Vayk

Etymology

Literally meaning "sorrows", the name Vayk is derived from the Vayots Dzor canton of the historic Armenian province of Syunik.

History

Historically, the area of Vayk belongs to the Vayots Dzor canton of Syunik province; the 9th province of Armenia Major, ruled by the Siunia dynasty.

As a result of the Treaty of Turkmenchay signed between the Russian Empire and Persia in 1828, many Armenian families from the Iranian towns of Salmas and Khoy were resettled in Eastern Armenia, particularly in the Erivan Governorate of the Russian Empire. The first wave of Armenian settlers arrived in the Vayots Dzor region in 1828 and 1829, forming the small rural community of Soylan in the area of modern-day Vayk. In 1850, it became part of the Sharur-Daralagyoz uyezd of the Erivan Governorate. After the short-lived independence of Armenia between 1918 and 1920, the region became one of the main centres of the resistance against the Soviet rule, becoming part of the unrecognized Republic of Mountainous Armenia under the leadership of Garegin Nzhdeh.

After falling to the Bolsheviks in July 1921, Soylan became part of the Armenian SSR. In 1931, it became the centre of the newly formed Azizbekov raion. In 1956, Soylan was given the status of an urban-type settlement and renamed Azizbekov in honor of the Bolshevik revolutionary Meshadi Azizbekov. In 1973, a branch of the Jermuk Mineral Water Factory was opened in Azizbekov.

Shortly before the independence of Armenia, Azizbekov was renamed Vayk on 23 November 1990. Later in 1995, Vayk was given the status of a town. The economy of the town has gradually declined during the post-independence period, and the Vayk branch of the Jermuk Water Factory was closed.

Geography

Vayk is located on the Yerevan-Goris highway, 140 km south of the capital Yerevan and 20 km southeast of the regional capital Yeghegnadzor. With an elevation of 1300 meters above sea level, Vayk is situated on the left bank of Arpa River surrounded with the Yeghegis mountains from the northwest and Vayots Dzor mountain range from the south.

Demographics

Vayk is mainly populated by ethnic Armenians who belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The regulating body of the church is the Diocese of Vayots Dzor. The town's Saint Trdat Church was opened in August 2000 by Catholicos Karekin II and through the donations of the US-based Armenian benefactors Caloust and Emma Soghoyan. The church is named after king Tiridates III of Armenia who proclaimed Christianity as the state religion of Armenia in 301, making the Armenian kingdom the first state to embrace Christianity officially.

Here is the population timeline of Vayk since 1897:

Culture

The remains of an old settlement dating back to the 1st millennium BC is found at the northeast of Vayk.

The Vayk bridge of the 17th century spanning the Arpa River is located 1 km west of the town. The bridge was renovated by Ivan Paskevich in 1827, during his campaign against Qajar Persia.

The town of Vayk has a cultural centre with 2 theatre halls (600 and 200 seats), a music academy, an art academy, and a public library with more than 180,000 items.

The Karen Demirchyan public park is located at the centre of the town.

Transportation

The M-2 Motorway that connect Armenia from north to south, passes through the town. The town is connected with the surrounding communities through a regional networks of well-developed roads.

Economy

The economy of Vayk is based on agriculture and cattle-breeding. The largest industrial firm of the town is the "Vayk Group" company for wine, vodka and dried fruits, founded in 2000. Other major firms of the town include the "WCW of Vaik" building materials factory founded in 1968, and the "Meg Ararat" factory for tea production founded in 2008.

The town has its own central hospital since 1984.

Education

The town is home to 3 public education schools and 2 kindergarten.

Sport

Vayk is home to the municipal Arevik Stadium opened in 1985, with a capacity of 2,000 seats. It was entirely renovated in 2016. However, the town is not represented with any profession football team in the domestic competitions.

The town has a sports school operated by the municipality.