Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

[Vrej1915]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

Hello Guys,
Do you know why the Cafedjian's museum is stopped fore years now?
Are there any hopes of completion?

[Mher]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

Here is a few things going on in Gyumri

Church of the Holy Saviour or Surb Amenaprkich, constructed between 1859-1873. Designed to resemble the Cathedral of Ani. The church was heavily damaged by the 1988 Spitak earthquake and is currently under reconstruction.

[Mher]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

Gyumri Technopark (one of the places I am currently interning as a Civil Engineering as part of Birthright Armenia)
Expected time of completion 18 months, construction started 2 months ago, will be done sooner according to lead civil engineer
Expected Cost 1.67 Billion Dram (~4 million Dollars)
Building originally built in 1850s

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/104869/

[Mos]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

Gyumri I've heard is improving a lot. Too bad I don't have any relatives there to visit often, maybe I will this summer.

[Armanen]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

Thanks for sharing the pics Mher!

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

Gyumri I've heard is improving a lot. Too bad I don't have any relatives there to visit often, maybe I will this summer.

I hope you are kidding me, as a native from Leninakan I only see the destruction of the city by Vartanig. If you guys thought Dodi and his ilk were bad you don't know Vartan. And they cannot finish renovating a church for 20 years but can build a 5 star hotel in 1 year. I'm willing to bet that most of the money for the technopark is foreign charity, but we have more than enough money for hotels and ugly mansions.

[Mher]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

Not a new or future project, but a very unique and interesting place:

Gyumri Pyunic Association for the Disabled
A Center for disabled children located at the edge of gyumri in the end of the Austrian District, run by a very benevolent women with no notable wealth, who herself is disabled
The center was nothing but an old domik (temporary housing) for many many years. However through various generous foreign donors and selfless moves by the president of the center, with zero contributions from the government, it has become a very impressive center by even Western standards. It is run completely by volunteers, throughout the whole year, with no current form of outside funding or backing (currently the only contributions to the center are made out of pocket by a doctor who herself is a volunteer there). It accepts over 30 children per day (both disabled and healthy) during the school year, and many more than that during the summer, all at no charge to the children.
A bit of hope and humanity in the midst of the corruption and despair

I'll try to provide more pictures tomorrow































westy36

[Mher]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

Unfortunately here is the gaudy Alexandrapol "hotel palace" we were discussing here a few months back
Apparently built for the son of the mayor by the family's "personal funds"
In a city where doctors and engineers are unemployed/underemployed, where many roads remain unpaved/heavily damaged, it is a disgusting site
the money could have easily been used to build a few business that could have resulted in a few dozen jobs and provided some service/goods to the city as well as profit to the owner. Instead it is blown on a expensive hotel in a city with no tourists, that will result in a handful of jobs and do nothing to bring in any revenue or service.

[Mher]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

I hope you are kidding me, as a native from Leninakan I only see the destruction of the city by Vartanig. If you guys thought Dodi and his ilk were bad you don't know Vartan. And they cannot finish renovating a church for 20 years but can build a 5 star hotel in 1 year. I'm willing to bet that most of the money for the technopark is foreign charity, but we have more than enough money for hotels and ugly mansions.

unfortunately you are right
things are much more difficult here than Yerevan. I hear people here talking about Yerevan the way people in Yerevan talk about Moscow/Los Angeles
At the technopark construction site, the head civil engineer was saying how he will probably leave for Russia for good during the winter because he can no longer support his family here (this coming for someone who is likely one of the best at what he does in the city). Furthermore, he was explaining how one of the construction workers was a licensed civil engineer himself with much experience, but can't find a job and had to do what he could to support his family

btw your comment about the hotel being built in one year really hit home
first time i walked past it I was shocked, because it was only a few months before that when I had seen the concept and computer rendering of it on this forum, and I thought I must have been remembering wrong because it couldn't have possibility been built that fast.

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Armenia: Future Projects and Developments

unfortunately you are right
things are much more difficult here than Yerevan. I hear people here talking about Yerevan the way people in Yerevan talk about Moscow/Los Angeles
At the technopark construction site, the head civil engineer was saying how he will probably leave for Russia for good during the winter because he can no longer support his family here (this coming for someone who is likely one of the best at what he does in the city). Furthermore, he was explaining how one of the construction workers was a licensed civil engineer himself with much experience, but can't find a job and had to do what he could to support his family

btw your comment about the hotel being built in one year really hit home
first time i walked past it I was shocked, because it was only a few months before that when I had seen the concept and computer rendering of it on this forum, and I thought I must have been remembering wrong because it couldn't have possibility been built that fast.

During the SU times Leninakan was the humour capital of Armenia, all the great comedians and many other artists and musicians came from Armenia like Frunzig. However today you have a population that does not even smile, from what I hear, hope has died in the city.
It doesn't surprise me that he is going to leave the country and the city, the city is literately emptying. An other ten years and it can turn into a ghost town with only Vartanig and his relatives and two other powerful families.
For me, to hear all those things about my home city where I was born and have some of the best memories of my life, is very very difficult.