Armenia: Gyumri – Sev Berd aka Black Fortress
Sev Berd aka Black Fortress lies on the western outskirts of Gyumri, just 8 from the Turkish border. The fortress was built by Russian in 1834, following the Russo-Turkish War. The commanding position of the fortress on top of the hill allows for 360 degree views. The fortress is nearly circular and made out of massive blocks of black basaltic rocks. Soviet and the Russian troops were stationed here until quite recently, and now the fortress is in a process of getting transformed into a museum. Just outside the fortress on another hill is the iconic Mother Armenia monument dedicated to WWII, a classic of Soviet brutalist socialist architecture.
