SQUARES AND PARKS
CHILDREN'S RAILWAY PARK
1937
Architects:
Mikayel Mazmanyan, Babken Hakobyan, Gohar Grigoryan
The Children's Railway Park is located in
the Hrazdan Gorge. Its total length is 2.1 km. The railway has three stations:
Hayrenik ("Homeland", formerly Paros ("Lighthouse"), above
the canal), Pioneer (near the exit of the tunnels), and Urakhutyun ("Joy").
The idea of establishing a
children's railway was proposed in 1935 by Aghasi Khanjyan, First Secretary of
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia. The railway was
officially inaugurated on July 6, 1937.
The original station building,
designed by architect Mikayel Mazmanyan, was constructed of wood. In the late
1940s it was replaced with a tuff-stone building designed by architect Babken
Hakobyan. The final station was designed by architect Gohar Grigoryan in 1954.
In 1949, memorial fountains
dedicated to young Heroes of the Soviet Union (Hunan Avetisyan, Oleg Koshevoy,
Liza Chaikina, and others) were installed near the entrance to the park. Nearby
stood a monument to the renowned Armenian writer Khachatur Abovyan from the
1950s until 1964.
In 1956, a 45 m-long tunnel was
constructed on the section between the Urakhutyun and Pioneer stations. The
railway grounds also included a playground, pools, fountains, a reading room, a
dance floor, sports grounds, a funhouse, kiosks, and other recreational
facilities.
The Children's Railway Park is
one of the most picturesque parts of the Hrazdan Gorge. During the warm season,
visitors can take a short train ride through the gorge, traveling approximately
600 m before returning to the starting point.
