Live from Gyumri, Armenia, in photos and videos
Gyumri is the second-largest city in Armenia after Yerevan. The video was filmed during a journey from Georgia to Armenia, and the story follows this route.
As soon as you cross the Georgian border and enter Armenia, the road becomes mountainous. The plains and forest-covered mountains gradually give way to rocky slopes.
The road runs across the Ashotzk Plateau along the Akhuryan River gorge and around the Shirak Range. This is where Gyumri lies, at an altitude of more than 1,500 metres above sea level.
The air is noticeably cooler here, which is why both tourists and residents of the capital come here in summer.
Locals are particularly proud of their drinking water. It comes from mountain springs and is exceptionally cold and delicious.
Small drinking fountains can be found throughout the city. Locals call them “pulpulak”. They attract attention partly because of their distinctive designs, with no two fountains looking quite alike.
They are usually built from local stone — tuff or basalt — and decorated with national ornaments, crosses and various symbols.
There is also a tradition of building pulpulaks in memory of deceased loved ones.
A defining feature of Gyumri is its black stone. Almost all the city’s old buildings are made from local volcanic tuff.
In the city centre lies Vardanants Square. It was named in memory of the battle between the Armenian army, led by commander Vardan Mamikonian, and the Persian army in 450–451.
Churches of Gyumri
On either side of the square stand two churches: the Church of the Holy Mother of God, also known as the Church of the “Seven Wounds”, and the Church of the Holy Saviour.
The Church of the Holy Mother of God holds a special place in Gyumri’s history. During the Soviet period, when most churches in the city were closed and converted into warehouses or museums, the “Seven Wounds” Church remained one of the few still operating. It became a centre that preserved church traditions and a symbol of believers’ resistance.
Symbolically, the church courtyard contains a brass cross riddled with bullet holes. It commemorates the clergy who continued their service and supported believers during Stalin’s anti-religious campaign. Dozens of members of the Shirak Diocese clergy were arrested and executed.
Today, the bullet holes in the cross are clearly visible even from a distance. The names of clergy members who died during those years are engraved on its lower section.
On 7 December 1988, an earthquake almost destroyed the city in just 30 seconds.
The entire northern part of Armenia was affected. More than 27,000 people died, and 750,000 were left homeless.
A huge fragment of stone broke off the Church of the Holy Saviour in Gyumri during the earthquake. They left it lying beside the church. According to local residents, it serves as a reminder of that terrible day.
A bronze memorial, “To the Innocent Victims, the Compassionate Hearts”, was built nearby. The inscription appears on the monument in three languages: Armenian, Russian and English.
It depicts figures emerging from the rubble and helping one another.
The scale of the destruction clearly showed the difference in quality between older buildings and structures from the Soviet period.
One- and two-storey buildings dating from before the Soviet era proved more resilient, while high-rise buildings constructed in the 1970s and 1980s were completely destroyed.
The tragedy fundamentally changed the city’s future development strategy. Based on the findings of seismologists and architects, Gyumri banned the construction of high-rise residential buildings.
The city returned to its historic style: low-rise, sturdy buildings made from local black and orange tuff.
