Gyumri — Scenes #1
Gyumri, Shirak Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2005
Gyumri, Shirak Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2005
The day before Sunday’s referendum I made a return visit to Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city still suffering 17 years after the devastating 1988 earthquake. Yes, some construction has taken place, but unemployment and poverty is still rampant and higher than the national average.
There are also thousands of families made homeless by the earthquake that still live in domiks – “temporary” shelters. Anyway, I went up to Gyumri for Hetq Online and worked with a local journalist on a few stories for which these photos were taken. The articles accompanied by more photos should be published next week.
I didn’t know there still are half-destroyed buildings remaining from the 1988 earthquake–I thought they all were removed by now.
The Lenin statue is great. Nice to see that a part of Armenia’s history is still intact. Lately the trend has been to destroy anything Soviet, including historic buildings.
Comment by Christian Garbis — November 29, 2005 @ 9:36 pm
Yes, I kind of like the statue as well. It’s off the road near the textile factory. Hope it stays. As for the buildings, yes, there are still some that remain in rubble from the earthquake, but not in the center that I can remember. However, this building is actually an inhabited hostel that collapsed two years ago, I think.
Comment by Administrator — November 29, 2005 @ 9:51 pm
The building pictured by Onnik is a workers hostel that used to belong to Gyumri’s defunct textile factory. I have not seen more horrific living conditions in Armenia. About 60 people (many of them children) live in that slowly crumbling building which may totally collapse at any moment. I did a story about it last year.(http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2004/04/1028122D-4F7F-49C7-9A99-F5CD6C532AED.asp) Nobody reacted to it.
The most appalling thing is that the local authorities don’t give a damn about their plight. They are not even included on the lists of earthquake victims eligible for new housing. Apparently because most of the hostel residents are Russian/Ukrainian single mothers who were brought to Gyumri from other parts of the Soviet Union in the 1970s to work at the factory. I guess in the eyes of the government officials they lack the proper blood to have a right to decent housing.
Comment by Emil Danielyan — November 30, 2005 @ 11:54 am
Onnik, the building pictured by you looks like a workers hostel that used to belong to Gyumri’s defunct textile factory. I have not seen more horrific living conditions in Armenia. When I visited it last year it was populated by about 60 people (many of them children). They building may totally collapse at any moment. I did a story about it.(http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2004/04/1028122D-4F7F-49C7-9A99-F5CD6C532AED.asp) Nobody reacted to it.
The most appalling thing is that the local authorities don’t give a damn about their plight. They are not even included on the lists of earthquake victims eligible for new housing. Apparently because most of the hostel residents are Russian/Ukrainian single mothers who were brought to Gyumri from other parts of the Soviet Union in the 1970s to work at the factory. I guess in the eyes of the government officials they lack the proper blood to have a right to decent housing.
Comment by Emil Danielyan — November 30, 2005 @ 12:06 pm
I was looking for Emil’s article to post with my first comment, but couldn’t. Now that he’s put the URL here, might as well make it clickable here.
Comment by Administrator — November 30, 2005 @ 12:06 pm
Gyumri always makes me sad.
Comment by Tim Russo — November 30, 2005 @ 8:59 pm
I think that armenia early or late will will wake up (as wrote Puskin about Russia), but people in the country must help each other, if powerty people don`t do it.
Comment by Ani — December 16, 2005 @ 6:28 pm
sad photos
Comment by james — March 1, 2006 @ 2:45 am
this is truly disgusting.
Comment by Karo — November 8, 2006 @ 12:14 pm