It's not without a sense of irony that when Armenia regained its independence from the Soviet Union, they chose the building housing the former headquarters of the Communist Party for the country's first-ever US-accredited university.
The American University of Armenia was founded in 1991 to provide newly-independent Armenia with Western-style education and diplomas.
The University, which originally only offered masters level courses now also has an undergraduate programme with a number of majors.
Having undergone a number of variations to keep the facility's infrastructure up to specs, the University offers a nice mix of modern collegial architecture and old Soviet monumentalism.
Having studied there, I would often go to the Green Bean coffee shop for lunch. It's a great place to relax.
It's worth visiting if you catch yourself walking up or down Baghramyan Avenue (check my article).
Find your way with 142 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
"The Green Bean Cafe" in Yerevan is a place I go to for meeting someone fast or when I need somewhere quiet to work. Great vegetarian & vegan food!
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It truly is a Soviet masterpiece considering its unique design and build: it is part metro station, part cavern and, once upon a time, part cafe.
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The "Open Air Cinema" in Yerevan in Moscow Cinema has a rich history, and Soviet ruin-porn enthusiasts can access the building all-year round, too!
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"Homeland Handycrafts" in Yerevan is a social enterprise designed to revive traditional Armenian crafts while employing the most vulnerable population...
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"Hanrapetutyan Street" in Yerevan is one of the most central in the city, yet there is so much to see here. The buildings are really beautiful and old...
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"Ardēan": a center for art, architecture and design that has its gallery shop on Abovyan street in Yerevan. I like how they combine technology & tradition.
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The "Mermaids of the Underground" in Yerevan is a sculpture from 1981. The mermaids wear nothing but their hair, which was quite unusual for its time...
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"Shengavit" is an impressive 6000-year-old settlement which is preserved even better than Yerevan's old town! It was an accidental discovery in the 1930s.
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The "Cross-stone Makers" in Yerevan follow a tradition that goes back to 879 AD. The masters' metal tools on the stone create a meditative sound for me...
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The "Komitas Museum" in Yerevan is one of my favorite ones in the city. It gets me thinking about what Armenian music really is about...
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"Melancholia" is a statue in Yerevan that truly expresses the feeling that has been increasingly affecting humankind in the last century...
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