Vanadzor

Vanadzor, Armenia - darkometer rating : 5 - A provincial city in northern Armenia , listed here for its sprawling industrial wastelands of former Soviet chemical plants. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: Vanadzor, formerly named Kirovakan, used to be one of the centres of the Soviet Union 's chemical production in Armenia . And as you can image, this entailed some severe environmental issues. The pollution in the air is said to have been so bad that it could dissolve nylon clothing! That may be an exaggeration, but the place was no doubt seriously affected by the giant chemical plants. In a way, Vanadzor was to Armenia what Sumqayit (see Absheron ) was for Azerbaijan . Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of the industry has been shut down here as well, and it still lies derelict – except for a few re-started exceptions and new businesses. My guide (see under Gyumri ) also claimed that some of the plants were involved in top-secret work for the Soviet military – which probably meant chemical weapons production, or at least research. This only makes the sight of the endless derelict industrial wasteland even scarier. You don't want to imagine what toxic residues may be lurking there … Today, Vanadzor is slowly recovering from the economic collapse that followed that of the Soviet Union. And it serves as a transport hub for northern Armenia, as it lies on the road and rail routes between Georgia and Yerevan, so it can well be that you'll pass through the place when travelling through the Caucasus – and if so you could just as well try to catch a glimpse of these (pseudo-)post-apocalyptic dark sights left by the former Soviet industry.