Albert Tovmasyan and his family, who live in Leer, Germany, are doing everything to give an Armenian spirit to this town.

Tovmasyan is originally from Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan, and he had come to Leer in 2001, with his brother.

But these young men, who had come to Leer to conduct business, did not know that no Armenians were living in this German town.

“You feel the longing for an Armenian even more in a foreign city,” Tovmasyan said. “For that reason, since 2013, I began to actively collaborate with the mayor of Leer, since I much wanted to place, at the central grove of the city, an Armenian cross-stone devoted to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.”

Even though the Tovmasyan are the only Armenian family living in Leer, over 4,000 Turks reside in this town.

In Albert Tovmasyan’s words, they managed with great difficulty to place a cross-stone at the central grove because Turkey was constantly sending notes of protest to the Leer town hall, in an attempt to thwart their initiative.

“But we were able to place the cross-stone in October,” he added. “And now, we already have permission to place, in this grove, benches symbolizing the friendship of Leer and Yerevan.

“At this point I have one objective. In three or four years, the park shall be called Armenian Grove.”