Discovered an abandoned Soviet-era culture house in Armenia

While culture houses in the Soviet Union shared a similar architectural style, their interior design could vary depending on the country.

Following a period of relaxed repression and censorship known as "The Khrushchev Thaw" (which spanned from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s due to Nikita Khrushchev's policies of de-Stalinization and peaceful coexistence with other nations), artists began to decorate these culture houses with elements from their own national cultures. Although these expressions of national identity were seen as nationalistic and were not always welcomed by Moscow, they marked the resurgence of art and freedom of expression.

The facade of the culture house! Looks futuristic... not bad for Soviet times...

In Armenia, artists drew on the nation's rich history, depicting heroic scenes from Armenian epic poems and history. Many of these artworks have survived to the present day.

The author of this huge fresco is honored Armenian artist Henrik Siravyan. It’s called "History and Present" and was created in 1975.

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