Adjacent to the capital’s most important administrative structures, such as Office of the President and Parliament, Lovers Park opened in Yerevan last month has already become a beloved spot for Yerevan citizens.

The park with a long history, known to date as Pushkin Park (renamed into Lovers Park in 1995) endured economic crisis of early 1990, furthermore, luckily avoided the fate of many other green areas in Yerevan., which are covered with cafes and restaurants. In 2005 the Boghossian Foundation belonging to Swiss Armenian benefactors Albert and Jean Boghossian, initiated the park renovation as a gift to the city. The construction works were done by Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and the overall reconstruction and renovation project cost $1.3 million.

Designed by the French landscape architect Pierre Rambach in a Japanese landscape manner the 1.6 hectare area of the park immediately catches sight with its and rich green and carefully manicured lawn. The first days after its opening the park daily was visited by some 15,000 visitors, while during the weekends the parks are flooded with newlyweds, who come for a photo session. The whole area of the park is wheelchair accessible.

The cozy paths leading to waterfalls, stone compositions, to an amphitheater, or small artificial lakes provide a welcomed bit of escape in a city that has become too noisy and offer too little greenery.

Visitors are immediately impressed with the cleanliness of the park, maintained by 15 staff. Security officers are also on hand.

And, in what is believed the first attempt at recycling in Armenia, separate trash bins (83 total) are designated for plastic, paper and refuse and negotiations are underway for reprocessing.

The new park does have a draw-back. Visitors aren’t allowed to sit on the grass.

“The dry Armenian climate unfortunately does not lend itself to the easy caring of lawns,” Sarhat Petrosyan, the coordinator and one of the architects of the park explains, adding that the young grass is too fragile now. “We hope next year, when the roots of lawn will grow into the soil, it will be possible to make part of the lawn available for rest.”

“This park, like all new parks needs couple of years to get its final look. The park is not a house, where one could put furniture and make few decorations; it is a living body, which constantly requires works on it. The management of the park (Boghossian Foundation) still has works to do on park and plans to invest more. There are many plans of different cultural events.”

The park will also have a small snack shop, with a few outdoor seats, special shaded spots for those who enjoy playing backgammon and chess.

Marianna Stepanyan, the first grade student of Psychology faculty of the Yerevan State University is one of the frequent visitors of the park. She says despite the university is in neighborhood with the huge (Oval) park, she founds the Lovers Park unique.

“There is something in this park which attracts people and makes them to come here again and again. May be it is the unusual design, or may be a feeling, that you too live in country, where the green area is not only for business, but for its residents as well.”