StepanavanStepanavan is the second largest city (after Vanadzor) in the Lori Province in Armenia. It was established in 1938 and is located on the river Dzoraget to the north of Bazum ridge on the Lori plateau. Stepanavan is 157 km away from Armenia's capital Yerevan and 30 km away from Vanadzor, which is the third largest city in Armenia after Yerevan and Gyumri. The city is named after the Armenian Bolshevik leader Stepan Shaumyan. The city suffered major destruction during the Spitak Earthquake of 1988. Stepanavan is a mountain-climate health resort known for its pine forests. The essential oils, isolated by coniferous trees, possess strong bactericidal properties; therefore mountainous air of Stepanavan, filled with the aroma of pine tree, is useful to patients with respiratory problems. In recent years, there were cases of barbarous and unsanctioned cutting down of trees around the health resort, which, according to ecologists, can have irreversible consequences. |
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