Damien Mc Sweeney

★ 4 a month ago

Very interesting ancient fortress just a small journey away from the mother of Armenia monument. Its circular design ages it quite unique and in recent years the inside has been refurbished and has occasional live concerts... well worth a visit

Isuru Lasan

★ 5 a month ago

The Black Fortress, also known as Sev Berd, is a 19th-century Russian imperial fortress located on a hill overlooking Gyumri. Built in the 1830s from dark basalt stone, it was designed as a defensive stronghold to protect the region and control strategic routes. The circular structure offers panoramic views of the city and surrounding plains, and today it stands as an impressive historical monument, often used for cultural events and concerts. Its solid architecture and dramatic setting make it one of Gyumri’s most distinctive landmarks.

mo a

★ 5 4 months ago

Gyumri, which lies on the border with Turkey, became part of the Russian Empire after the Treaty of Gulistan. Gyumri was renamed Alexandropol in 1837 after the visit of Tsar Nicholas I, in honor of his wife, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. The fortress was built on top of a hill, and the full fortification took a decade after the first stones were laid in 1834. The fortress is a 360-degree round structure made of black stone, from which it gets its name. After Russia's loss in the Crimean War, Sev Berd was upgraded and designated a "first-class" fortress. It never underwent a siege, but was of strategic importance in victories over the Turks in subsequent wars that lasted through 1878. The fortress was downgraded to "second-class" status in 1887, after the final Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 that saw Russia gain strongholds in Kars and Batumi. The Russian 102nd Military Base was built in the 1940s next to Sev Berd. The base remains active today for the Russian military, which provides national defense support for Armenia.