The forerunner of modern Armavir, which received city status in 1914, was a small village. In the village on the banks of the Kuban River from the first third of the 19th century. lived families of ethnic Armenians who sought to preserve the faith of their ancestors - Christianity, among the newly converted Muslim Circassians. The transformation of the village into a polis was largely facilitated by the construction of the Vladikavkaz railway. Following this, manufacturing enterprises and migrant workers appeared in the city. Today Armavir is one of the five largest settlements in the Krasnodar Territory and is considered a significant regional cultural, educational, industrial, and transport center. The city has a developed tourism infrastructure. The sights of Armavir, photos and descriptions of which you will find below, are of undoubted interest for the inquisitive traveler.
Architecture and monuments of Armavir
On the streets of the hospitable Kuban city, tourists will see quite a lot of monuments and beautiful buildings. Connoisseurs of architecture and monumental art who visit Armavir will not be disappointed.
Monument to the partisans of the Armavir detachment
- Address: 30th Anniversary of Victory Park. Transport stop "Park 30th Anniversary of Victory".
During the Second World War, the entire Soviet people rose up to fight the fascist invaders. The residents of Armavir did not stand aside either. A partisan detachment was formed from the townspeople. The people's avengers smashed small units of the Wehrmacht, derailed trains, and destroyed enemy food convoys. In the winter of 1942, the detachment fought an unequal battle near the village of Sakhray with an enemy that outnumbered the partisans by 40 times. For almost 4 hours, the heroes, armed only with light small arms, held back the onslaught of punitive forces going on the attack under the cover of artillery and mortar fire. But the numerical superiority of the Nazis was too great. 27 partisan heroes died. Armavir residents sacredly honor the fallen defenders of the Motherland. In memory of their feat, an Obelisk was erected over the mass grave of the partisans in the spring of 1945. Since then, there has always been a bouquet of fresh flowers at the foot of the monument in Children's Square.
Monument to A.S. Pushkin
- Address: esplanade at the intersection of Kirov and Engels streets. Transport stop "Pushkin Square".
The monument to the classic of Russian literature was solemnly opened in Armavir in the fall of 1952. It became the dominant feature of recreation, which soon turned into a cozy square, along the alleys of which townspeople loved to stroll. Over time, the concrete statue began to deteriorate. Then local authorities decided to send the monument for restoration. In the sculpture workshop, the statue was “dressed” in copper to protect it from the negative influence of the external environment. In 2006, the monumental incarnation of the great poet again took its rightful place on the pedestal.
Old Sunni mosque building
- Address: st. Pugacheva, 23. Transport stop “Pugacheva Street”.
Initially, the bulk of the population of Armavir were Armenian Christians. However, by the beginning of the 20th century. a large Tatar community was formed here. Then Muslim Armavir residents turned to the authorities for permission to build a Sunni temple. The request was granted and already in 1910, prayers addressed to Allah began to sound under the arches of the new cathedral mosque. The colorful building immediately became one of the main attractions of the city. A three-tiered octagonal minaret with a balcony for the muezzin rose above the central portal of the structure. The tower's spire was crowned with an elegant helmet-shaped dome with a crescent on a high spire. At the end of the 30s of the last century, the building was first transferred to a labor school, and then transferred to housing. Several apartments are still located within the walls of the historical building. Unfortunately, inappropriate use does not benefit the architectural monument. At the same time, even in its current state, the former Tatar mosque remains an iconic landmark of Armavir.
Monument to M. Gorky
- Address: Station Square. Transport stop "Armavir Station-I".
The classic of Russian and Soviet literature, who traveled almost the entire country, visited Armavir several times. In memory of this, in the fall of 1952, a monument to the brilliant prose writer was solemnly opened on the station square of the city. The sculptor embodied the classic image of M. Gorky in his work. The writer is depicted dressed in a simple peasant shirt and boots. He confidently walks across his native Russian soil, throwing his jacket over his shoulder, holding his constant wide-brimmed hat in his hand.
Mansion of G.M. Kiryakov
- Address: st. Lenina, 141. Transport stop "Quiet Square".
The authorities of Armavir have always treated architectural monuments very carefully. Therefore, the city has preserved many beautiful historical buildings. These include an elegant mansion on Lenin Street. Initially, the house belonged to the family of a wealthy city dweller G.M. Kiryakov, then the estate was sold at auction. For a long time, shops and a kindergarten were located under the roof of the mansion. Today it is again part of the city's housing stock. The building attracts the eye with its eclectic architecture. The main decoration of the facade is a corner semicircular projection, topped with a dome with an elegant turret.
Monument to the Vigilant Citizen
- Address: st. Novorossiyskaya, 127. Transport stop “Rodina”.
Several lines in M. Bulgakov’s immortal work “The Master and Margarita” are dedicated to Armavir. It was here that a certain vigilant townsman brought a cat tangled in arms and legs with a tie to the police station, mistaking the innocent animal for the wanted Hippopotamus. This significant event is immortalized monumentally. On one of the streets of the city there is a sculptural composition depicting a law-abiding citizen and the mischievous companion of the almighty Woland. The monument is loved by the townspeople, and tourists are sure to take memorable photos against the background of the bronze statue.
General information
In 1875 the settlement was transformed into a village, and in 1914 into a city. The city of Armavir actively participated in the events of the civil war and military intervention of 1918-1922.
Currently it is a major transport hub and developed industrial center. Industry is represented by mechanical engineering, petrochemical and metalworking enterprises.
The city is also interesting for tourists. Armavir has more than 2 hundred attractions, architectural and historical monuments.
Armavir museums and theaters
Among the places where tourists should definitely go in Armavir, one cannot fail to mention cultural and educational institutions. The exhibitions of the city museums are interesting, and you can watch a wonderful performance at the local theater.
Museum of Local Lore
- Opening hours: daily, except Mondays, from 9:00 to 17:00.
- Ticket price: from 20 rub.
- Telephone.
- Website: https://arkmus.ucoz.ru
- Address: st. Lenina, 114. Transport stop "Quiet Square".
One of the oldest museums in Kuban was founded in 1904. Today, its holdings include more than 50 thousand items. Archaeological artifacts, objects of historical value, and works of painters and sculptors are displayed in the halls of the institution. Of particular value are the collections of Scythian, Sarmatian, Maeotian jewelry made of precious metals, stone Polovtsian sculptures, and edged weapons from the time of the Caucasian War. Visitors linger for a long time in the halls where collections of antique furniture, Tula samovars, and ancient household items of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus are displayed.
House-Museum of S. Dangulov
- Opening hours: daily, except Friday, from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, from 9:00 to 17:00 on weekends.
- Ticket price: excursion service is provided free of charge.
- Telephone.
- Website: https://armavir-cbs.ru/dangulov
- Address: st. Sverdlova, 68. Transport stop "Post Office".
The most famous native of Armavir can rightfully be considered S.A. Dangulov. A brilliant diplomat, journalist, and popular writer did a lot for his hometown. Nowadays, in the mansion that belonged to a remarkable man, there is a museum and cultural center. The Dangulov memorial hall is located here, and part of the premises is occupied by the exhibition of a small art gallery. In addition to exhibition activities, the house-museum organizes literary and musical evenings and art exhibitions.
Armavir Drama and Comedy Theater
- Opening hours: performances are given daily. Daytime performances start at 12:00, evening performances at 17:00 or 18:00.
- Ticket price: from 150 rub. up to 300 rub.
- Telephone.
- Website: https://www.armteatr.ru
- Address: st. Lenina, 84. Transport stop "Armavir Station-I".
Every evening, the doors of the Armavir Drama and Comedy Theater, which dates its history back to the winter of 1908, open for city and visiting fans of Melpomene. By tradition, mostly home-grown talents perform on the local stage. At the same time, the level of skill of provincial actors is very high. The theater's productions almost always receive positive reviews from reputable critics. The repertoire includes dramatic performances, comedies, musicals, and colorful performances for young spectators. The troupe actively tours the cities of Kuban, the North Caucasus, and Crimea.
Top 10 most beautiful and interesting places where a tourist can go
It takes more than 1 day to explore (even running) all the sights of Armavir.
Therefore, I would like to offer a brief overview of the most remarkable and important of them, in which the history and spirit of the city are most clearly embodied.
Museum of Local Lore
The initial collection in 1904 consisted of only 100 objects, and today the museum collections store more than 92 thousand exhibits.
Of greatest interest are:
- a hall with Scythian and Polovtsian stone sculptures (including the famous “deer stone” of the Cimmerians);
- collection of weapons from the Bronze Age to the Great Patriotic War;
- archaeological finds made in these places;
- collections of paintings, Kuznetsov porcelain, ancient manuscripts, watches of the 19th-20th centuries.
In 1949, the oldest mansion in the city was given over to the museum (the previous building was destroyed in 1942 by a German bomb).
City Park
The park, organized in the center of Armavir in 1921, is a large (4 hectares) landscaped recreation area. The wide alleys are bordered by rows of trees and shrubs, decorated with flower beds, and in the center, at the place where they intersect, a spectacular fountain was built. Its central stream is surrounded by 2 rings of smaller geysers. The park has a cafe, sports grounds, a dance floor, and attractions.
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Armenian Gregorian Cathedral
The visiting card of the city is the Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1861 on the initiative of Armenian settlers. Project A.Ya. Farafontiev organically combined the canons of Russian classicism with the traditions of temple architecture of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
This was the first monumental building in the village of Ermankhabl, which was later renamed Armavir.
During the period of struggle against religious propaganda, the clergy of St. Nicholas Cathedral found refuge here (and in parallel, services were held in the Orthodox and Armenian rites).
St. Nicholas Cathedral
The modern building of the cathedral (2004) is a restored copy of the St. Nicholas Church of the late 19th century, destroyed in 1939. The white building under an emerald green roof is decorated with 1 large and 5 small golden domes, as well as a blue dome with golden stars. In 2013, a 3-tier iconostasis (47 icons in the Old Russian style), made by Donetsk artists, was installed in the cathedral.
Holy Trinity Cathedral
The oldest and largest temple in Armavir. Work on its construction was carried out from 1912 to 1916. This is the only Orthodox church that was not destroyed in the city in the 30s. (the building was used as a grain warehouse). Services resumed here only during the German occupation in 1942.
In subsequent years, the temple was repeatedly restored, decorated and reconstructed: 2 new chapels were founded, and a balcony for the choir was built inside.
In 1993, the Armavir Orthodox Social Institute was opened here, and in 1994, the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity received cathedral status with the right to open an independent department.
Great Salt Lake
A popular vacation spot among city residents is the Great Salt Lake, a protected area 25 km from Armavir. It is located in a deep basin and has about 1 km in diameter. There are no well-maintained beaches or any infrastructure here, but the bottom mud is considered healing (it treats skin and rheumatoid diseases) - people even from remote regions of Russia come here especially to take mud baths.
Church of the Nativity
The decoration of the Cheryomushki district was the Church of the Nativity of Christ, built in 2015 according to the design of the architect Afuksenidi (1961-2019). Made in the old Moscow style, it represents a modern development of the ideas of pre-Petrine stone architecture. The single-domed church is decorated with 3 tiers of openwork kokoshniks. The high central drum is cut through with narrow loophole windows framed by platbands. The white building gives the impression of lightness and aspiration to the heavens.
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30th Anniversary of Victory Park
A cozy park in the city center is designed for recreation for citizens with children. Here you can admire an exhibition of wooden sculptures dedicated to the heroes of fables and Russian folk tales. There is a well-equipped children's playground.
A special place is given to the monument to the Armavir partisans - a tetrahedral granite obelisk with a gold star. It was installed in 1945 at the resting place of 27 fallen soldiers.
Alley of famous Armavir residents
In 2003, near the Drama and Comedy Theater named after. Lunacharsky Memory Alley was opened. Along one of its sides there is a row of shields depicting honorary citizens of Armavir. Here are their short biographies and talk about how they glorified the city and what contribution they made to its development.
Memorial Fortstadt
In 1994, a memorial was organized on Strizhibkina Hill in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Kuban Cossacks. Initially it was a 5-meter memorial cross, and now it is a chapel named after. St. Alexander Nevsky with a bell tower and an observation deck, from where a beautiful panorama of the city and its surroundings opens.
Cathedrals and churches of Armavir
Residents of Armavir have no problems with traditional religious rites. The city has churches of the main religious denominations.
Trinity Cathedral
- Opening hours: daily, from 7:00 to 19:00.
- Telephone.
- Address: st. Lunacharsky, 185. Transport stop "Troitskaya".
Divine services in the Trinity Cathedral, consecrated in 1916, were interrupted only from 1937 to 1942. For a long time it was the only city church open to parishioners. During the war, the building was heavily damaged by bombing and artillery shelling. To restore the structure, a major overhaul was required. In 1995, the Trinity Church complex also included a new bell tower with a luxurious porch in the Old Russian style. The cathedral is visited not only by members of the local Christian community, but also by numerous pilgrims. Under the shadow of the temple, a revered Orthodox shrine is kept - the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Mammal”.
Church of the Nativity
- Opening hours: daily, from 8:00 to 18:00.
- Telephone.
- Address: st. Markova, 102. Transport stop “Ulitsa Azovskaya”.
For the celebration of the Nativity of Christ in 2014, the Orthodox community of Armavir received a wonderful gift. On January 7, the consecration ceremony of the new church took place on Markova Street. For a long time before this, only a small church operated in the Cheryomushki microdistrict, into which the factory dormitory club building was converted. The elegant structure immediately attracts the eye. The facade of the white stone temple is decorated with several tiers of openwork kokoshniks, above which rises a massive drum with light windows. Churches with similar architectural features are often found in Moscow and the cities of the Moscow region.
Entertainment and leisure
After exciting excursions and walks, you can relax in a cozy, quiet place, for example, in a cafe or restaurant. Despite the fact that the town is quite small and located far from the capital, life here is in full swing. Children can be taken to the water park, adults can go to the cinema.
The modern city, which has reached the scale of a regional center and was once named after the capital of the Republic of Armenia, attracts lovers of ancient architecture and history. On its territory there are a lot of memorial sites dedicated to military actions. This means that local residents carefully preserve the memory of their heroes, victorious warriors and fallen soldiers, and many of them are buried in the local old cemetery.
When traveling around the Krasnodar Territory, you should definitely make a stop in Armavir for several days and devote several days of vacation to it. This is the unique atmosphere of a typical southern region: the smell of barbecue everywhere, music, Armenians and dust. The city, with its unique history and its own coat of arms, is considered prosperous today and has reached a high level of development both in industry and in infrastructure.
Where to go with a child in Armavir
A visit to some interesting places in Armavir will bring special pleasure to your child. The city welcomes young tourists no less cordially than adult travelers.
Museum of Military Equipment
- Opening hours: daily, from 9:00 to 21:00.
- Ticket price: please check by phone.
- Telephone.
- Address: pos. Zavetny, st. Tsvetochnaya, 56. Transport stop "Lenin Street".
The exhibitions of the open-air museum, which no boy would refuse an excursion to, are located on the outskirts of a small village in the vicinity of Armavir. Here, on a landscaped site, there are samples of military equipment that were in service with the Red Army in different historical eras. Looking at the exhibits, you can trace in retrospect how military equipment has evolved - from the legendary cart to the BTR-60. The museum was created through the efforts of local enthusiast N.P. Stavitsky. All equipment has undergone a major overhaul. Rare examples start and move without problems.
30th Anniversary of Victory Park
- Opening hours: daily, 24 hours a day.
- Address: st. R. Luxembourg, 143. Transport stop “Park of the 30th Anniversary of Victory”.
You simply cannot find a better place for a family holiday with children in Armavir. The recreation is beautifully landscaped. It is pleasant to stroll along the shady alleys with well-groomed flower beds on hot summer days, enjoying the picturesque surroundings. It's just a haven for kids here. The park has several dozen colorful wooden sculptures depicting favorite characters from fairy tales and popular children's cartoons. Immersion in the romantic atmosphere of epics and legends will bring pleasure not only to the child, but also to his parents.
History and description of the city
By the end of the 18th century, the ancient population of the Western Caucasus began to universally accept the Islamic religion, and it subsequently began to be considered national. Due to constant persecution of the religion that had taken root in these parts, people were forced to turn to Gregory von Sass, a general of the Russian Empire.
They asked for protection and patronage, as well as permission for the Circassians to settle near Russian villages.
Thus, a small Muslim settlement appeared near the village of Prochnookopskaya, occupying the left bank of the Kuban. In 1819, it moved to the banks of one of the tributaries - the Urup River - and received the name Armenian Aul. Historians call this period the date of the founding of Armavir, the name of which has survived to this day.
Since 1875, the Vladikavkaz railway was built through the village, after which it was given the status of a village. And since 1876, the Council of Ministers of Tsarist Russia decided to build and develop local infrastructure, and Armavir became a city with postal code 352900. Today it is a modern urban area with local self-government. Thousands of tourists come here every year to visit the main attractions and go on excursions to the most interesting historical places.
To visit and walk around Armavir, it is better to choose the period from April to September . At this time, the weather is hot, dry, followed by prolonged downpours. A drop in the thermometer to sub-zero levels is a rare occurrence, and snow also falls infrequently. However, this region is famous for strong hurricane winds in winter.
The city landscape is decorated with a huge number of flower beds, as well as many varieties of trees, including exotic ones:
- azaleas;
- boxwood;
- plane trees;
- cypress trees;
- maples.
The area looks very well maintained and is regularly landscaped. In the shade of luxurious trees you can always hide from the scorching sun.
Today, Armavir is home to several different nationalities, but the vast majority are Russians - almost 86%. Armenians - about 8% of the total population. Absolutely everyone here treats visitors very kindly; conflicts on political, religious or national grounds are excluded. The local population is mainly occupied with serving tourists, on whom their income is based.