Cultural Attractions

    Mines may have made Kapan but minds are its other principal resource. With a 97% literacy rate, Kapantsis takes education and cultural events seriously. During the Soviet era, Kapan was also a major center of artistic and cultural activity, and the city today is still rich with artists and musicians, and specific colleges and schools to educate and train them. People here are committed to maintaining the caliber of facilities that once made Kapan a flourishing cultural capital during the Soviet era.Tinkling piano keys, the whining of a violin's strings turning up , the hum of voice lessons; this is a typical morning at Kapan`s Music School. Opened in 1965, this was a premier music institution for 600 students at one time. Alumni are all around the world, promoting Armenian music. The school formally trains Syunik Marz`s talented music students, and offers private music lessons. Nevertheless, it is looking to the future with plans to expand into a comprehensive art institute. For now, it remains a full time high school, preparing pupils for music conservatories by offering rigorous study in piano, guitar, strings (cello, violin, viola), wind instruments (clarinet, flute, trumpet, trombone), national instruments (kanoun, kem, tar, douduk), choir/vocal, and music composition and history. It boasts the only organ in Syunik, having been played during its cultural heyday by professional Armenian, British, Czech and Baltic organists. The music school's 500-seat concert hall is one of the venues for the annual Yeritasardakan Paraton (Youth Festival), a 5-6 day event held every summer in Kapan, when youth groups from throughout the country perform around town. Other venues include Alexander Shirvanzade Theatre and the outdoor stadium in good weather. Near the City Hall is a building of appropriately post-modern architecture, which houses a division of the Yerevan Modern Art Museum. The museum hosts occasional visiting exhibitions, and has a permanent display of large canvases and sculptures by acknowledged Armenian modern artists. This is not to say that Kapan does not have its own remarkable artists. A local writer likens the people of Syunik to their environment. He says the rich resources of Zangezur are found deep inside its mountains and these treasures must be discovered and excavated. Kapan place a lot of emphasis on developing the potential of its youth, as evidenced by the number of schools and training facilities. Across the street from Kapan`s secondary school is a Children's Art School, which offers intensive after-school classes to students aged 10 to 15 years old. One would never guess from the outside that this unassuming building is in fact a lively incubator of talent and creativity. This private school admits only the most promising students. Its curriculum offers sketching, art history, decorative arts, sculpture/woodwork and painting. Based on the skills and portfolios they develop through this program, the students are prime candidates to go to college and then advanced art programs at universities and institutes. The school displays photos and awards won by its talented students at international exhibits and competitions.The social and economic difficulties faced by Kapan in the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of war in Karabagh, were reflected also in its religious life. The local government has sought to reinvigorate the city's spiritual ethos in the last few years and a collective fundraising effort of the people of Kapan, including both present and former residents, has resulted in the construction of the splendid Mesrop Mashdots church. The church, constructed at the original location of Kapan`s first wooden schoolhouse, was consecrated in 2000 as a contribution to the following year's celebrations of the 1700 anniversary of Christianity in Armenia.In 2001 the Memorial of Garegin Njdeh (sculpture by Gevorg Gevorgyan) was completed and unveiled at a solemn ceremony. Garegin Njdeh memorial was initiated and funded by Mkrtich (Serzh) Mkrtchyan, an honorable citizen of Kapan and a Member of the Armenian National Assembly. The Memorial was constructed to honor his dying wish for of his remains to be buried n the heart of Khustup.The memorial grounds are symbolic, with various quotes by Njdeh arranged thematically along the walkway approaching the statue. The statue itself is a bust of Njdeh. Surrounding him are a sword, a book and a pen, five eagles (he called his solders eagles), wheat (an Armenian symbol of prosperity), and a globe at the base (for if we recall Njdeh`s exhortations ). A small artificial lake, reconstructed last year, is attached to the memorial grounds. With Khustup bowing down, and Njdeh`s beloved people of Lernahayasdan paying him frequent visits, here, finally is a suitable memorial to honor the legacy of General Njdeh, soldier and philosopher.In a leafy clearing in the center of a town, near the entrance of one of Kapan`s city parks, stands a small bronze statue immortalizing Hunan Avetisyan. The Soviet war hero was born in the nearby Tsav village. As a sergeant with the 89th Armenian Tamanyan division, he fought , and bravely gave his life, in World War II for the Soviet Army. Avetisyan is remembered for his courageous actions on September 16, 1943 near Novorossiysk, where he threw his body over the iron barrels of the enemy's machine guns to buy time for his fellow soldiers to enter and eventually seize the territory. Drive up the winding, appropriately named Azatamartikneri Poghots (Freedom Fighters Avenue) to the top vantage point. In such a peaceful and serene location, where there is nothing but cool mountain breezes, faint rooster crows and the calling of cows in the distance, stand three huge memorials to war, struggle, and tragedy. The contrast is deeply moving and requires us to remember that nothing is without consequence, everything is a product of its past, and we must never forget the high price paid for the privilege of being able to stand there in tranquility and peace today. It allows for contemplation and reflection in memory of those who gave their lives for Armenia.The three memorials are built in an arrow-straight line, up a long and low set of steps that directly face Khustup, dominating the scene as an inspiration of perpetual strength and survival.At the base is the oldest o the three, built in 1989-1990 as a Memorial to World War II. Visitors are immediately confronted with an iron sculpture portraying a massive history book, the years 1941-1945 emblazoned across its open pages. Thousands of Armenian men and women from Kapan fought for that battle. Like towering bookends, two sculpted mothers stand solemnly, evoking the human cost of war, for eternity.As you ascend the stairs, you encounter row after of black stone headstones and flowers constituting the solemn graveyard and Memorial of the Karabagh War on the third landing. Kapantsis started burying their dead at this site in 1992, row after row of headstones marking the loss and honoring the memory of the fallen. Each is etched lovingly with the image of the brave Armenian who gave his or her life for the Motherland. The war reached Kapan by April 24, 1992. Sensing the urgent call to action, a militia was raised from Kapantsi men who were already in the army and dozens of other civilian volunteers. Armenian soldiers succeeded in the war using guerilla tactics deep in the region`s mountain forest. On December 10, 1992, Kapan`s forces took the insurgents by surprise in a massive ambush on the road and took over their weapons. The maneuver freed the city from blockade and bombings. Azeri warplanes were deployed to assist their troops, but it was too late - Kapan was strongly controlled by the Armenians, and enemy forces retreated. Officially, the fighting in Kapan ended on this day, but there were still the danger of sporadic bombings or sniper attacks. It is estimated that 196 Kapantsis were martyred during the war, but hundreds more were wounded, and the city infrastructure suffered great damage. Still higher, on the fifth landing of the steps, is a large Khatchkar with the simple inscription : The construction of this memorial began in 1989 and was completed and dedicated in 1990, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Genocide. The near-annihilation of the Armenian nation by the Young Ottoman Turks was the first genocide of the 20th century and remains a harrowing memory for the Armenian people. April 24th is the official day of commemoration for the victims of the Genocide in Western Armenia. An estimated 1.5 million people died and millions more were displaced, changing the course of Armenian history forever. They say that Armenia's story is one of survival. This tranquil memorial area reflects that story in microcosm, of rising from the ashes to build a new future without forgetting the past, Kapan today is finally at peace, with only the rustle of leaves to interrupt the serene splendor of the rolling hills and mountains.

David Bek`s likeness is preserved in a large statue in the center of Kapan, on a platform above the Voghji River. The statue is perpendicular to an interesting brick bridge, which mirrors the step-like architecture of the staggered apartment building behind it. Engineered by Sergey Baghdassarian, it blends stylistically into the cityscape; it too looks as if it was formed by dozens of pieces that add up to create the whole. Though the statue is large, you feel it represents a hero among the people and for the people, not above or detached from them. His massive horse in mid-gallop, cape flying and fist outstretched with determination, David Bek is a picture of strength, ready to fight fearlessly for the people of Syunik, even today.