Most residents of the CIS countries will recognize and say for sure that this is a castle hanging over the Black Sea in Crimea. It has been seen in pictures in books, magazines, television programs, and the Internet, but this is nothing compared to reality. A huge number of tourists saw this Crimean heritage with their own eyes.
Swallow's Nest: history and description
The history of the Swallow's Nest in Crimea begins at the end of the 19th century. According to legend, the first owner of the building was a Russian general, but there is no documented evidence of this. And the first mention dates back to 1895 in a reference book on Crimea. The dacha was wooden and was called “Generalif”.
There have been many dacha owners since the end of the 19th century:
- Court physician Tobin Adalberg Karlovich, and after his wife. A boarding house was set up on this site, small, but considered the best on the South Coast. The doctor’s house was located on a steep cliff. In 1903, renovation work took place: the main building was painted, an extension and a veranda were built. The new building can be seen in a painting by the artist Lagorio.
- Between 1898 and 1905 ( exact time unknown) Tobin's widow sold the dacha to Baron Steingel. It was by his order that the house was transformed into the castle that we can now recognize on postcards. The architect was L. Sherwood.
- From approximately 1912 to 1914, it is unknown who owned the castle and whether it was even intended for living.
- Since 1914, the dacha belonged to Mrs. Rokhmanova.
- In 1921, the act of reception of the former estate “Swallow’s Nest” documented that the building was abandoned and repeatedly looted.
- During the NEP period, the building was restored and a restaurant was opened here. But already on September 12, 1927 there was an earthquake here, which severely damaged the building.
- In the period from 1927 to 1939, some repair work was still carried out, but basically the building was neglected and belonged to the Zhemchuzhina holiday home.
- In 1967 - 1970, a major renovation of the Swallow's Nest by Giprograd employees took place. The architect was I. Tatiev, the engineer was V. Timofeev. Both the building and the rock, which was also surrounded by anti-seismic belts, were strengthened; the architecture was slightly changed, decorative turrets and spiers were added. In 1971 the castle was opened to the public.
- Until 2011, there was a restaurant in the castle.
- And in July 2011, the building was recognized as the Swallow's Nest palace-castle.
Castle height and interior layout
In fact, the lock is very compact. The height of the Swallow's Nest is only 12 meters, and the area is 10x12 meters. Well, the height of the Aurora rock is 40 meters.
Inside the Swallow's Nest there is an entrance hall and a living room, a staircase to the second floor and two bedrooms located one above the other.
Museum: exhibitions, excursions and concerts
Now Swallow's Nest is an architectural and exhibition complex with a panoramic terrace and an adjacent small park. Approximately every one and a half to two months, art, archaeological and local history exhibitions are held here, replacing one another. You can see the schedule on the official website.
All summer, in the evenings, various performances, concerts, vernissages and master classes are held in the open air on the terrace near the palace. Be sure to visit if possible!
And of course, at the museum you can book a sightseeing tour of the history of the castle and Cape Ai-Todor. If you want to send that famous postcard with the image of the Swallow's Nest, there is a small post office here.
The Legend of the Swallow's Nest
Almost every significant corner in Crimea has its own fabulous history. So the legend about the Swallow's Nest castle tells about the failed love of the god of the sea Poseidon and the goddess of the dawn Aurora.
In short, Aurora loved to watch the sunrise on a rock and one day she was seen by Poseidon, who really liked her. But the goddess rejected his love. Poseidon used a trick, decided to charm Aurora with a witch's diadem, and asked the lord of the winds, Aeolus, to hide the sun with clouds. While waiting for the sun, Aurora dozed off. Poseidon crept up and almost bewitched the goddess, but she woke up and escaped. The tiara fell and hit the rock, part of the diamond from the crown fell into the crevice. When the clouds cleared, a ray of sun hit the fragment, which turned into a castle.
Information for visitors
Where is Swallow's Nest located?
The castle is located on the Aurora rock of Cape Ai-Todoy in Gespra, South Coast. So if you are wondering “what is the Swallow’s Nest built on, 5 letters”, the answer is - a rock!
How to get there
The most convenient way to get to the Swallow's Nest is from Yalta:
- Route No. 102 from the bus station to the “Swallow’s Nest” stop.
- Route No. 132 from Clothing market to the stop "Swallow's Nest".
- By motor ship (only in summer) from Lenin embankment, which comes directly to the foot of the Aurora rock.
It is also very convenient to come here as part of excursions to the Swallow's Nest. The prices are not very expensive, but there are a lot of impressions, and they give you free time to explore the sights on your own. Tourists are usually brought by bus and picked up by boat.
Address: Yalta, urban-type settlement Gaspra, Alupkinskoe highway, 9a
Coordinates: 44.430474, 34.128382
Prices
Visiting the area around the castle is free. Tickets to the Swallow's Nest Museum can be purchased at the following prices:
- 200 rubles - adult ticket;
- 100 rubles - for children.
Museum opening hours
- 10:00 - 16:00 - from November to May, Mon - closed;
- 10:00 - 19:00 - from May to October, seven days a week.
Official site: http://lasto4kinognezdo.ru/
Web cameras: http://lg.yapic.net/
Exhibition schedule: http://lasto4kinognezdo.ru/vystavki
Address on the map
In addition to architectural ones, Yalta is rich in other attractions. For example, the Massandra winery, which produces wine that has become famous far beyond the borders of the country.
So romantic and unusual name I received the house from the owner of this plot at the beginning of the 20th century. And the first wooden building on the rock, which offers a wonderful view of the sea, belonged to a certain general, a participant in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878.
History of construction
The well-known small castle on the top of a cliff in the village of Gaspra, not far from Yalta, was built in 1911 by the architect A. Sherwood by order of Baron F. Shteingel. The famous oil industrialist wanted to give his dacha the image of a knight’s castle and even gave it the name “Generalif,” which means “castle of love.” However, this name did not stick. The architect built a dacha-castle in the Gothic style, adding arched friezes, decorative turrets, and jagged walls to the façade decoration.
The size of the building is not large at all: width 10 meters, length 20 meters, and height 12 meters. So majestic building What makes it, of course, is its location, because the height of the rock on which it is located is more than 40 meters. Inside the house there is an entrance hall, a living room with large windows, a staircase leading to the tower, and two bedrooms.
Earthquake in Crimea
Baron V. Steingel sold the house in 1914 and left Russia. The new owner opened a restaurant in the Swallow's Nest, which operated successfully.
The building was threatened during the 1927 earthquake, when part of the rock collapsed. Fortunately, the building survived, but the tower was partially destroyed and the observation deck was damaged. In subsequent years, the red corner of the holiday home, a reading room, and then a dining room were located here, until the building was empty due to its disrepair.
Reconstruction began in 1968 and lasted three years; A monolithic reinforced concrete pipe was installed under the base of the Swallow's Nest, and the architectural elements of the exterior decor were restored.
"Swallow's Nest" in cinema
In 1960, a fragment of the Soviet film “Amphibian Man” directed by Vladimir Chebotarev and Gennady Kazansky was filmed on the cape. And 15 years later, thanks to director Stanislav Govorukhin, many learned what the interiors of the Swallow’s Nest looked like: the film Ten Little Indians was filmed here. In 2009, filmmakers again turned to mysterious castle on the rock: director Yuri Kara filmed the film “Hamlet” here. XXI Century".
"Swallow's Nest" today
In 2002, reconstruction was carried out again, and Swallow's Nest opened to the public as a restaurant. Traditionally, near the walls of the palace you can buy various Crimean souvenirs. In July 2011, an architectural and historical monument of national importance was transferred to municipal ownership, with the support of the Simferopol Art Museum, the exhibition “The Magical World of Arkhip Kuindzhi” was opened, where the famous painting “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” was exhibited. Various exhibitions were carried out every 1.5–2 months until 2013, when cracks were discovered in the foundation slab and access to the dacha-castle was suspended for design work to carry out reconstruction - strengthening the rock.
History of the castle on the rock. Bird home. Crimea.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 South Bank 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 for the construction of a small wooden dacha he was motivated not only by the charming Crimean landscape, but also the stories of old-timers about the sanctuary of the Virgin goddess that was once located on this place, 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 Yalta city government, Albert Tobin, who served as a court doctor at the Livadia Palace, a favorite vacation spot 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 the construction work. The 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 entire palace complex seems like a shaky structure, ready to collapse into the abyss of the sea at any moment.
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. Yet fairy tale image disrupted by dark wooden beams with excessively protruding fasteners.
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 broke out, then the Civil War, and then the 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 Matveyevich 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 the consequences of the earthquake seriously. 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 modern times, near gothic walls a spontaneous souvenir market has grown. 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 fantastic incident is retold here in different ways. 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: the 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. 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 the exhibition “The Magical World of Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi”, which presents paintings from the collections 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 the 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.
Ministry of Culture of Crimea and the Republican Committee for Protection of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea cultural heritage 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 grounds 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.
Cape Ai-Todor
The rocky cape, named after the lost medieval monastery of St. Feodor, is formed by three spurs. Excursion ships moor to the shore in a miniature bay of the eastern spur, whose name Limen-Burun is naturally translated from Tatar as “harbour cape”. A narrow strip of coastline is reliably protected from sea winds even during a storm, when the parking lots closest to Ai-Todor are closed. There are simply no other areas suitable for mooring ships and swimming on Ai-Todor - there are boulders and rocks all around.
On the patches of soil of Limen-Burun miraculously preserved from weathering, juniper grows, enriching the air of the resort; it is no coincidence that patients with pneumonia and bronchitis are treated here. At the top of the rock there is a real juniper grove, fenced with railings. Vacationers walk along it and enjoy the sea views. Observation deck located at an altitude of 82 m, directly above the sculpture of an eagle ready to take flight. Opposite the spur, in the sea, the Parus rock is visible. Previously, it was connected to Limen-Burun by an isthmus, but during the earthquake of 1927 the natural bridge was destroyed.
Military camp Kharaks
The western spur, Ai-Todor itself, in ancient times, when the peninsula was Greek, was called Kriumetopon, or Ram's forehead. Here in the I-III centuries. The Roman military colony of Charax was established - the largest settlement of its kind in Crimea. After the Romans, the Goths lived on the territory of the fortress, and then peaceful fishermen. In accordance with the tasks of the camp, the builders did without frills, placing on the seashore only the most necessary things: barracks, thermal baths, a sanctuary, an aqueduct, a necropolis. Full archaeological research The ruins began at the end of the 19th century, but they have not been completed to this day.
In 1835, on the foundation of a Roman lighthouse at an altitude of 87 m above sea level, by order of the famous navigator M.P. Lazarev a new lighthouse was laid. Outwardly resembling a squat white cylinder, surrounded by a large mesh network and relict oaks and junipers, it still functions. The work of the lighthouse was interrupted only during world wars and battles on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula.
The palace of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, located a 15-minute walk west of the Swallow's Nest, was named in honor of Charax. The ensemble is famous for its park with 200 species of cultivated plants. The building, made of gray limestone with red tiles, is in the tradition of Scottish architecture, quite unexpected among the lush subtropical vegetation.
Palace of Kharaks of Grand Duke Georgiy Mikhailovich
Aurorina Skala
In the Middle Ages, the middle part of the cape served as a refuge for monks hiding from the bustle of the world. The Tatars, who assigned the name Monastyr-Burun to the spur, did not disturb them. TO 19th century When no trace remained of the monastery, the rock received a poetic name in honor of the ancient Greek goddess of the dawn, Aurora.
Panorama of the castle and surrounding area
History of the Swallow's Nest complex
It was on Aurora Rock in the 70s of the twentieth century that the first “Swallow’s Nest” appeared - an unremarkable wooden building on the edge of the cliff. At that time, the cape was built up with cottages for the sick, and a doctor and his family settled near the cliff. After his death, the widow organized major renovations, gave the building a presentable appearance and sold it as a summer cottage. Baron Steingel became the new owner of the snow-white house. Soon he initiated the construction of another building to replace the old one that had cracked.
Construction and reconstruction of the Swallow's Nest
The author of the project was Leonid Sherwood, a representative of the famous creative dynasty, who until that time had shown himself only as a sculptor. In accordance with the wishes of the owner of the site, it was decided to take advantage of the experience of European architecture and create a building in the neo-Gothic style, with its characteristic narrow graceful spiers and towers reaching into the sky. The emphasis was placed on the external appearance of the house, the interiors remained undeveloped. The next owner of the house, built in 1912, Rokhmanova, furnished the interior in an ancient Russian style, which was dissonant with the exterior. However, after a few years not a trace remained of the unsuccessful design decision: during Civil War the territory passed to the Bolsheviks, but before that it was almost completely plundered by marauders.
During the NEP period, the building was patched up and a restaurant was installed in it. The earthquake of 1927 destroyed part of the balcony and the garden - they simply fell into the sea, and miraculously there were no casualties. The young state did not have the money to completely restore the complex, so until the 60s the building stood simply fenced off from unwary visitors. Gradually turning into ruins, the Swallow's Nest still remained an excellent backdrop for photographs. During the reconstruction of the late 60s, the building was literally dismantled stone by stone, an earthquake-resistant foundation was installed, and then reassembled in reverse order, preserving the original appearance. All materials were transported manually, since heavy equipment could not drive up to Aurora Rock, the crack in which was also repaired. Since 1971, the facility has been open to tourists. Exhibitions were held inside the house, and a restaurant operated until engineering surveys in 2016 confirmed a new danger of collapse.
Dacha "White Swallow"
Some sources claim that the owner of the Swallow's Nest was the merchant Shelaputin, and it was he who came up with the idea to create a neo-Gothic landmark in Crimea. Historians are sure that there was confusion: just 30 meters from the original “nest” there is a two-story dacha “White Swallow”, built by order of Shelaputin in 1888. Part of the Zhemchuzhina sanatorium, it was reconstructed in 2002 and is now rented out to tourists for accommodation. The object is absolutely safe, since it is removed from the edge of the cliff, but from its terrace there is an excellent view of the Swallow's Nest and the sea.
Architectural features of the Swallow's Nest castle
Sherwood was often accused of lack of taste, pointing out the excessive number of tiers and towers per unit area. In fact, such a building density was forced: a plot of land suitable for work occupied only 10 by 20 m, and the house was supposed to be lived in. Initially, the Swallow's Nest complex included a residential building, a summer kitchen with amenities, and a watchman's house. The owners were housed in a 12-meter two-story tower, in tiny bedrooms; a more substantial living room was located away from the cliff. What the author can really be reproached for is the lack of thought for additional protection for the foundation. In an earthquake-prone area, it was possible to say with absolute certainty that conventional measures were not enough and the building would partially or completely end up in the sea. Which is what happened just 15 years after construction was completed.
Activities in the surrounding area
Under the Aurora rock, below the water level, there is a network of grottoes up to 10 m deep. The narrow entrance to it is at a depth of 8 meters, so single dives without an experienced instructor and flashlights are strictly prohibited. The grottoes are called Ichthyander Caves in memory of the film “Amphibian Man,” which was filmed in these places.
Another option extreme recreation Available only to professional athletes. From time to time, acrobatic jumping competitions are held on Aurora Rock. A take-off platform is installed at a height of 27 m. Without this device, a daredevil throwing himself down from the height of a city high-rise building is guaranteed to crash on the rocks.
Address: Russia, Republic of Crimea, Gaspra village
Date of construction: 1912
Architect: Sherwood L.V.
Coordinates: 44°25"49.9"N 34°07"42.5"E
Short description
On the edge of the 40-meter Aurora cliff, hanging over the sea, perched a miniature snow-white building called the Swallow's Nest. This architectural and historical monument, immortalized on the coat of arms of the village of Gaspra, is rightfully considered a symbol of the Southern Coast of Crimea.
The Swallow's Nest, built in a pseudo-Gothic style, resembles a knight's castle. Battlements with lancet windows rise in ledges to a round three-tiered tower with spiers that crowns the entire structure.
The interior decoration of the Swallow's Nest cannot be called luxurious; there are no decorations here other than antique fireplaces and ebony beams with frog-shaped supports. The dimensions of the castle are not large: width - 10 meters, length - 20 meters and height - 12 meters, but it impresses with its favorable location - between the sea and the sky.
Love nest of Aurora and Poseidon
There is a romantic legend about this castle: the ruler of the sea, Poseidon, fell in love with the goddess of the dawn, Aurora, but his passion was not mutual. The God of the Sea decided to bewitch Aurora with the help of a magic diadem.
He resorted to cunning, persuading the lord of the winds, Aeolus, to obscure the sky with black clouds so that Aurora could not brighten the morning with a wonderful dawn. The Lady of the Dawn dozed off in agonizing anticipation, and Poseidon crept up to her with a magic diadem in his hands, but dropped the crown into a crevice. The clouds cleared, and Aurora illuminated the sky with rays. One of the rays flashed in the gorge, where the fragments of Poseidon’s crown rested, and, lighting up with a bright light, turned into a beautiful castle.
A Brief History of the Swallow's Nest
The first wooden structure on the ledge of the cape appeared at the end of the 19th century, when a retired general who participated in the Russian-Turkish war was granted land in Crimea, and he built a country house here. The second owner of the estate was the court physician and councilor of the zemstvo A.K. Tobin.
After his death, the widow sold the estate to the Moscow merchant Rakhmanina. The Swallow's Nest acquired its modern appearance thanks to the German oil industrialist and baron Rudolf von Stengel.
On the site of a wooden house, he erected a stone structure, taking medieval castles in Germany as a model. To realize his plan, the baron invited the talented Soviet architect L.V. Sherwood, the son of the famous V.I. Sherwood, who designed the building of the Historical Museum on Red Square in Moscow. At the beginning of the First World War, Shtengel prudently sold the estate to the merchant Shelaputin. During Soviet times, the Swallow's Nest housed a reading room at the Zhemchuzhina holiday home.
The earthquake of 1927 spared the castle; it suffered almost no damage, except for the torn off spiers and the collapsed lower balcony. During the reconstruction, the building was surrounded by anti-seismic belts.
Swallow's Nest - a source of inspiration
For the last twenty years, there has been an Italian restaurant within the castle walls. Strong drinks and magnificent landscapes inspired visitors to perform feats - jumping into the sea from the “nest”. In 2011, the Crimean authorities closed the restaurant and placed the building in exhibition halls. The exhibition presents lithographs, drawings and engravings telling about the history of the Southern Coast of Crimea. In September 2011, an international championship in cliff diving - acrobatic diving - was held on the Swallow's Nest rock.
