Mother Armenia Military Museum

Yerevan


There's symbolism aplenty in this huge 22m-high memorial above the Cascade. Mother Armenia's stern visage, military stance and massive sword project a clear message: Armenia has had its fill of invasions, massacres and repression, and will fight to preserve its nationhood. Inside the pedestal is a somewhat dull military museum of photos and dioramas documenting Armenian involvement in WWII (150,000 to 250,000 Armenians died, half of those sent to fight) as well as the bloody 1989–94 Karabakh War.

The museum opened in 1950 and was originally topped with a 17m statue of Stalin. This was replaced with Ara Harutyunyan's Mother Armenia statue in 1967. One soldier was crushed to death and several were injured when Stalin's statue was wrenched off unannounced one night, leading to grim muttering about Stalin still killing from beyond the grave. Inside, the Karabakh War gets prominent exposure on the main floor and includes an explanation of Operation Nemesis, a covert operation by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) carried out from 1920 to 1922 in which Ottoman political and military figures were assassinated for their roles in the horrific massacres of 1915–16.

Mother Armenia is located in the poorly maintained Haghtanak (Victory) Park, which is also home to a small amusement park popular with locals on weekends.

To get here, take the elevator in the Cascade to the top courtyard and from there walk up the stairs to the huge concrete platform. From the top of the platform, walk to the main road, take the underpass and enter the park.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yerevan attractions

1. Centre of Popular Creation

0.34 MILES

Its somewhat esoteric name means that many visitors to Yerevan overlook this museum. This is a great shame, as it is home to the best folk-art collection…

2. Matenadaran

0.42 MILES

Standing at the top of Yerevan’s grandest avenue, this cathedral-like manuscript library is a source of enormous pride to all Armenians. The first…

3. Cafesjian Center for the Arts

0.55 MILES

Housed in a vast flight of stone steps known as the Cascade, this arts centre is one of the city's major cultural attractions. Originally conceived in the…

4. Yervand Kochar Museum

0.7 MILES

Though small, this fascinating museum does a great job of documenting the life and work of the prolific Armenian painter and sculptor. The museum…

5. Martiros Sarian Statue

0.83 MILES

This marble sculpture by D Yerevantsi honours the painter Martiros Sarian (1880–1972). Around the statue is a vernissage with many imitations of Sarian's…

6. Katoghike

0.85 MILES

The tiny 13th-century chapel incongruously known as the Katoghike (Cathedral) nestles beside the recently constructed Surp Anna Church. It has a…

7. Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum

0.97 MILES

This museum celebrates the life and work of the extraordinary writer, translator and humanist who is often described as Armenia’s greatest poet. The…

8. Martiros Sarian Museum

1.02 MILES

This museum preserves the studio and some of the works of 20th-century painter Martiros Sarian, known for his vibrant colour-saturated canvases. On the…