Former Park or Construction Waste-Filled Area: Аuroranews Investigates the Situation Surrounding Gyumri's Youth Park

Information is circulating on social media regarding the land of one of Gyumri's former parks, Youth Park, where the statue "Herald" by Armenia’s Honored Artist and sculptor Samvel Petrosyan is installed. Users complain that after years, the relevant authorities not only did not try to restore the park but also handed over the land to a large wholesale commercial organization, which in turn is establishing a warehouse there, completely disconnected from the city’s architectural style and overall appearance.

In an effort to understand the issue, Аuroranews connected with the chief architect of Gyumri, Henrik Gasparyan. In a conversation with us, he clarified: "The area we are talking about was a park at the beginning of the 80s, before the earthquake. After the devastation from the earthquake, the park turned into a settlement of shanties and temporary shelters. Over the years, people vacated the shanties and moved to their new homes, while the area remained filled with construction waste.

Currently, an investment program is being implemented in this area, which is very important for Gyumri, both in terms of improving the surrounding area and creating jobs. Construction is being carried out on a legal basis and has been coordinated with all state and local authorities. The company plans to build not a warehouse, but a globally accepted new shopping showroom made with metal constructions. The organization has committed to improve and green the adjacent area and turn the remaining part into a park.

Regarding the statue "Herald" by sculptor Samvel Petrosyan, I would like to mention that we have proposed several areas where we can relocate the statue. The author agreed once and changed his mind another time. We are ready to relocate it to a place where it becomes visible, although the statue and its surrounding area have been preserved in this section," the chief architect noted.

Henrik Gasparyan also added that negotiations with the company are underway regarding the need for them to also address the issue of several shanties inhabited in the area by compensating the residents and ensuring their homelessness issue is resolved.

Аuroranews examined visual representations of the actual situation in the former park area based on Google map data and photos posted by users. Thus, the area of Youth Park is located in front of the former Shirak Hotel in Gyumri. The ruins of Shirak Hotel were completely dismantled in 2018, and a new five-story shopping center was constructed in its place (see the left side of the picture).

According to user-uploaded photos, a new commercial structure is being built in the marked rectangular area. The photos also display the park's appearance in the 80s and the current situation according to Google Maps. The frame captures the statue and its nearby area, while the entire free space behind it is planned for improvement and will serve as a park.

Additionally, upon contacting various residents of Gyumri, we noted that some citizens are in favor of the ongoing work, the improvement, and the creation of new construction, while others believe that the area should have been fully restored as a park.

Satén Yegiazaryan