The official opening of an ice rink and Vernissage took place in Gyumri Friendship Park on February 3.

Winter games, expo-market, master classes, an ice show - the official opening featured a cultural program with the involvement of Gyumri residents, guests of the city and tourists.

Now both children and adults will be able to use the public ice rink equipped with innovative solutions and modern technologies in the Friendship Park as an important winter tourism element. The mobile ice rink with the surface of 815 sqm will be equipped with all the skating items, uniquely designed dressing rooms and breathtaking turns.

The 25 wooden pavilions of the Vernissage were made by local artisans and will serve a permanent exhibition-fair for showcasing pieces created by Gyumri craftsmen and artists. Тhe need for having Vernissage in the cultural city of Gyumri was already obvious, so it will be the first one here.

The functional pavilions of the Vernissage can modify their structure and application turning to food joints or mobile galleries if needed. With the ornaments of their retractable awnings, the pavilions feature the best traditions of national tapestry. The ornaments were created by a group of Gyumri artists; the Vishap (“dragon”) rugs - the oldest, most unique, intricate, and exquisite pieces - make the nucleus of these ornaments.

Тhe construction of Vernissage pavilions and the ice rink was carried out by the Tourism and Urbanism (TUF) Charitable Foundation with the support of the EU4Business “Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia’’ project, which is co-funded by the EU, BMZ and implemented by GIZ.
 
The overall reconstruction project is implemented by Tourism and Urbanism Charitable Foundation (TUF) as a pioneering model of public-private partnership and social-economic development.

The Government of the Republic of Armenia is involved in the renovation of the engineering infrastructure of the park and adjacent streets with the budget of $1.7 million within the framework of the “Local Economy and Infrastructure Development Project” program carried out on a World Bank credit, which is implemented by the Armenian Territorial Development Fund.  

The total budget of the park reconstruction project is about $12 million, of which more than $4 million has been invested by Foundation’s partner organizations and several individual benefactors.

The Park will be ready by 50% this autumn, and it will be fully operating in summer 2024.

“This project is already successful thanks to numerous partners of TUF, the Armenian Government, international organizations, and philanthropists who make the reconstruction of the Friendship Park come true. The project has brought together many people and it is indeed a result of friendship. We are sure the park will contribute to the development of the city infrastructure and promote tourist attractiveness of and social-economic activity in the region. I am convinced we will have a chance to implement such wonderful programs in Artsakh as well,” says Ruben Vardanyan, the Founder of Tourism and Urbanism (TUF) Charitable Foundation, State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh.

Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Viktor Richter, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to Armenia, Wilhelm Hugo, Team leader of the EU4Business “Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia (ITTD)” project, Vache Terteryan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, Mushegh Muradyan, Governor of Shirak Province and Vardges Samsonyan, Mayor of Gyumri attended and addressed the event.