SQUARES AND PARKS
Architect: Arshavir Minasyan
The
park is located between Movses Khorenatsi, Grigor Lusavorich, Beirut, and
Zakyan Streets.
It
was founded in 1933.
Previously,
this area was occupied by Old Yerevan’s main market, Ghantar, and the Gyurji
Caravanserai, along with its adjacent shops, kiosks, and other buildings.
In
1934, following the death of Soviet statesman Sergei Kirov, the park was named
after him.
During
the Soviet period, the Hero of the USSR, Major General Nikolai Novitsky, was
also buried in Children's Park. During the years of independence, his remains
were transferred and reinterred in the military pantheon of the central
cemetery of the Erebuni administrative district.
In
2021, archaeological layers were discovered during construction works carried
out in the northeastern section of the park. Excavations uncovered the remains
of brick and tuff structures dating from the second half of the 19th century to
the first decades of the 20th century, as well as a tuff-built section of a
water supply system. Various ceramic, glass, and metal artifacts were also
found, along with livestock bones and goods of French, British, Russian, and
Persian origin, including clothing accessories, household and utility items,
porcelain tableware, and other objects.
The
excavation findings indicate that during the mentioned period Yerevan was an
important transit trade center, where East and West, North and South
intersected.
Children's
Park remains one of the favorite recreational destinations of Yerevan
residents.
