GyumriGyumri also known as Leninakan, has also been called Aleksandropol or Kumaiyri during its long history. Present day Gyumri is a living museum of grand architecture and cheerfulness, a place of parks and promenades, its distinct red and black tufa buildings a hallmark of a bygone age, Armenia’s «Belle Époque»). Gyumri’s citizens («Giumretsiq») made fortunes catering to the Tsars, and they spent what they earned on opulent dwellings and public buildings. With over 1,000 surviving structures, Gyumri contains the largest collection of historic buildings in the Caucasus. Gyumri’s unique position as the remaining capital for historic Armenian provinces now lying within Georgia has given it a unique influence in more than design; it’s food has a particular flavor coming from the region’s spices, traditionally more akin to Georgian cooking than that found to the south. This may be the reason the most popular restaurants in Gyumri are Georgian, though Gyumri’s traditional foods can be found throughout the city, and you will never lack for gastronomic delights eating in its large selection of eateries. |
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