Yerevan Cascade Complex - Cafesjian Center of the Arts

The Cascade is a massive white stairwell that was built much of the way into a Yerevan hillside in the 1970s with fountains running down them, that remind of a natural cascade in a river or stream.It links the central part of the city to Haghtanak Park and behind it, the Monument neighborhood.

Despite the fact that its initial intent was as a monument, beginning in the 1990s the Cascade was home to a very innovative discotheque. In summer this place becomes a public entertainment spot with many free outdoor concerts. Some of Armenia's most popular singers, musicians, as well as groups from abroad often perform here.

The Cascade is recently becoming one of the hottest points in Yerevan, similar to the Republic Square. It provides magnificent views of Mount Ararat and the whole city center. It is also common for tourists to jog on as most of them often don't know that there are escalators inside the structure so that they do not have to climb the stairs all the way up.

The structure belongs to Gerard Cafesjian and the upper part is the construction site for the Cafesjian Museum of Contemporary Art. Statues by a number of artists have been placed all along the monument, including works by Lynn Chadwick, Barry Flanagan, Stanislav Libensky, Jaroslava Brychtova, and Paul Cox.