06:07, 20 February 2016

Demolition of old Yerevan houses detriments tourism

Demolition of old building in Aram street No.30 in Yerevan. Photo: © Sputnik/ Asatur Yesayants, http://www.sputnikarmenia.ru/armenia/20160218/2019470.html

Yerevan is losing its appearance due to the demolition of old houses and destruction of vineyards and wine cellars. This is a detriment to city's architecture and reduces attraction for tourists, said Armenian wine-makers and scientists at a press conference "Consequences of demolition of old houses for tourism: winemakers' signal", held in Yerevan on February 19.

According to Nune Manukyan, Director of the Fund "Areni Festival", the construction of multipurpose buildings in central Yerevan has endangered an old winery and a wine cellar, located in the basement of No. 4/5 in Pushkin Street.

Mr Manukyan treats the decision of the Yerevan Mayoralty to demolish old houses, which are of interest for tourism, as unreasonable.

It is necessary to preserve not only underground wineries and cellars, but also the historical environment, noted Boris Gasparyan, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Tigran Petrosyan

Source: CK correspondent