Armenia celebrated European Heritage Days earlier this month with an exciting weekend of heritage events hosted by over 100 venues across the country.

The opening ceremony took place on 22 September at Cafesjian Art Centre in Yerevan, where the delegation of the European Union and the Ministry of Culture of Armenia officially launched the 2018 programme. With inspiring opening speeches, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia and Lilit Makunts, Minister of Culture of Armenia, introduced the public into another incredible edition of heritage celebrations.

Around 60 children from 2 orphanages and from the Union of Disabled People of Armenia 'Pyunik' were invited to participate in the launch event. They were gifted balloons and t-shirts with the slogan of 'EHD - The Art of Sharing', and after the ceremony they enjoyed free visits to the Cafesjian Art Centre and the Russian Art Museum.

Programme Highlights

With various successful events from previous years, European Heritage Days in Armenia became synonymous with creativity and inspiration. In 2018, the country offered a similarly exciting programme that blended tradition, innovation, science, entertainment, and much more.

Like in most other countries, the theme of this year’s event was The Art of Sharing, which was explored in over 100 cultural institutions took opened their doors for the event. The Opera and Ballet National Academic Theater, Armenian National Library and Byurakan Observatory are some of the insitutions that opened their doors for visitors.

In addition to the tours to some of the most significant cultural and historic buildings in the country, Armenian cultural heritage was showcased in a variety of ways. Jesters and ropewalkers performed in Amberd Castle Historical Cultural Museum-Reservation, public archaeological excavations were organised in Metsamor, and a special stargazing event was organised in Garni Historical and Cultural Museum-Reservation.

A special exhibition was also held at the Museum of Russian Arts, which took the visitors to journey through the history of Cascade Park, one of the architectural masterpieces of Armenia’s capital. The exhibition presented the Park’s cultural and historic values through a series of sketches of the building that have not previously been available to the public.  

The European Heritage Days weekend put special focus on science and exploration of natural environment. One of the science-oriented events that sparked most interest was gathering at the Temple of Garni, where visitors could observe the full moon and the planets together with an NGO of astronomers.

Welcoming hundreds of people to European Heritage Days, Armenia once again brought its citizens together to celebrate their traditional values. The great variety of events and creative interpretations of the common theme opened a new perspective for its citizens to observe heritage around them and enjoy its beauty.  

Photo Credits:

European Union in Armenia Facebook Page
European Heritage Days in Armenia Facebook page
Wikipedia