and renovate them. Let's see what will happen with an optimistic scenario.

Nearby is the new Tumo Center in Gyumri, built on the site of the old theater, where in 1912 the townspeople first watched opera - 'Anush.' Operas were viewed a little earlier in Vienna and Paris."