Project Description
TOURS IN YEREVAN
Soviet and Brutalist heritage
In Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, you can clearly see the influence of the Soviet union of which this city was a part until 1991. The entirety of the city of Yerevan as it is today was built during the First World War. At this point in history Armenia was owned by both the Russian and Turkish Empires. In 1915, the Ottomans invaded Russian territory, causing the Turkish government to commit a genocide that killed more than a million people. Due to its position between the two opposing sides during this massacre, Yerevan became a refuge. It filled in as the focal point of the contention until 1917, the time of the breakdown of the Russian Empire.
There was then a short period where Armenia was an independent republic. In December of 1920, the Soviets assumed command of Armenia and established the Armenian Soviet Communist Republic. Under Soviet rule, the architect called Alexander Tamanian was commissionedd to make the “General Plan of Yerevan.” It was a successful urban development strategy that made the small town into a contemporary industrial metropolis. This led to the rapid development of a popular architectural style of the time: Soviet Brutalist architecture.
Enjoy Yerevan with one of our architectural tours, with themed routes developed by an expert architect guide. We also offer custom architectural itineraries.