Travel Tips

The Aslamazyan House, also on Abovyan Street, was built in the 1880s. The Aslamazyan sisters, Soviet-era artists, lived and worked here, and the building is now being restored as a museum to house the nearly 700 drawings, paintings, and other works the sisters left to the City of Gyumri.
Follow Abovyan Street to Freedom Square, previously known as Central Square. Stand in the center of the Square and spin around 360 degrees. You will see four wonderful churches:

St. Nishan Church; St. Astvatsatsin Church (also called "Yot Verk", or "Seven Wounds") on the Square's north side; the partially ruined All Savior’s Church on the south side; and the old St. Astvatsatsin Armenian Catholic Church on a high point to the west of the square. The latter may be hard to see because it lost its domes in the 1926 earthquake and was never restored. Carved inscriptions on the southeast wall of the Catholic Church indicate that the church was built in 1843. The partially destroyed church has been in residential use since the Soviet period, but there is now some hope that this important Gyumri landmark may be restored. A visit to the "Yot Verk" Church will be well worth your while. You will see devout Gyumritsis lighting candles and praying, and if you're lucky, you may also see a baptism, wedding or other ceremony in the ancient traditions of the Armenian Church.

Behind the All Savior’s Church is another public square, named after the church, which together with Freedom Square and the Church itself, may be considered the true heart of Gyumri. All Savior’s Square was recently refurbished and should be a pleasant place to take a rest on your tour.
The buildings of Musical School # 2, The Courthouse and the Armen Tigranyan Home and Museum are also among the historical and cultural monuments of the Kumayri Historic District. These buildings are situated along the continuation of Abovyan Street from Freedom Square.

From All Savior’s Square, walk along Aragats Street until you get to Haghtanag Avenue. Turn right here and walk through the edge of the Gyumri Market, Armenia's largest and most historic open-air food market. On a typical day, the Gyumri Market is always the most crowded place in the city and therefore the best place to see the human face of Gyumri. At the end of the marketplace, cross to the far side of Haghtanak Avenue to The Dzitoghtsyan Home and Museum. This old Gyumri mansion houses collections covering both the history and everyday life of Gyumri as well as paintings and other works of art.
Part of the ground floor of the mansion has been converted into a wonderful restaurant named "Fayton Alek." The vaulted interior ceilings and traditional rugs and other decorations are well worth seeing, and Fayton Alek is a good place to rest and have a meal at the end of your long tour.