English Park in Yerevan (Yerevan, Armenia): detailed description, address and photos. Opportunities for sports and recreation, infrastructure, cafes and restaurants in the park. Tourist reviews.
English Park is one of the oldest parks in Yerevan. It was laid out back in the 1860s, but then it was part of the City Park, which stretched up to Abovyan Street. At that time the street was called Berdi Khoghots (in Armenian it means “fortress”), and later it was called Astafievskaya in honor of Major General Mikhail Astafyev, who ordered to establish the park there.
This district in the 19th century was the most fashionable in the capital. The most luxurious mansions, expensive stores, hotels and restaurants were located here. According to one version, the name “English Park” appeared in those years, as many associated its stately atmosphere with old London.
In the 1880s the question of improving the park was raised: despite the luxury surrounding it, it was in a certain state of neglect. The doctor from Yerevan Levon Tigranyan drew attention to the problem but the doctor was not listened to and the issue was put off for 14 years. In 1894 the issue of improvement was raised again and already with specific proposals. According to the new reconstruction plan all the waterlogged areas of the park had to be drained, the trees and bushes had to be planted and the alleys had to be built. After the plan was approved, the park was leased to State Duma member Levon Baklachyan, who pledged to put the park in order within three years.
The new owner failed to fulfill his promise, so the responsibility for the park improvement was transferred to the head of the city, Isaac Melik-Agamalyan. He took up the work responsibly. The work took about ten years, and on October 3, 1910, the English Park was finally opened to all comers.
In Soviet times, the park was renamed after the 26 Baku commissars, but after the declaration of independence of Armenia in 1991, it received back its historical name.
It was in the English Park that the first soccer match in Armenia took place (1920), in which the teams of Yerevan and Alexandropol (modern-day Gyumri) met.
English Park in Yerevan today
Today, English Park is a popular place for citizens and tourists, people often come here with children, and the older generation likes to play chess and other board games in the open air.
The park is home to the Sundukyan Armenian Theater, the largest theater in Armenia, which was founded on this very spot in 1922. Also here are the French and Italian embassies and the Congress Hotel.
The park has its own rose garden, a children’s park and several monuments: a bust of Armenian playwright Gabriel Sundukyan, a character in one of his plays fisherman Pepo and a water seller boy, located right by the square that separates the English Park from the neighboring – Shahumyan Park.
The central fountain is a favorite place among local newlyweds for photo sessions.
Practical information about English Park in Yerevan
Address: Italian Street, Yerevan.
Admission: free.
