Friendship park
Friendship park
When memories prompt action.
For most of my childhood, Friendship Park was a no-go zone, a scary place where children were not allowed to play. The voice of Narine Azaryan, Khachatur Azaryan’s daughter, the last director of the Friendship Park, takes us back to Soviet times, when the park was full of people and joy. Through the images from their family photo album, we can witness the park in a different light.
For generations of Gyumri residents, Friendship Park and its arches and stage were the city’s calling card. A magical place for art and play. That changed after the 1988 earthquake.
This film documents the park’s glorious past, its rebirth and reopening, the work of the Tourism and Urbanism Charitable Foundation (TUF), public and private supporters who believed the park should reclaim its role as a symbol of the city.