Gyumri

Gyumri, Armenia: St. Hakob Church

Gyumri, also called (1924–90) Kumayri or Leninakan, (1840–1924) Alexandropol, city, western Armenia. It is believed to have been founded by the Greeks in 401 bce, but it did not have a continuous existence. A fortress was constructed on the site by the Russians in 1837, and in 1840 the town of Alexandropol was founded nearby. Alexandropol was a trading and administrative centre but subsequently underwent industrial development and was renamed Leninakan for the Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin in 1924. Leninakan was severely damaged by an earthquake that devastated northwestern Armenia on December 7, 1988. Almost all of the city’s multistory buildings collapsed, killing thousands and leaving many others homeless.

Gyumri is now the second city of Armenia in both industry and population and is the republic’s major textile centre. There are also engineering industries, including the manufacture of bicycles and scientific instruments, and food and other light industries, and the city is an important centre for machine building. There is a teacher-training institute. Pop. (2011) 121,976; (2022 est.) 111,200.