"Swallow's Nest" in the Crimea: features, history and location

Places that have a romantic history have always attracted thousands of tourists. "Swallow's Nest" is just one of these places. And although it is relatively young compared to other cultural monuments of the Crimea, it was he who had the honor of becoming a visiting card of the peninsula.

"Swallow's Nest" is a sight that every tourist who comes to rest in Crimea is simply obliged to see. After all, a miniature white castle, comfortably located on the very edge of a 40-meter cliff, cannot be appreciated. The castle was built in the Gothic style and is somewhat reminiscent of medieval buildings, popular during the times of chivalry.

On the walls of the castle are battlements, lancet windows. The building is crowned with a 3-level round-shaped turret, at the top of which there are several spiers. As for the interior of the room, you should not expect something supernatural and bewitching, there are almost no decorations there. The castle is quite small - only 12 m in height and 20 m in length, however its beauty lies not in size but in location. If you look at the "Swallow's Nest" from the sea, it seems as if it is floating in the sky.

The rock, on which the castle is located today, has been known since antiquity. Few people know that at the bottom of the rock itself is a cave, in which, according to the assumptions of historians, primitive people lived. Later, a fortress was built on the rock, which was then replaced by a lighthouse.

At the end of the 19th century, a building was erected on a rock intended for the Russian general who participated in the Crimean War. To date, references, and even the name of the general, have not been preserved, and the type of construction can be found only through photographs and paintings by artists.

After a while, the general's cottage was handed over to a certain Tobin, who held the post of doctor under Alexander III in the Livadia Palace. The doctor did not succeed in occupying the building for a long time, as he soon died. After that, his wife sold the building along with the land on which it was located to the merchant merchant Rakhmanina.

The appearance of the building did not impress the merchant at all, and she ordered a complete demolition of the building. It was she who subsequently owned the idea to build a castle. When the building was completed, it was called the Swallow's Nest. The castle was built of wood and, if you familiarize yourself with the canvases of artists of those times, it becomes clear that it was very similar to its modern counterpart.

The wooden structure did not last too long, since P. L. Shteingel drew attention to itengaged in the oil industry. This man was keenly interested in medieval buildings and had long dreamed of realizing his dreams by building a beautiful Gothic ensemble. The engineer Leonid Sherwood helped him in this, who enthusiastically took up the implementation of the project into reality.

In 1912, the old wooden building was destroyed, and in a fairly short time its place was taken by a light and elegant white castle. Its dimensions did not differ from modern ones. In addition, the estate was surrounded by a small garden. In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, the owner of the castle decided to sell it and go to Germany. The castle was bought by the merchant Shelaputin, and some time later he opened a restaurant there. The idea at that time was not very successful, the restaurant did not bring profit, and therefore quickly fell into decay.

In 1920, Soviet power was established in Crimea, and the Swallow’s Nest was finally paid attention to. A dining room was organized here, but even for a long time it did not exist thanks to the strong earthquake of 1927. The rock under the castle cracked, and because of this, the kindergarten, broken near the estate, collapsed into the depths of the sea. The observation deck sagged menacingly, but the building did not receive much damage.

The castle began to be restored only after 1960, it was then that the castle was well fortified. The next reconstruction took place in 2002, and the castle again opened its doors to tourists. A restaurant was located inside, while outside it was possible to walk around the souvenir market.

Since 2011, excursions are regularly held in the palace, exhibitions are constantly held. Despite this, the palace constantly requires reconstruction, as it is located in a rather dangerous area. The fact that the rock under the castle is regularly strengthened leads to the fact that it becomes thicker, and from time to time it can give chips.

If you carefully study the map of Crimea, we will see that the castle "Swallow's Nest" is located in the resort town of Gaspra. Gaspra is located on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula, 12 km west of the city of Yalta.

The castle is located near the Haraks Palace, on top of the Aurorina rock of Cape Ai-Todor, whose height is 40 meters. The exact address of the attraction is Gaspra, 9A Alupkinskoye Shosse. If you do not plan to go into the castle itself, you can also see it from the sea, riding up on one of the pleasure boats down the cliffs. From the track you will have to go 1200 steps.And although this tour may seem burdensome to many, stunning views of the bays of Yalta and Ayu-Dag will be simply impossible to forget.

The path to the "Swallow's Nest" is not particularly difficult, and you can choose different means of transportation.

• Car. If you plan to drive your own car, follow the Yalta-Sevastopol highway to the turn to the Gaspra village. Once you see the souvenir shops, you can begin to search for parking. Parking prices are approximately 100-300 rubles per hour, it all depends on how close you are to the castle.

• Bus. A cheaper option is public transport. There are quite a lot of buses to Gaspra, you can catch those that run in the direction of Alupka or Simeiz. It can be routes 115, 102, 132. The stop at which you will need to get out is called “Swallow's Nest”.

• Boat. To get to the castle is quite possible by sea, many consider this the best option in the heat. The first destination is the Marine Station in Yalta. Motor ships depart from it every half an hour, which will quickly take you to the desired place. Each walk is accompanied by a guide who talks about all the sights by which the ship goes. Last flights - 18.00 and 18.30. Please note that during these two flights no passengers are disembarked, so if you want to go up to the castle, leave early. But also, of course, you can rent private yachts and boats, but the cost of tickets will increase.

Before talking about the interior decoration of a romantic castle, it is worth a little talk about what is around it. As already noted, in order to arrive directly at the Swallow’s Nest, you will need to overcome about 1200 steps. However, judging by the reviews, the campaign is not particularly difficult. In addition, many tourists claim that it seemed to them that the steps were much smaller. While you will rise, be sure to find an observation deck from which you can once again take a look at the beautiful castle. And also along the way will be the Garden of Living Butterflies, where you can take a break and see, as well as buy a butterfly.

On the way to the castle you will see many souvenir shops, as well as a cafe where you can buy ice cream, kvass, lemonade, and, of course, order dishes on the grill or barbecue. Near the "Swallow's Nest" there is another observation deck, which offers stunning views of the sea bays, as well as Mount Ayu-Dag.

As for the castle itself, nobody can forbid you to inspect it from the inside. Nevertheless, it is not worth hoping to see old interiors here - they simply have not survived. Let us recall the history of the castle: literally every decade it passed to a new owner, who strove to make it unique. Steingel realized his dream of a Gothic building, but he didn’t have time to furnish anything inside, he had to leave. Before the revolution, one of the owners arranged everything in the old Russian direction, which has nothing to do with Gothic.

Of course, with this authentic approach nothing could be saved. Now inside the castle is a cultural and exhibition center, designed to attract visitors to the walls of the "Swallow's Nest". Every two months the exposure is updated. Tourists are offered to look at interesting ancient artifacts, paintings by famous artists, old photos and postcards. And here you can listen to the history of Crimea and the famous romantic legend of Poseidon and Aurora. After leaving the castle, do not forget about another local tradition - the Wish Tree. It is located next to the castle, and every vacationer can attach a ribbon to it, which will symbolize the speedy fulfillment of desire.

Entrance to the castle territory is free, any tourist has the right to enter and explore the external territory, visiting observation platforms also does not require payment. If you want to listen to a guide who will tell about the history and sights of the castle, and take you through the inner chambers of the palace, this will cost a small amount. You will also have the opportunity to see the exhibitions that take place during your visit. The price for examining two rooms is 250 rubles for an adult, and 125 for a child.

As for the opening hours of the castle museum, it all depends on the time of year. From November to May, the castle is open for visitors, but closes quite early - at 16.00. You should not plan a trip for Monday; the Swallow’s Nest does not work on this day. But from May to October there is no weekend in the work of the palace - anyone can visit it from 10.00 to 19.00. In addition, if you intend to visit the castle, it is possible to know in advance what exhibitions there will be.

A huge number of impressions from visiting the castle and its surroundings can awaken a good appetite. It is not worth worrying about this, as there are several cafes and restaurants near the castle. The closest to the palace is the Maria Café, or rather, it is located directly on its territory. The cafe has outdoor and indoor areas, as well as a terrace from which you can enjoy views of the sea. The cuisine here is diverse: homemade, Mediterranean and different. You can order dishes on the grill.

The next cafe is 400 meters from the castle and is called “Yacht”. There is a summer terrace with wonderful views of the castle and its surroundings. The cuisine here is Mediterranean and Eastern European; the main emphasis is on fish and seafood dishes. Prices are about the same as in "Mary", but there are discounts for regular customers and tourist groups.

At the same distance from the palace is the popular restaurant Elena. Here, vacationers can not only enjoy beautiful landscapes, but also try several types of cuisines. Seafood appetizers are especially tasty here, as well as exclusive dishes of young lamb. The restaurant offers a rich wine list, as well as live music and an original children's menu with surprises.

A little further from the castle, at a distance of 500 meters or more there are such cafes and restaurants as Erpan, "Prince's Kitchen", "Little Farm".

Having decided to come to the Swallow’s Nest castle, you can think about staying in Gaspra for the whole day. There are several hotels near the castle, but keep in mind that daily accommodation in them will cost no less than 6 thousand rubles. However, such hotels provide a full range of services for a good rest: Wi-Fi, private beaches, food, swimming pools, accommodation, gyms, various medical procedures. The hotels closest to the palace are the Zhemchuzhina sanatorium, Kichkine, and the Livadiysky SPA hotel.

A more budgetary decision is to turn to the services of guest houses or boarding houses, here accommodation will be an average of 2000 rubles per person. Most popular places: guest house Tavr, boarding house "Malachite", hotel "Monsoon".

In addition, a hostel is located near the castle, where you can pay about 500 rubles for accommodation. But also there is always the opportunity to inexpensively rent a house for a day from one of the private owners.

Such a structure as the "Swallow's Nest", of course, could not fail to be reflected in folk culture and creativity. For example, this aerial building featured in several famous films. Among them are “Ten Little Indians”, “Academy” and “Travel of Pan Blots”, “Blue Bird” and many others.

The Swallow's Nest is also very popular in numismatics. In 2008, Ukraine issued coins depicting a castle, gold - 50 hryvnia, silver - 10. The circulation of a gold coin was 4000 copies, silver - 5000. In 2012, an interesting coin was issued already in Poland - the coin was made of silver and had the shape of the Crimean peninsula.

In 2014, Russia also issued a coin with a face value of 10 rubles, which sold out in a circulation of 10 million. And in 2016, the soaring castle adorned itself with new 100-ruble bills.

Having decided to visit the Swallow’s Nest castle, you will never leave disappointed. The complex history and numerous reconstructions allowed the castle to be what it is today, and no one knows how much more time it has been given to please humanity. No wonder the “Swallow's Nest” was included in the “7 Wonders of Crimea”, because when you see this airy, white and romantic palace, you will definitely want to get here again.

About the "Swallow's Nest", see the video below.