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Ask Russians to name the symbol of Crimea - and 9 out of 10 will remember bird home. The grey, Gothic castle with graceful turrets fits perfectly into the Crimean landscape. It soars above the waves, and from below it seems that its spiers can reach the clouds. Swallow's Nest is located in the village of Gaspra on South Coast Crimea: If you're vacationing nearby, spend a few hours visiting this attraction Big Yalta, You will not regret!

Where did the name "Swallow's Nest" come from? This name was given to her palace by one of the owners, Rakhmanin’s merchant’s wife. It seemed symbolic to her to call the building hanging over the sea on the edge of a cliff Swallow’s Nest. True, at that time the palace did not even remotely resemble a modern one. majestic castle: It was a two-story wooden house.

The address of the Swallow's Nest is Gaspra village, Alupkinskoe highway, 9A. Gaspra itself is small resort village right by the sea. It is located 12 km from Yalta. To get here, you need to drive along the Yalta-Sevastopol highway.

Here's a map to help you navigate the area:

There are several ways to get to the Swallow's Nest in Crimea:

  1. By your own car: you need to drive along the highway to the turn to Gaspra and enter the village. As soon as you see a large cluster souvenir shops, you can look for a parking space.
  2. By bus from Yalta. Anyone traveling in the direction of Alupka or Simeiz will do: for example, No. 102,132,115. Get off at the "Swallow's Nest" stop.
  3. By boat from Yalta. They depart at intervals of half an hour from the Marine Station. In addition, private boats and yachts offer their services, but the cost of tickets will be significantly higher.

Here is the schedule of boats and ships to the Swallow's Nest from Yalta for 2020:

The history of the Swallow's Nest castle in Crimea

Rock at modern village Gaspra, according to historians, was chosen by primitive people: for example, now a cave is hidden under the palace, in which they supposedly lived. During antiquity, the Kharaks fortress was built on Cape Ai-Todor. In the middle of the 19th century there was a lighthouse here.

The history of the Swallow's Nest castle begins in the 80s of the 19th century. Then a house was built on Aurora Rock for a general who took part in the Crimean War. Unfortunately, there are no more details about this historical figure and the building itself. You can form an opinion about him based on the paintings of artists - so, small house on the rock captured by I.K. Aivazovsky and A.P. Bogolyubov.

The next period in the history of the Swallow's Nest in Crimea begins with the transfer of the wooden structure to the merchant Rakhmanina. It was she who gave the name to the most famous Crimean landmark and built the first semblance of a palace on the rock - albeit wooden and not distinguished by exquisite architectural solutions.

Mine modern look The Swallow's Nest was acquired by 1912. By that time, its owner had become the wealthy oil industrialist P.L. Steingel, connoisseur of Crimean beauties. He wanted a building in the Gothic style to be erected on a picturesque rock, reminiscent of the medieval palaces around the Rhine. His idea was realized by the architect L.V. Sherwood.

The palace has changed hands more than once. So, after the First World War, P.G. became its owner. Shelaputin, who opened a restaurant in the palace. However, the times were bad, and soon the unprofitable palace was forgotten. After Shelaputin’s imminent death, it passed to the merchant’s wife Rokhmanova, and then, after the Civil War, it was transferred to the Main Administration of State Farms of the Crimea.

The dark streak in the history of the Swallow's Nest in Yalta continued in the 20s. Due to the earthquake, a crack appeared in the rock. A large piece broke off from it (there was a beautiful garden on it). The castle itself was not damaged, but hung dangerously over the sea. For a short time there was a reading room here at the local Zhemchuzhina holiday home, but it was also closed for security reasons.

Restoring the Swallow's Nest

The first work to preserve the unique castle began in the 60s. The employees of the Yalta branch of the Institute of Urban Design have managed the almost impossible. In order to secure the building, they installed a monolithic reinforced concrete foundation underneath it. It was necessary not only to manually lift all the building materials to a great height, but also to literally disassemble the Swallow's Nest brick by brick (each of them was numbered!) and put it back together in the same form.

From the 70s to 2011, a restaurant was opened in the castle. In 2012, the building was once again closed for reconstruction, but a museum was organized on the territory. Today it is a cultural monument. Work on the reconstruction of the Swallow's Nest continues. Thus, the balcony, the most beautiful viewing point of the castle, is closed (the reason for dissatisfied comments from tourists). In addition, only a limited number of tourists are allowed into the territory - groups of no more than 15 people. We hope that the work will be crowned with success and one of the main attractions of Crimea will be preserved in its original form!

What's inside the Swallow's Nest?

If you study the history of the Swallow's Nest and look at photos from the inside, it will become obvious: no interesting historical interiors have been preserved here. This is partly the fault of the first owners: according to historians, the first owner of the Gothic castle, Steingel, simply did not have time to furnish it in accordance with the exterior, and the last pre-revolutionary owner decorated the interior in the old Russian style, which is absolutely incompatible with Gothic architecture. Then for many years there was a restaurant here. To make visiting the museum interesting, exhibitions are regularly held here.

Ticket prices to Swallow's Nest in 2020

Since the restaurant was removed from the palace, entry to the castle itself is free. You can examine the exterior of the building and admire the view from the steep Aurora cliff.

Excursions inside the palace are paid. For 2020 the cost is:

Schedule

The opening hours of the Swallow's Nest vary depending on the season:

  • November - May: from 10.00 to 16.00. Closed on Monday.
  • May - October: from 10.00 to 19.00. Seven days a week.

Legends of the Swallow's Nest

In Crimea, almost every rock has its own history: the peninsula has been inhabited since time immemorial and beautiful legends passed from people to people. There is a mythology around the Swallow’s Nest, and in order to make visiting the castle more interesting (and let’s face it, get more money from tourists), legends are still being invented in our time.

The most beautiful story refers to the name of the rock. The goddess of the dawn, Aurora, loved to meet the dawn at this place. Poseidon fell in love with her, but Aurora rejected his feelings. The god of the seas agreed with Aeolus, who commanded the winds, and he filled the sky with clouds that did not let in the sun's rays. The next time Aurora came to the rock to greet the sunrise, the sun did not appear. The girl waited for a long time, got tired and fell asleep. Poseidon wanted to sneak up and grab her, but Aurora was faster - she managed to escape. The diadem fell from the head of the upset Poseidon, the magic lost its power and the sun rose again.

Interesting stories surround the castle itself. The main reason is that no one knows for sure who built the Swallow's Nest, who the subsequent owners were, and there is even debate about the identity of the architect. According to one legend, the first owner of the Swallow's Nest was a horseman general who entertained people by jumping from a cliff into the sea on a horse, having previously blindfolded it. The horses did not survive, but the general himself miraculously always survived. There are a great many similar stories about daredevils diving from the castle platform: most often they are associated with people suffering from unrequited love.

The most modern legend of the Swallow's Nest appeared along with the Tree of Happiness and the chest that was installed next to it. Allegedly, the merchant Shalaputin put money in the chest, and in the morning a magic tree grew next to it. The man wished for a castle to appear on the rock, and a few years later the Swallow's Nest was actually built there. Now everyone is invited to tie a ribbon to the Tree of Happiness (they are sold nearby for 150 rubles) and throw coins into the chest to return to this place.

Interesting facts about Swallow's Nest

  • This is one of the most “cinematic” places in Crimea: about a dozen films and TV series were filmed here, the most famous being “10 Little Indians”.
  • Today the palace is still in disrepair. A large crack has been discovered in the rock on which it stands, and no way has yet been found to strengthen it without adding more weight and increasing the risk of splintering.
  • Under the palace there is a cave, which today is flooded. Scientists believe that ancient people could have lived there. The walls of one of the cave halls are completely black.
  • It makes sense to visit the Swallow's Nest in the evening. Firstly, because of the stunning illumination, and secondly, because of interesting cultural events - for example, open-air symphony orchestra concerts.
  • From a distance the castle looks like a toy, but up close it is the smallest in Crimea. Its height is 12 m and its area is 120 sq. m.
  • You can send a letter directly from the Swallow's Nest - there is a mailbox where you can drop a postcard with " business card» Crimea.

  1. A road with 1200 steps leads from Gaspra to the Swallow's Nest. There are benches along the edges of the road, however, if you believe the reviews of tourists, the path to the palace will still be difficult, especially in the summer heat. We recommend choosing a cloudy day to visit or going on an excursion early in the morning or evening.
  2. If you plan to travel by boat from Yalta, take tickets in both directions: it will cost less - 600 rubles round trip versus 400 rubles one way. True, the disembarkation usually lasts 50 minutes - barely enough to run to the palace, take a few pictures and return back.
  3. People who came to Gaspra on their own or by car will have to try to find out where the swallow's nest is. Unfortunately, there are no signs. If you arrive at a non-tourist time and cannot follow excursion groups, ask locals for directions.
  4. Do you want beautiful shots of the Swallow's Nest in Crimea? Wear comfortable shoes. The most spectacular views open from the rocks surrounding the path to the castle.
  5. As an independent object for an excursion, the castle is boring. Due to its small size and uneventful history, the Swallow's Nest boasts an interesting exhibition inside. Usually tourists are offered to visit a short historical excursion (remember that the interior of the 19th century has practically not been preserved!) and an art, archaeological or local history exhibition (they change approximately every 2 months).

Guides recommend a more complex route: for example, combine a trip to the Swallow's Nest with a tour of Vorontsov Palace(it is located very close, less than 15 minutes by car) or a walk around Yalta. By the way, the city where Swallow's Nest is located in Crimea also has other objects. Here you can look at the famous Parus rock, the Ai-Todor lighthouse, the ruins of the ancient fortification of Gaspra-isar, and the Panina palace.

After joining in 1783 Crimea to Russia, famous people began to come here. They acquired land on the South Bank, built palaces, and laid out gardens and parks. They came just to relax.

An unknown general, the first participant in the Russian-Turkish war, became the owner of a wooden dacha, which he decided to build on a rock, calling it “Castle of Love.”

Now it is no longer known what most inspired the general to arrange a dacha in this place. Perhaps the legend is that there once was a sanctuary of the Virgin goddess on the rock, whom the inhabitants worshiped. There can be mesmerizing sunrises from the rock named Aurora (goddess of the dawn).

After the death of the general, the fact remains that the owners of the dacha quickly changed, and everyone contributed to the reconstruction of the building. It was then that the name “Swallow’s Nest” stuck to the place.

Large German oil industrialist Baron von Stengel became the owner of the building in 1911. He participated in the development of Baku oil, and then he came up with the idea - in memory of his beloved Germany, to build a castle in Crimea, similar to the knightly castles of the Middle Ages. And already in 1914, a miniature knight's castle, built from Crimean gray limestone and yellow Evpatoria stone, designed by the talented Russian architect A.V. Sherwood. The structure occupies an area of ​​10*20 meters and has a height of 12 meters.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Shtengel left the Russian Empire, and the philanthropist and merchant P. Shelaputin became the owner of the building.

Where is:

Swallow's Nest in Crimea is a castle on the edge of a coastal cliff, which is one of the pearls of Crimea. It is located at a distance of 15 km. from Yalta, in the village of Gaspra, Alupkinskoe highway, no.9.
Majestic and mysterious, at the same time seeming unreal, rises on a steep cliff - a Gothic castle of extraordinary beauty. The height of the rock is 40 meters. The Swallow's Nest castle, covered in legends, has long been deservedly recognized as a symbol southern Crimea, is an architectural monument and has the status cultural heritage federal significance.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world come here every year to see this brilliant creation of the hereditary Russian architect A.V. Sherwood.

The location of a lonely palace, located on the very edge of a cliff, cannot touch the soul of even those devoid of romance. What can we say about the artists inspired by the extraordinary landscape who managed to capture the castle on their canvases? Swallow's Nest can be seen in the works not only contemporary artists, but also marine painters I.K. Aivazovsky, L.F. Lagorio, A.P. Bogolyubova.

How to get there:

The most convenient way to get to the Swallow's Nest is from Yalta:

By bus:

From the Bus Station - route No. 102 to the stop. "Bird home".

From the Clothing Market - route No. 132 to the stop. "Bird home".

By sea:

By motor ship or boat (only during the holiday season) from Yalta to Swallow's Nest, departure from Lenin embankment. Marine vessels approaching Aurora rock.

You can see the location of the Swallow's Nest on the map below.

Video:

Restaurant Swallow's Nest:

After completing the sale and purchase transaction, P. Shelaputin goes abroad for treatment and dies, and his minor grandchildren inherit. The manager of the Crimean estates of the Shelaputins decides to open a profitable place in the castle - a restaurant that, due to difficult events in the country, did not bring in income.

A restaurant was opened here again during the NEP, now it is owned by the Yalta cooperative. It was then that a terrace was built here, where a restaurant was located, which operated until the Great Crimean Earthquake of 1927, which caused serious destruction to the Swallow's Nest. Finally, in 1967-168. under the leadership of architect I.G. Tatiev, as well as designer V.N. Timofeev, who was the author of the reconstruction, carried out the most complex repairs by construction standards. The tower acquired even greater grace thanks to its four spiers. The seismic structures were strengthened, and the part of the castle that previously hung over the cliff remained unchanged.

What is inside:

Thanks to the most complex repair and reconstruction work, the palace has changed for the better not only from the outside.

Since 2011, the Swallow's Nest restaurant does not exist. The castle is open to everyone. Open showroom, which hosts exhibitions of paintings by famous artists. Presentations, performances, and concerts are held in the surrounding area. Nearby there is an art salon, observation decks, and a small park. There is also an official website on which there are many photographs of the interior and exterior of the castle.

Operating mode:

From May to October - from 10:00 to 19:00;

From November to April - from 10:00 to 16:00 (closed: Monday)

Excursions:

You can visit the Swallow's Nest and other iconic sights of the region by going on one of the excursions. For convenience, you can go directly from the page of this attraction to view offers in populated areas peninsula. Excursions to the Swallow's Nest are conducted by both private guides and excursion companies. The price depends on the program, transport and experience of the guide. Choose proven excursions; for this purpose, the site has ratings and reviews.

What is the Swallow's Nest in Gaspra famous for? How to get there, how to overcome a thousand steps, and what views open up from observation deck.

Swallow's Nest is located on the territory of Greater Yalta - in one of its closest suburbs, in the village. Perched on the edge of Cape Ai-Todor, the openwork castle is one of the most recognizable sights of the South Coast. If you have been to Yalta (or Alushta, or etc.) and haven’t seen the Swallow’s Nest with your own eyes, this is nonsense! They won’t believe you that you were on vacation in Crimea.

Excursions in Yalta

The most interesting excursions are routes from local residents on Tripster. It's interesting to start with. Walk from the embankment, through Old city and Drazhinka, to Massandra Park. After which you go to get acquainted with the surroundings: the route is an opportunity to see the main beauties of the South Coast in 8 hours. In one fell swoop!

How to get to Swallow's Nest

How to get there by bus

At the Yalta bus station, go to the suburban platforms and look for minibus No. 102 (aka No. 27 - the route is the same). The bus stops on the highway before reaching the village of Gaspra. Just opposite the observation deck, which offers a view of the Swallow's Nest. The path leading to the castle starts from there.

A bus ticket in 2016 cost 30 rubles.

There is also route No. 132, which departs directly from the city center (no need to go to the bus station). His Ending station- Central Market. Ask there if you can’t find it yourself. The bus gets to, naturally, through Gaspra and Swallow's Nest.

You will have to get to the castle from the observation deck on foot - 1200 steps down to the bridge, through a small bay with the beach of the Zhemchuzhina sanatorium (not to be confused with the Zhemchuzhina boarding house in Alushta!), and then climb another 1200 steps to the top.

How to get there by boat

For those who do not want to overcome the distance of thousands of steps, there is another way to get to the Swallow's Nest. You can try to take a ticket for a boat to the castle (there is a pier there), then the journey will be exactly 2 times shorter! Although without some physical effort you still can’t get to the very edge of the cape.

Boats to Swallow's Nest depart from the embankment. The ticket offices where you can buy tickets are located not far from the chapel - look there if you are in the city for the first time and don’t know where the pier is.

Boat departure times: 09-30, 10-50, 12-10, 13-30, 14-50, 16-10, 17-30.

Ticket offices on the Yalta embankment

You can buy one-way or round-trip tickets, and you can also order an hour-long walk without disembarking in the castle area (departure for the walk once a day at 18-50):

  • Swallow's nest one way: adult - 300 rubles, children - 240 rubles;
  • Swallow's Nest and back: adult - 500 rubles, children - 400 rubles;
  • 1 hour walk: adult - 400 rubles, children - 320 rubles.

The method will only work if there is no storm. A storm at sea does not necessarily mean wind and a storm with a thunderstorm; strong waves can also occur in sunny weather.

Thousand steps and souvenirs

If you think that you will just have to go up and down, then you are mistaken. On the flights of stairs there are various stalls. They sell everything - from local beer and kvass (by the way, extremely tasty, very different from what you can buy in a supermarket), to all sorts of small souvenirs.

By the way, it was on the steps leading to the Swallow’s Nest castle that we bought an original souvenir for my mother - a crab hiding in a shell. We have never seen anything like this anywhere else! In addition, souvenirs depicting the Swallow's Nest castle in miniature, essential oils, various pleasant little things, drinks, and ice cream are sold on the steps.

During our visit to the Swallow's Nest castle, there was even a mobile aviary with tropical butterflies on the steps. You could take pictures with them for a reasonable amount.

Swallow's Nest Castle

At first it seems that the Swallow's Nest castle, standing on the very edge, at an altitude of 38 meters, is a rather large structure. But when you come closer, tenderness and charm fill your heart - it is really small, and therefore looks like a toy.

Currently, the castle ensemble includes two buildings: the Swallow’s Nest itself, or, as it is now called, "Gray Swallow", and more modern building made of white stone - "White Swallow", which is located a little further away. We didn’t get to the observation deck of the Swallow’s Nest, the one located behind the castle, right above the sea. The building has now been declared unsafe and work is underway inside it. But from the outside it is simply magnificent.

The view from the site of the Swallow's Nest castle is excellent. Although the rock is not high, it seems that half the world is visible. Blue-blue sea, turquoise waves near the shore, marvelous green mountains - it will take your breath away!

Swallow's Nest Wishing Tree

The ensemble of the Swallow's Nest castle includes Tree of Wishes. In the shop opposite the Gray Swallow you can buy a bow, and then go up to the Tree and tie it, after making a wish. There are always a lot of bows tied on the Tree, and now I know why. This tree really works! I don’t know if my husband’s wish came true, but mine came true in an amazing way! - came true, although before this it was impossible to fulfill it.

I will keep silent about what kind of desire it was, it is very personal, but it was a desire difficult to fulfill, I even thought it was impossible.

Therefore, if you have a long-standing desire, and you suddenly find yourself in , visit the Swallow’s Nest and tie a bow to the Wish Tree.

Swallow's Nest - where to eat

Walking around the castle ensemble, you may get hungry. Don’t worry - there are several cafes where you can not just have a snack, but have a full lunch.

History of the castle on the rock

The famous Gothic castle above the cliff, “Swallow’s Nest,” is brightly highlighted against the backdrop of the sea and sky. Discreetly, almost hidden, like everything truly valuable, the southwestern spur of Cape Ai-Todor darkens behind it. There are many legends about the Swallow's Nest, but its real history is also interesting.

The castle made of gray stone with graceful Gothic turrets, located on the very edge of a steep cliff, is shrouded in the mysterious romance of the Middle Ages. Every year it attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists eager to take a close look at the miniature pearl of architectural genius, which today is a symbol of the southern coast of Crimea. Today the Swallow's Nest serves as a spectacular decoration and landmark Crimean peninsula.

From the end of the 18th century, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia (1783), wealthy people began to buy land on the southern coast, build palaces, and lay out parks. It has become a tradition to come to Crimea on vacation. Visitors, whether they were estate owners with their families and guests or poorer people who needed Crimea for treatment, admired the shore and involuntarily put into each name the attitude of the discoverers of something that had long been discovered.

Aurora among the ancient Romans - goddess of the dawn. Most likely, the rock could have been named after her by people who came here at dawn to watch the sunrise. They were peaceful guests on this earth and continued the endless tradition of searching for beauty, like the universe itself. You and I are their heirs.

The first known structure on Aurora Rock is considered to be wooden dacha “Generalif” (“Castle of Love”). Her owner was unknown general, a participant in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, and, apparently, a romantic. After all, already at the age of a general, he gave his dacha the name "Castle of Love"! What reasons inspired such a romantic name: the beauty of the surrounding nature, enthusiastic dreams or an earthly feeling of love for a woman - we do not know. One can only fantasize about the history of a late, sad and sinful feeling, for the sake of which this refuge was built on a hard-to-reach rock. Who was next to the owner on starry nights, who was woken up, who was consoled by the goddess of the morning dawn?

Now we can only guess what exactly inspired the romantic general to make such an unexpected decision. Perhaps, he was prompted to build a small wooden dacha not only by the charming Crimean landscape, but also by the stories of old-timers about the sanctuary of the Virgin Goddess, who was once located on this site, who was worshiped by the local aborigines - the Taurians. It is also possible that a special tree brought him to this idea. According to legend, it grew in the place where the castle is now located, straight from the stone monolith, punching a hole for itself equal to the diameter of the trunk. Who knows, maybe the reason was one of the now forgotten Crimean legends about the goddess of the dawn - Aurora, after whom the rock was named.

Be that as it may, the picturesque area impressed the experienced warrior and inspired him to build. Every day the general climbed the rock where the work was being carried out and made sure that his every requirement was carried out exactly. And soon the rock was crowned by a small but cozy one-story dacha, which received its first name - Generalif.

The “Castle of Love” on a hard-to-reach rock attracted attention; marine painters I.K. depicted it on their canvases. Aivazovsky (1817-1900), L.F. Lagorio (1827-1905), A.P. Bogolyubov (1824-1896). Could they sing of this divine landscape without exciting the imagination, without turning to the gods themselves?

Old-timers tell a half-forgotten story about a cruel and brave horseman who, for the amusement of the public, blindfolded a doomed horse, sat on horseback, accelerated and jumped from a cliff into the sea, flying all forty meters through the air! He managed to remain unharmed, swim ashore, bow to the audience, and casually accept the award. Then he bought a new horse and prepared for the next jump.

After the death of the mysterious general, his heirs sold the dacha to a member of the city government of the city of Yalta, Albert Tobin, who served as a court doctor at the Livadia Palace, a favorite vacation spot of the royal family. It is known that the Tobin couple managed to slightly modify the wooden house. At this time, the name arose and became attached to the house on the rock "Bird home". But for unknown reasons, Madame Tobina chose to sell her estate to the influential Moscow merchant Anna Rakhmanova, the owner of several apartment buildings in Moscow.

For the new owner of the Swallow's Nest, a rich and educated lady, this acquisition was just another whim. Rakhmanova enthusiastically began rebuilding the Crimean estate. She demolished the wooden building and erected a stone house, which can still be seen today on postcards from the early 20th century. But, apparently, by 1911, Rakhmanova had lost interest in her nest

In 1911, the estate was acquired from a Moscow merchant's wife by a large German oil industrialist. Baron von Stengel . While developing the Baku oil fields and, obviously, missing his native Germany, the baron wished to leave in Crimea the memory of the knightly castles of the Middle Ages. In 1912, a miniature castle in the Gothic style, with turrets and lancet windows, was built for him on Aurora Rock. It is thanks to him that today we admire the beautiful castle, reminiscent of medieval fortresses in the Gothic style, which can often be seen in the baron’s homeland, Germany.

Like the previous owners, the oil industrialist decided to change the design of his acquisition. To do this, he invited the Moscow modernist architect Leonid Sherwood, the youngest son of the famous architect Vladimir Sherwood, who at one time designed the building Historical Museum on Red Square in Moscow. Leonid Sherwood graduated from the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, and then continued his studies in Paris. He was fond of the work of the talented French sculptor Auguste Rodin, knew him personally and listened to his advice. Having good taste, Sherwood appreciated the location of his next masterpiece and soon provided the project to the customer.

The author of the project was a talented hereditary Moscow architect A.V. Sherwood, son of the famous architect V.O. Sherwood, designer of the building of the Historical Museum in Moscow. The stepped composition conceived by the architect was based on the small size of the site. The 12-meter-high building was located on a foundation 10 meters wide and 20 meters long. The “birdlike” volumes were matched by the internal structure: the entrance hall, living room, steps and two bedrooms were successively located in a two-story tower that rose above the rock. A garden was laid out next to the building. It collapsed into the sea as a result of an earthquake.

The Baron was delighted with the project and spared no expense on construction works. an old house was completely demolished, and in its place in 1914 a real Gothic castle in miniature, made of gray Crimean limestone and yellow Evpatoria stone, grew up. But it did not please its owner for long: on July 28, 1914, the First World War began, and the German oil industrialist had to leave the Russian Empire. The Swallow's Nest was sold to a wealthy merchant and philanthropist Pavel Shelaputin.

In the opinion of a specialist, the incorrect proportions are connected just as unsuccessfully; the combination of two cubes and a flat prism visually puts pressure on the cylinder of the tower, not balancing the composition, but “trying to push it into the abyss.” Contrary to architectural norms, the volumes do not emanate from one another and therefore do not look like a single whole. The parts of the building are connected mechanically, but with a polar load, that is, not attracting, but pushing each other. Some elements, such as the tower with its sagging balcony, clearly lack visual weight. From the outside the whole palace complex it seems like a shaky structure, ready at any moment to collapse into the abyss of the sea.

Perhaps structural instability was intended from the beginning. Sherwood could have planned such a construction at the request of the customer. However, it is impossible to find an explanation for other architectural inconsistencies. The volumes increase in accordance with the height of the dull staircase, with its high end heading towards the cliff. Drawing an analogy with an arithmetic progression, each subsequent element of the building rises above the previous one. No particular attention is paid to any of the parts; they all look equally plump, resembling a group of dignitaries of the same rank, lined up by height.

At the same time, some significance is conveyed by the details. The ring gear increases as the height of the block decreases. In the middle part of the ensemble there is a living room, highlighted by wide windows, balconies and high pointed cone-shaped spiers connected to a number of small arches. The rusticity of the base is expressed in the facing of this part with stones with a roughly hewn, protruding front surface.

To the architectural shortcomings of the building one can add the discrepancy between the sizes of window and door openings, as well as the extreme laconicism of the interior decoration. The decorations of the main hall include a massive fireplace, bronze sconces, antique inlay, and carved ceiling details with convex images of dragons. The atmosphere of bygone eras is created by 11 medieval coats of arms. However, the fairy-tale image is disrupted by dark wooden beams with excessively prominent fastening details.

If architecturally the Swallow's Nest is by no means a masterpiece, its artistic image is admirable. The touching loneliness of the palace, steadfastly resisting the sea elements, comes from its spectacular location. The idea of ​​constructing a castle on the very edge of a sheer cliff is certainly not the merit of the architect. The picturesque place was chosen by the first owner, who unwittingly perpetuated his dreams and presented his descendants with a fairy tale in stone.

Today, many attribute to Pavel Shelaputin such an act as opening a restaurant in the Swallow's Nest castle. However, this is not true. The fact is that Shelaputin was already seriously ill by that time. He managed to complete a purchase and sale transaction with Baron von Steingel and after that he immediately left for treatment in the Swiss city of Friborg, where he died in the same 1914. The Swallow's Nest was inherited by his minor grandchildren.

And yet, how did this castle become a restaurant? The fact is that while the heirs were growing up, the manager of the Crimean estates of the Shelaputins decided to open a profitable place in this building - a restaurant. But it did not bring much income, because difficult times came: first, the First World War, then - Civil, and after - revolution. The estate was taken away by the new government, and the restaurant closed, but not for long.

The time has come for the new economic policy (NEP), which has brought significant changes to the life of the Swallow's Nest. This time it was transferred to the department of the Yalta cooperative. An open terrace was added to the castle, where the restaurant was restored. Enterprising co-operators of those years feasted here to the sound of the waves of the Black Sea exactly until September 12, 1927...

“A match flashed, and, strangely, the chair jumped to the side by itself and suddenly, in front of the amazed eyes of the concessionaires, fell through the floor.

- Mother! - Ippolit Matveevich shouted, flying towards the wall, although he did not have the slightest desire to do this.

The glass jumped out with a clang, and an umbrella with the inscription “I want Podkolesin”, caught in a whirlwind, flew out the window to the sea. Ostap was lying on the floor, easily crushed by plywood panels.

It was twelve o'clock and fourteen minutes. This was the first blow of the great Crimean earthquake of 1927. A nine-point blow, which caused untold misfortune to the entire peninsula, snatched the treasure from the hands of the concessionaires.”

I. Ilf and E. Petrov,

"12 chairs"

In 1927, a strong earthquake occurred in Crimea with an epicenter in the sea, near the shores of Yalta. There were two shocks in the middle of the night. The first one was weak, as if warning, and forced people to leave their houses. That is why there were relatively few casualties in many of the destructions. The second shock hit a full nine.

The powerful earthquake, which went down in the history of the peninsula as the Yalta or Crimean earthquake, brought a lot of troubles and destruction. Stone blocks fell from the rocks and flew down, destroying everything in their path. Even Mount Ayu-Dag slid into the sea from such a powerful shock. The castle on Aurora Rock was not spared the misfortune either. This is how this event is described in A. Nikonov’s book “The Crimean Earthquake of 1927”: “... Quite a lot of visitors from the neighboring Kharaksa holiday home were having dinner on the balcony hanging over the sea.” The audience dispersed only 10 minutes before the main shock, from which the tower of this intricate dacha collapsed. The stones that fell onto the balcony broke tables and chairs, broke the railings and threw some of the furniture into the sea, where the visitors would have followed if they had stayed 10 minutes later. In the tower, built of yellow Evpatoria stone, 2 gaps appeared, as if a huge cannonball had pierced it.” Part of the Aurora rock collapsed, the observation terrace in front of the building hung over the abyss. And to complete this catastrophe, a deep, slanting crack passed through the rock right under the castle.

The Swallow's Nest survived, but for many years it became a dilapidated building, and for forty years it turned into romantic ruins. True, there is information that in the 30s life here resumed for a short time. The castle was converted into a library for vacationers at the Zhemchuzhina sanatorium, which was located nearby. Apparently local authorities did not take seriously the consequences of the earthquake. And only when the cracks in the building began to spread dangerously, the operation of the Swallow's Nest was banned. Of course, later there were some extreme tourists who, in search of adventure, looked for any opportunity to “leak” into the castle grounds to admire the marvelous view that opened from the observation deck.

There have been many proposals for unprecedented and absolutely necessary repair techniques. There was even a radical idea - to disassemble the castle, number the stones and slabs and put them back in the same order in a new, safe place. No, it wouldn’t be the Swallow’s Nest!

In the 1930s the castle housed reading room of the local holiday home.

Postcards from 1928-33

Only in 1967-1968, forty years after the earthquake, workers "Yaltaspetsstroy" We completed this semi-fantastic renovation without dismantling the walls. Led the operation architect I.G. Tatiev . First of all, it was necessary to bring a crane and other fairly heavy construction equipment to the site. And this is on roads that were intended mainly for cars and the occasional food truck! With great difficulty and risk, we managed to complete all the preparations. The rock turned out to be overloaded, and the work, meanwhile, was planned to be long. It required skill, intelligence, and great courage from the builders.

The restoration work that began in 1968 involved strengthening the foundation and partially modifying the façade and interior. The author of the restoration project, Yalta designer V.N. Timofeev placed the outermost block of the building on a cantilever reinforced concrete slab placed under the central volume. In this way, the outermost part of the house was securely fastened, remaining hanging above the collapsed rock. In addition to the monolithic slab, the entire building was surrounded by anti-seismic belts.

The tower, increased in height, acquired a decorative appearance thanks to four spiers. The correct architectural technique disrupted the dull increase in volumes, placing emphasis on the outer part of the palace. Today, the restored castle is officially recognized as an architectural monument of the last century.

If climbers are accustomed to spending their “working days” over the abyss, then for the masons of Yaltaspetsstroy this was new. Volunteers found and saved the case. Working in a suspended cradle, they filled the crack with stones and filled it with concrete. A reinforced concrete slab was placed under the base of the castle, and the seams were lined with lead. Then, without heroism and without haste, the workers carried out the restoration of the building. In such an “anti-seismic belt”, the renewed Swallow’s Nest found, to the joy of everyone who loved and loves Crimea, a second life.

In recent times, a spontaneous souvenir market has grown near the Gothic walls. What you won’t see here: thousands of small crafts made of ceramics, juniper and all kinds of plastics, corals and shells of tropical seas, color photographs, paintings. Most of all there are views of the Swallow's Nest itself: on canvas, on whatman paper, on metal and plastic trays, on “amphoras” made of noble ceramics. Hot item for 24/7 local trade!

Rock "Sail"

Golden Gate Rock

And now many young men are drawn to feats: to surprise the public or the lady of their heart, to test their abilities, to look fear in the face by jumping from a great height down... into the choppy Black Sea... Yes, there were desperate guys who decided to take such jumps. Not everyone, unfortunately, was lucky. The lucky few remained unharmed, they just lay down for several days. But there were daredevils ready to repeat the jump and even make money! It is also true that their clothes were torn, as if cut by a razor...

One is retold here in different ways fantastic case. A young Yalta resident, a resident of one of the old quarters of Derekoy, after a serious quarrel with his wife, went to the Swallow's Nest, climbed the forbidden cliff, climbed over the parapet and, in despair, and perhaps with some panache for the audience, rushed down. The doomed heart could have stopped mid-flight, but a long-term skill worked: having grown up by the sea, the man jumped from cliffs and solariums many times. He did not succumb to mortal horror - he straightened up, spread his arms with his wings, flew vertically down, correcting the trajectory in the air flow, which suddenly turned out to be his assistant, entered directly with his head, breaking the surface, like a fake ceiling, with his arms extended forward. When he surfaced and reached the shore, vacationers with cameras rushed towards him. The “hero” was praised, encouraged, asked to repeat the jump, and even collected money. The unlucky (or, on the contrary, too lucky?) suicide refused: a step that was deadly by design brought him back to life...

From the sea side, at the foot of the cliff, you can find several underwater caves and even dive into each of them, lighting the way with a waterproof lantern. Hunters of the unique, you will not be disappointed! Just be careful: an underwater grotto is not the best place for meetings, and meeting with those who dived there earlier and are already swimming back is not at all impossible, especially during the day, at the height of the beach season. Don't scare each other!

The berth in a cozy bay allows local ships to moor even in a force four storm, when the neighboring port points “Golden Beach” and “Miskhor” are closed. From all over Crimea, sea and land excursions to the “original building” - the Swallow's Nest castle - gather. Almost everyone who comes to Crimea strives to climb to the Swallow's Nest at least once. True, in the area in front of the castle, where it was already crowded with souvenir sellers, in the summer so many curious people gather that thoughts involuntarily come to mind about the beneficial off-season, when at least early in the morning you can be here alone or together.

Since July 2011, Swallow's Nest is no longer a restaurant. The renovated palace-castle is now open to all guests and residents of the Crimean peninsula. Entrance to the castle will now always be free.

Tourists will be allowed into the exhibition hall on the castle grounds. The castle hosts an exhibition “ Magic world Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi", which presents paintings from the funds of the Simferopol art museum, incl. his legendary painting “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper”.

The uniqueness of the exhibition is that it is designed according to the same principle that the artist himself used. The paintings are presented in absolute darkness illuminated by a directed beam of light. It is also planned to hold chamber music concerts, historical and literary evenings, theatrical performances, presentations, etc. in the palace and on the adjacent territory.

It is planned to create an exhibition pavilion in which an art salon will be opened to organize trade in works of painting, photographs, arts and crafts, souvenirs, and local history literature. The plan includes reconstruction of the monument and bringing the surrounding area into proper shape: in particular, it is planned to equip two observation platforms and repair access roads. “Swallow’s Nest” is an architectural and historical monument located on the steep 40-meter Aurora rock of Cape Ai-Todor in the Yalta village of Gaspra.

The Ministry of Culture of Crimea and the Republican Committee of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea for the Protection of Cultural Heritage have developed a concept for using the architectural monument: chamber music concerts, historical and literary evenings, theatrical performances, presentations and much more will be held in the castle and on the adjacent territory. An art salon will be opened in the exhibition pavilion. Thanks to this, trade in works of painting, photographs, souvenirs, local history literature, etc. will be organized.

The architectural monument "Swallow's Nest" will be a favorite place for tourists and people who love art. Exhibitions and wonderful concerts will certainly find their regular audience.

In the near future, there will be balls for young people on the territory of the castle, accompanied by exquisite live music. So, perhaps, we will soon become witnesses and participants in the first ball for the girls of Yalta.

Clickable

bird home- one of the most popular places, which by its appearance fully justifies beautiful name. The castle is located on top of the 40-meter Aurora rock, which is located on the central ledge of Cape Ai-Todor and presents an unusually picturesque view from all sides. Being a kind of crown of rock and a symbol of Crimea, the castle annually attracts many tourists from different countries who want to admire the beauty of this place.

The history of the castle dates back to the end of the 19th century, and its original appearance was radically different from its current one. It was a country house, the first owner of which, a retired general, showed courage and built a one-story building on a steep cliff, giving it the name “Castle of Love.” The future castle was captured with such a wooden house and remained on the canvases of Aivazovsky, Logorio and other famous artists of that time.

From that moment, the future castle began its countdown, changing several owners until it was acquired by the German entrepreneur Rudolf Stengel, who gave the building a European look medieval castle in miniature. The modern “Swallow's Nest” is a small castle and resembles a copy of a classic castle in the Gothic style with sharp spiers and figured, lancet windows.

This stunning spectacle beckons and attracts the eyes of travelers like a magnet. The unusual location of the building acts as a bold architectural solution. The white stone walls of the castle are visible from afar, especially beautiful in the evening illumination, at sunset or in the morning hours of dawn. During its existence, the castle underwent many changes, and after the earthquake it was temporarily closed as an object for excursion visits, but was subsequently restored, strengthened and reopened.

The Swallow's Nest had the opportunity to be used both as a restaurant and as a sanatorium, but the castle withstood all the tests, it even became even more beautiful. Today, the castle is not only a work of architectural art, but also an original restaurant where you can spend a cozy evening and buy a souvenir. But to get inside the castle, you need to overcome an obstacle of 1200 steps, so many admire the surroundings of the castle from the observation deck, from where other attractions that Crimea is so rich in are clearly visible.

You can get to the castle by sea by boat and by land by minibus. Of course, it is better to visit the Swallow's Nest as part of an excursion to hear from the guide fascinating stories about the sights of Crimea, in particular, about this castle of extraordinary beauty, which is located in the village of Gaspra. It’s like a snow-white lighthouse on a steep cliff soaring between the sky and the sea. The castle is deservedly considered one of best places on the planet, so many scenes of famous domestic and foreign films were filmed here.