Metsamor ( hy, Մեծամոր, ), is a town and urban municipal community in the

Armavir Province Armavir ( hy, Արմավիր, ), is a province (''marz'') in the western part of Armenia. Located in the Ararat plain dominated by Mount Ararat from the south and Mount Aragats from the north, the province's capital is the town of Armavir whi ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ...

. It is famous for being home to Armenia's

Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) (), also known as the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, (Armenian: Մեծամորի ատոմային էլեկտրակայան) is the only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus, located 36 kilometers west o ...

, the only nuclear plant in the

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

n region. As of the 2011 census, the town had a population of 9,191. As per the 2016 official estimate, Metsamor has a population of around 8,000.

Etymology

The name of the town is derived from the nearby river of Metsamor. It is composed of 2 Armenian words: ''mets'' ( hy, մեծ) meaning ''great'', and ''mor'' ( hy, մոր) meaning ''mother's'', being the

genitive In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can ...

singular form of the word ''mayr'' ( hy, մայր) meaning ''mother''. The name is most probably refers to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

as the Great

Mother of God ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or '' Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are ...

History

The construction of the settlement of Metsamor was launched in 1969, within the ''Hoktemberyan'' raion of the

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...

. It was mainly founded as the residential settlement of the employees of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The residential district was completed in 1972, and given the status of an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...

. The construction of the town was designed by the chief architect Martin Mikayelyan, assisted by architects G. Hovsepyan and K. Tiraturyan. It was first known as the ''Residential settlement of the Armenian nuclear power plant'' until 1972 when it was renamed ''Metsamor'' after the nearby river. Panoramic view of Metsamor town

The construction of the nuclear power plant was launched in 1969. Unit 1 plant was commissioned on December 22, 1976, while unit 2 was commissioned on January 5, 1980. However, it was temporarily closed in 1989 after the

1988 Armenian earthquake The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake ( hy, Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, ), occurred on December 7 at with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (''Devastating''). The shock occurred ...

for environmental reasons. Energy shortages caused by its closure forced the Armenian government to reopen the plant in 1993. Unit 2 reactor was brought back into operation on October 26, 1995. Nowadays, the Metsamor plant generates 40% of Armenia's energy needs. The plant was heavily modernized and redeveloped between 2003 and 2015. The construction of a 3rd unit is planned to replace the old reactors by 2026. Following the independence of Armenia in 1991, Metsamor retained its status as an urban settlement within the newly formed Armavir Province, as per the 1995 administrative reforms.

Geography

Metsamor is located at the west of central Armenia in the Ararat Plain, at an average height of 855 meters above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

. Surrounded with fertile farms of grapes, the town is at a road distance of 35 km west of the capital

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and ...

and 6 km east of the provincial centre Armavir. The nuclear power plant is located around 4 km north of the residential area of the town. According to the major urban plan, the residential area of the town is divided into 3 districts, with the central district being home to the town hall, the central park, the cultural house, the post office, along with other service and municipal buildings.

Demographics

The population of Metsamor was formed during the 1970 from several settlements of Armavir Province who arrived in the town to work in the nuclear power plant. Currently, the town is mainly populated by Armenians, along with small communities

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

Yazidis Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the wester ...

and

Assyrians Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

is the predominant religion in Metsamor. The town's Saint Lazarus Church (built in 2002–05) was opened in 2005 through donations from the US-based Armenian benefactors Zaven and Azatuhi Dadekian. The church is regulated by the Diocese of Armavir based in the nearby town of Armavir. Here is the population timeline of Metsamor since 1975: The healthcare is served by the Metsamor Medical Center, operating since 1976.

Culture

The archaeological site of ancient Metsamor is located about 4 km southeast of the town, near the village of

Taronik Taronik ( hy, Տարոնիկ, hy, Չեյվա) is a village in the Armavir Province of Armenia. The Iron Age settlement of Metsamor site is located only 1 km southwest of Taronik. See also *Armavir Province Armavir ( hy, Արմավիր, ...

. The site been populated starting from the 5th millennium BC until the 18th century AD, based on excavations conducted in 1965. Neolithic

stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The ...

s dating back to ca. 5000 BC stand within the historical site. Currently, the town of Metsamor is home to a cultural house, a public library, as well as a school of music.

Transportation

Metsamor is located on the M-5 Motorway that connects Yerevan and

Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...

at the east with Armavir town and the northwestern Armenia-Turkey borderline near the village of Bagaran. Metsamor is also connected with the surrounding villages via a network of regional roads. Mini bus vans facilitate the transport between the town and the nearby urban settlements, including the capital Yerevan.

Economy

Metsamor is a major center of energy in Armenia. The economy of the town is solely based on the operation of the

, providing 40% of the country's electricity (as of 2015).http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/04/110412-most-dangerous-nuclear-plant-armenia/ Being situated in the fertile Ararat plain, many of the Metsamor citizens are involved in agriculture. The town is surrounded with grape farms, something that greatly contributes in the development of wine-making in the town.

Education

Metsamor is home to 2 public education schools as well as many pre-school kindergartens. In 1972, the town's first school named after Saint Gregory of Narek was opened. The second school of the town was opened in 1986 and moved to its new building in 1996.

Sport

Metsamor is home to a large sports complex opened in 1980, including 2 swimming pools and indoor sports halls. The Metsamor sports school, run by the municipality since 2008, is housed in the complex, with youth teams of football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, weightlifting, kick-boxing, karate and athletics. However, the complex has never been renovated since its inauguration.

Notable people

Mardjan Avetisyan Marjan Avetisyan ( hy, Մարջան Ավետիսյան, born on July 9, 1982), is an Armenian actress. She is known for her roles as Miss Tamara on ''Full House'', Lilith on "Vorogayt" (Trapped). Filmography Discography Songs * 2015 Dec - ...

, renowned actress

References

External links

Metsamor portalMetsamor Nuclear Power Plant
{{Cities and towns in Armenia Populated places in Armavir Province Populated places established in 1969 Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union