Republic Square

Republic Square is the central plaza of Yerevan, Armenia, and the finest example of Soviet-era urban planning in the city. It was designed by the architect Alexander Tamanian as part of his 1924 general plan for the capital, and was built between the 1920s and 1950s. The ensemble is made of pink and yellow tuff from Armenian quarries, which gives the buildings their warm colour and the city its nickname, the Pink City. The square was originally named Lenin Square and held a monument to Lenin until 1991, when it was removed after independence and renamed Republic Square. The buildings surrounding the square include the Government House, the History Museum of Armenia and the National Gallery, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Marriott Hotel in the former Hotel Armenia, and the Post Office. The plan is elliptical, with the buildings on a curved arc around a large fountain pool. The Singing Fountains, installed in the 1960s, have an evening show of water, light and music held in summer, which draws crowds. Tuff is a soft volcanic stone, and the facades have been cleaned and repaired several times, with ongoing maintenance on the stone. The square also hosts national celebrations, concerts and political demonstrations, including major gatherings during the 2018 Velvet Revolution. As an open-air space rather than a museum, it presents history through its architecture, which blends Armenian medieval motifs, such as carved ornament and arches, with Neoclassical forms. Visitors can walk around the whole square in about 30 minutes, and museum visits add more time. It is the natural starting point for a walk through central Yerevan, with the Cascade and Northern Avenue nearby.