EX-PLACE LENIN

Since 1991, the bronze statue of Lenin no longer stands on the large square that bore his name, renamed Republic Square (Hanrabédoutian Hrabarak). But this immense oval space, with basins and fountains, which was supposed to embody the rebirth of Armenia, whose designers took up the great architectural principles on its façades, has retained a Soviet solemnity. "Whoever wants to picture the strength of Soviet power... that one must visit Yerevan," Giacometti said. This square is an example of this. By throwing away the plans in 1924, A. Tamanian (1876-1936) wanted to make it the showcase of the new Armenia and to affirm in the tufa the strength of a power of which it was the centre, with its institutions and its hotel Armenia. This 14,000 m² square, from which large avenues radiate, impresses. Marrying the oval of the square, the curved façades of the buildings clad in pink or ochre tufa decorated with traditional motifs and pierced with arcades, make the originality of this ensemble evoking a theatre setting. The square, which is still the centre of power, is the scene of official demonstrations and events. It is also there that N.Pachinian made its velvet revolution in 2018, breaking with the tradition established since 1988 that the manifest opposition placed Opera in the north. But power, always represented by the seats of government and ministries, is associated with business, with its shops, banks, hotels, including the Marriott (ex-Armenia), its restaurants and café terraces that break the fixed order and draw an eclectic crowd, Armenians from the diaspora and tourists, young business wolves negotiating with foreign businessmen at the café terraces, peasants who have come to admire the capital, and families strolling to the "Singing Fountains" in the north. This multi-jet pool, where children splash around in summer, is one of the capital's most popular walking and meeting places. In the evening, it attracts onlookers with its water, sound and light show, making folk tunes or planetary hits scream. His latest outfits are also on display there, after having paraded along the local Champs-Elysées, Abovian Street, starting at the steps of the pool. This street, like some others around it, has kept elegant buildings from the Tsarist period, reminding us that the square was built on the site of the former colonial city. The square is now paying its tribute to history by unearthing much older foundations in 2018.