MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

The "Mother Armenia" Military History Museum presents documentary materials related to the participation of the Armenian people in World War II and the Artsakh Liberation War.

In 1970, to mark the 25th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the "Armenia in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" museum was opened. In 1995, it was renamed the "Mother Armenia" Military Museum and came under the jurisdiction of the RA Ministry of Defense.

The museum is located inside the pedestal of the "Mother Armenia" monument.

The Mother Armenia Memorial was built to commemorate the victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. It was opened on November 29, 1950, on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Soviet rule in Armenia in Victory Park.

The author of the memorial complex is the famous architect Rafael Israelyan. The memorial complex housed a 17-meter-high copper statue of Joseph Stalin by People's Artist of the USSR Sergey Merkurov. In 1961, the statue was removed, and in 1967, a 22-meter-high copper statue of "Mother Armenia" by People's Artist of Armenia, sculptor Ara Harutyunyan, was installed on the same pedestal. The sculptor managed to create a connection between the new sculpture and the old pedestal through both composition and decorative details. The preserved fragments of Stalin's sculpture (eye and shoe) helped him find a balance between the dimensions of the old and new monument.

The Mother Armenia Memorial Complex was designed in the structure of an Armenian three-nave basilica church, the total height is 51 meters, the height of the sculpture is 22 meters, and the length of the sword is 11 meters. The pedestal, in contrast to its rectangular exterior, is an Armenian domed three-story church inside, reminiscent of the famous St. Hripsime Church of Echmiadzin (7th century). The memorial complex is built of black tuff of various shades. The ornate arches and capitals and the copper door give the monument great splendor, and the entire panorama of the capital is visible from the high open balconies of the 4 corners.

Various samples of Soviet weapons are displayed around the pedestal. Among them are an armored infantry vehicle, an armored vehicle-152, a T-34 tank, a MiG-19 aircraft, a Katyusha BM-13, a 76 mm anti-aircraft machine gun, and a S-75 anti-aircraft missile system.

The "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier", the "Heroes' Alley" leading to it, as well as the alleys dedicated to Marshal Hovhannes Baghramyan and the Russian border guards, are also part of the overall ideological concept of the memorial complex.

VISITOR INFORMATION

The "Mother Armenia" Military History Museum has more than 30,000 exhibits. The exhibition consists of two main parts: "The Participation of the Armenian People in World War II" and "The Artsakh Liberation War".

The first floor presents materials about Armenian fighters in World War II, their campaigns, as well as the personal belongings of Marshal Hovhannes Baghramyan.

The exhibition hall on the second floor presents the documentation of the Artsakh War: documents, photographs, descriptive materials of military operations.

HOURS AND ADMISSION

Tuesday to Friday: 10:00-17:00
Saturday-Sunday: 10:00-15:00

ADMISSION

Еntrance is free.