Republic Square, Yerevan
Town square in Yerevan, Armenia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Republic Square, Yerevan?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Republic Square (Armenian: Հանրապետության հրապարակ, Hanrapetut′yan hraparak, known locally as Hraparak, "the square")[6][7] is the central town square in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. It consists of two sections: an oval roundabout and a trapezoid-shaped section which contains a pool with musical fountains. The square is surrounded by five major buildings built in pink and yellow tuff in the neoclassical style with extensive use of Armenian motifs.[8][9] This architectural ensemble includes the Government House, the History Museum and the National Gallery, Armenia Marriott Hotel and two buildings that formerly housed the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transport and Communications. The square was originally designed by Alexander Tamanian in 1924.[10][5] The construction of most of the buildings was completed by the 1950s; the last building—the National Gallery—was completed in 1977.[2]
Former name(s) | Lenin Square (1940–1990)[1] |
---|---|
Maintained by | Yerevan Municipality |
Area | 3 hectares (30,000 m2)[1] |
Location | Kentron, Yerevan, Armenia |
Nearest metro station | Republic Square |
Construction | |
Construction start | 1926[2][3][4] |
Completion | 1977[2] |
Other | |
Designer | Alexander Tamanian (square design); surrounding buildings: Alexander Tamanian, Gevorg Tamanian, Mark Grigorian, Eduard Sarapian, Rafayel Israyelian, Samvel Safarian, Varazdat Arevshatian[5] |
During the Soviet period it was called Lenin Square and a statue of Vladimir Lenin stood at the square. Soviet parades and celebrations were held twice (originally thrice) a year until 1988. After Armenia's independence, Lenin's statue was removed and the square was renamed.[11] It has been described as Yerevan's "architectural highlight"[12] and the city's "most outstanding architectural ensemble".[13] As Armenia's and the city's "most important civic space",[14] Republic Square was the main site of demonstrations during the 2018 Velvet Revolution.