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Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Photo by Armineaghayan

Top 10 Intriguing Facts about The Armenian Genocide Museum

Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute) is 2-storey sub terrain building, situated next to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, on the slopes of the Tsitsernakaberd Hill (the roof is on the ground floor of the Monument), facing the double peaks of Mount Ararat.

It was constructed in 1995 with the aim to illuminate this dark side of the history, namely the extinction of 1.5 million Armenians from the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and to prevent such tragedy to be repeated in the future. Let’s take a look at some of the most intriguing facts about him; 

1. Memories of those 1.5 million who  perished in the 1915 genocide is honored in the Museum

Yerevan Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Museum Photo by Matthias Süßen

This is a sad and touching museum. It preserves the history and identity of the Armenian people and honors the memories of those 1,5 million perished in the 1915 genocide. Lessons for all generations and hopes for a future without evil genocides. Silence and respect. 

The museum contains historical documents and is open to the public for guided tours in Armenian, Russian, English, French, and German. It is is one of the most visited sites in the Armenian history because of what it stands for in history. 

2.It was opened in 1995 and was built by top architects in Armenia 

Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Photo by Armineaghayan

The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute opened in 1995 on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the genocide. The structure of the museum was planned by architects Sashur Kalashian, Lyudmila Mkrtchyan who are top architects in Armenia and sculptor F. Araqelyan. 

The museum’s building has followed a unique design and its one of the most unique building and follow a certain and symbolic pattern. It is one of the most significant buildings in the history of Armenia because of what it stands for to the people of Armenia. 

3.The museum has received several visitors over the years

Museum has received tens of thousands of visitors including schoolchildren, college students and huge numbers of tourists from outside Armenia. The Republic of Armenia has turned visiting the museum into part of state protocol and many official foreign delegations have already visited the museum.

These delegations have included Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Presidents of France Jacques Chirac and Francois Hollande, and other well-known public and political figures. These visitors have come to pay their last respect to the people who lost their lives in Armenia. 

4.The two- storey building is built directly into the side of a hill 

Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Photo by Benoît Prieur

The two-storey building is built directly into the side of a hill so as not to detract from the presence of the Genocide Monument nearby. The roof of the museum is flat and covered with concrete tiles. It overlooks the scenic Ararat Valley and majestic Mount Ararat.

The first floor of the museum is subterranean and houses the administrative, engineering and technical maintenance offices as well as Komitas Hall, which seats 170 people. Here also are situated the storage rooms for museum artifacts and scientific objects, as well as a library and a reading hall.

5.The Museum also has an exhibit located in the second floor

The museum exhibit is located on the second floor in a space just over 1,000 square meters in size. There are three main indoor exhibit halls and an outer gallery with its own hall. The Genocide Monument is designed to memorialize the victims.

The Genocide Museum’s mission is rooted in the understanding that the Armenian Genocide is important in preventing similar future tragedies, and in keeping with the notion that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. 

6.The institute also conducts academic research into the genocide

The institute also conducts academic research into the genocide and publishes books on the subject and a journal, International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies. It is one of the most read historical event in Armenia. 

The Armenian people a rooted to their history and the genocide is one of the events that contradicted their existence . The institute has been part of the process of research of even more hidden facts about the genocide that weren’t known initially to the people of Armenia. 

7.There is 100-meter wall with names of towns where the people killed came from

Along the park at the memorial there is a 100-meter wall with the names of towns and villages where massacres and deportations are known to have taken place. On the rear side of the commemoration wall, plates have been attached to honor the people who committed themselves to relieving the distress of the survivors during and after the genocide,

Among those people who have plates attached to commemorate them are Johannes Lepsius, Franz Werfel, Armin T. Wegner, Henry Morgenthau Sr., Fridtjof Nansen, Pope Benedict XV, Jakob Künzler and Bodil Biørn. An alley of trees has been planted to commemorate the genocide victims. 

8.There is also a monument near it where people gather to commemorate the victims

Yerevan Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Museum Photo by Matthias Süßen

There is also a monument near the museum where people gather to commemorate the victims. Every year on 24 April, the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, thousands of Armenians gather at the memorial to commemorate the victims of the genocide.

 People who gather in Tsiternakaberd lay fresh flowers out of respect for all the people who died in the Armenian genocide. Over the years, from around the world, a wide range of politicians, artists, musician, athletes, and religious figures have visited the memorial. 

9.There are several hotels and restaurants near the museum 

There are several hotels and restaurants near the museum. Hotels near Armenian Genocide Museum include;

(0.19 mi) Orange Hotel
(0.71 mi) JR’s House
(0.63 mi) Silk Road Hotel
(1.16 mi) Envoy Hostel and Tours
(0.61 mi) Olympia Garden Hotel

Restaurants near Armenian Genocide Museum include:
(0.11 mi) Akori
(0.34 mi) Livingston Restaurant
(0.38 mi) EL Garden
(0.51 mi) Park Bridge restaurant & Music Hub
(0.38 mi) El Chillout

10.Recognition of the Armenian Genocide is an important foreign policy issues 

Recognition of the Armenian Genocide is one of the most important foreign policy issues of Armenia, and is the number one goal of the diaspora Armenian organizations. Many Armenians look at these visits as a sign of recognition of the genocide. 

The Museum’s most important value is to keep the memories of all the victims alive and also the history of the Armenian people and the genocide which to date almost took the entire existence of Armenian people from the globe.