Khatchkar

A khatchkar stands in front of Halle’s courthouse, marking the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The stone cross was placed in 2015 to honour the centenary of the killings. Halle’s council decided on the memorial in 2012, linking the city to the victims’ memory.

The dedication ceremony included an ecumenical prayer led by Archbishop Garegin Bekchyan and church leader Jürgen Dietrich. Among those present were the dean of Yerevan’s theological faculty, the mayor Bernd Wiegand, the state minister Stefan Dorgerloh, the Armenian ambassador Ashot Smbatyan and local community leader Harutyun Manukyan.

Visitors find a tall khatchkar carved with traditional motifs. It faces the courthouse on a paved plaza near the city centre. The monument’s inscription records the genocide and the date of its unveiling.