The city centre follows Tamanyan's plan for a circular city with two hubs - grand Republic Square, and the more elegant and soft Opera district (Opera house, Freedom Square and the Swan Lake Park). Though Kentron's architecture is diverse, ranging from Belle Epoque to Soviet Panel blocks, the great majority of the centre is in Beaux-Arts tradition. This is the heart of Yerevan and indeed Armenia. Kentron, Centre City, City Centre or Downtown - is central Yerevan, locally known as Kentron or just Kaghak (meaning 'the city').The rest of the city is mostly sleeping or business quarters, so a typical tourist will not have much incentive to leave the centre. Most of tourist Yerevan is concentrated in the city centre, which very compact and easily walkable, with endless dining and entertainment options. In Soviet days Yerevan had already become known as the Pink City as much due to the colour of the tufa stone used for building as for the flamboyant spirit of her young population.
It is also home to some large scale Modern and Post-Modern marvels which are mostly the result of Soviet-Armenian architectural megalomania. In Soviet years Yerevan underwent massive reconstruction, following architect Alexander Tamanyan's plan to make a "perfect city" - a Neo-Classical town with wide avenues, resembling Paris, Vienna and Saint Petersburg.Ĭentral Yerevan is a true jewel of early Soviet architecture. Yerevan ( Armenian: Երեւան) is the capital of the Republic of Armenia, one of the three hubs of the South Caucasus and is home to over a million people - the largest Armenian community in the world.