On November 24, in the frames of the corporate series Convivial Reunion employees of Yerevan Brandy Company visited the National Library of Armenia.

Convivial Reunion is a corporate series of Yerevan Brandy Company, which comes to create some warm and memorable moments and provide unique cultural experience for team.

The National Library of Armenia is the world’s largest repository of Armenian printed heritage and the center of the national bibliography. Built in 1939 by famous Armenian architect Alexander Tamanyan, the building itself encapsulates the essence of Yerevan. The Printing Museum, located near the library, is especially notable for its precious collection of Armenian printed heritage such as the first Armenian printed book - Urbatagirk (The Book of Fridays), Venice, 1512; the first Armenian periodical - Azdarar (Bulletin), Madras, 1794-1796; as well as the first printed map in Armenian - Hamatarats Ashkharatsuyts (Universal World Map), Amsterdam, 1695.

As part of the event, the Library specialists designed a special tour line, providing employees with the opportunity to view rare exhibits of Armenian typographical heritage. A unique cultural exhibition showcased samples from the Library archive, presenting various materials related to the origins of Armenian brandy-making, including excerpts from the personal correspondence of Nerses Tairyan, one of the founders of brandy-making in Armenia.

During the official part of the event, the Yerevan Brandy Company handed over the contemporary labels of ARARAT Brandy to the National Library of Armenia, which will take their honorable place among the thousands of exclusive materials of the world's largest Armenian literature repository.

The consecutive part of the event was followed by a lecture on "How to Brand History" presented by historian, Zohrab Gevorgyan, Ph.D.

“For centuries, libraries have not only been a repository for preserving scripted treasures but also a place where one can connect with science, culture, and history. On this very occasion, it is extremely important to demonstrate the variety of libraries and their immense possibilities. We are also delighted to hand over the collection of contemporary labels of the ARARAT Brandy to the National Library of Armenia, which will be available to thousands of readers for various historical and cultural researches,” noted Zaruhi Saribekyan, Communications Manager of Yerevan Brandy Company.

“The National Library of Armenia is very flattered to host the employees of Yerevan Brandy Company, a company which represents one of the symbols of our country under its roof for showcasing the treasures of our printed heritage. At first glance, there might not seem very much in common between the National Library of Armenia and Yerevan Brandy Company based on our field of activity. Meanwhile there is our common goal that unites us –  the preservation of our traditions and heritage,” said Anna Chulyan, the Director of the National Library of Armenia, in her welcome speech.

“Are we really capable of making history contemporary, living, and why not applicable? Why do we often disregard seemingly small historical details and then wonder why the neglected details have left us? How does the old become new? Is it a form of art, a means of historical thinking, or an art of historical thinking that needs to be developed?” highlighted Dr. Zohrab Gevorgyan, historian.

Launched in 2018, Convivial Reunion has already become a tradition, recording a wide spectrum of cultural visits during which employees got the chance to reveal the art of rug making at Megerian Carpet, the brightest colors of mastery at Martiros Saryan House-Museum, the secrets of Yervand Kochar’s sculptures, Aram Khachaturian’s creative path, the heritage of ancient manuscripts at Matenadaran and others.