Swallow's nest initial appearance. Where is the architectural monument of the swallow's nest castle in the Crimea. Wedding ceremonies

A tiny medieval castle with turrets and spiers, soaring above the Black Sea waves, is a symbol of the Crimean peninsula Swallow's Nest, firmly entrenched on the outermost span of the Aurora rock of Cape Ai-Todor near Yalta.

An unusual building, covered with legends and stories, arose from the whim of a retired Russian general, who was granted by Tsarina Catherine a piece of the Crimean coast in the village of Gaspra for military services in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. A romantic veteran ordered to cut down a wooden manor house on the very edge of a 40-meter cliff and lay a garden nearby. The dacha was bought several times, in the possession of the Moscow merchant Rachmanina it received its current name Swallow's Nest, or the Shelter of Love. By 1912, the house was bought by a Baku oil industrialist, German by origin, Baron von Steingel, who loved to relax in the Crimea. The wooden building was completely dismantled, and in its place there was a miracle palace in the style knightly castles the homeland of the baron, designed by L. Sherwood. The building turned out to be in its modern overhanging state after the earthquake of 1927, when a piece broke off from the Aurora rock from under the lower balcony together with the garden and went under the water, and a huge crack appeared in the rock itself, due to which architectural masterpiece for almost 40 years it was considered an emergency facility.

But, despite the danger of destruction, the Swallow's Nest has always aroused increased interest and curiosity of tourists trying to get closer to the castle, inspect it, take pictures. After a major reconstruction aimed at eliminating the crack and strengthening the foundation of the building, excursions were allowed near the palace.

Now this unique building has been declared an architectural monument and is available for inspection by everyone who comes to Crimea. In small rooms there is a museum, exhibits of which tell about the history of the amazing castle, as well as exhibitions of painting.

Attractions Swallow's Nest

One of the most interesting expositions of recent years, presented in the palace-castle, was the exhibition of underwater painting "Raphael of the Sea", which presented works written by artists in the depths of the Black and Red Seas, including paintings underwater world next to Avrorina rock. Few people know that under the Swallow's Nest there is a cave of the same name - a system of underwater grottoes connected by narrow passages. The vaults of one of the grottoes are heavily smoked, and scientists suggest that in antiquity the sea level was lower and, possibly, the cave was the abode of primitive man.

By the way, the main character the famous film "Amphibian Man" returns to his home precisely through the underwater grottoes of the Swallow's Nest.

At the eastern outlines of Cape Ai-Todor, a lonely stone Sail rises - a rock that emerged directly from the sea surface, and above it, at an 80-meter height at the edge of the abyss, there is an observation deck "Captain's Bridge" from which unusually stunning views of the sea, sky and miniature Castle of Love.

Behind the palace rushed up the Ai-Todorskiy lighthouse, behind which, in a shady park, there are modern buildings of the Parus and Zhemchuzhina sanatoriums. With observation deck Swallow's nest offers spectacular views of Mount Ayu-Dag, Yalta Bay and Yalta itself.

Places of interest nearby Swallow's Nest

For a curious tourist gaze in Gaspra, the architectural and natural objects filling the surrounding landscapes with extraordinary spectacular highlights or associated with the names of prominent personalities.

A striking example of the English Gothic style is the Yasnaya Polyana mansion, in which Leo Tolstoy lived for a long time, was treated and was engaged in creative work. The park around the estate with rich vegetation adjoins the garden around the former royal estate "Ai-Todor", built for the Grand Duke Mikhail Romanov and connected with the Livadia Palace by a specially equipped royal path.

The Kharax mansion, surrounded by the Kharak park, is a place of settlement of the ancient Romans, who built a fortress here in the 1st century AD.

The miniature Moorish palace Kichkine was built for the imperial grandson Dmitry Romanov.

Main attractions South Shore Crimea - pebble beaches located in the vicinity of the Swallow's Nest belong to the sanatoriums "Parus", "Marat", "Yasnaya Polyana", there is also a municipal beach with a length of more than 400 m.

The tourist infrastructure of Crimea, which has been developing for decades, has excellent conditions for recreation, entertainment and health improvement, and the warm mild climate of the coast allows sunbathing and sea lovers to enjoy from mid-May to late October.

Where to stay in Gaspra

In addition to the resort complexes, Gaspra has a fairly well developed network of hotels and hotels that provide tourists with comfortable accommodation and decent service: resort hotel « Pine grove", The park-hotel" Marat ", mini-hotels Erpan Hotel and Voronin Guest House with price ranges from 490 to 1560 rubles. per day. Excursions to the Swallow's Nest are included in the recreation programs of many tourist institutions of the Crimean coast, including, first of all, the tourist complexes of Yalta and Alupka.

How to get there

Russia, Crimea, Big Yalta, Gaspra village, Cape Ai-Todor, Alupkinskoe highway

The village of Gaspra is located 20 km from Yalta. It is easy to drive your car along the Yuzhnoberezhnoe highway, guided by the signs, through the territory of the Zhemchuzhina sanatorium. Route taxis No. 27 and 32 leave from the Yalta bus station every hour, you need to go to the stop "Sanatorium Parus", but not everyone is pleased to overcome almost 700 steps on the way to the castle. That is why many tourists choose the sea route, which takes more time, but allows them to enjoy the trip on a regular motor ship, departing from the Yalta seaport and arriving directly at the “Swallow's Nest” pier.

The nearest airport from Yalta and Train Station located in Simferopol - 80 km. The flight from Moscow to Simferopol is 2.5 hours, the cost is from 6 to 13 thousand rubles, and about an hour for shuttle taxi to Yalta, slightly less to Alupka. Trolleybuses also run along the Crimean coast, the journey takes 2 times longer, although about the same is cheaper.

Across Kerch Strait get to Crimea by railway transport to Anapa or Krasnodar. The fare by bus from Anapa to Yalta will be 350 rubles, from Krasnodar to Yalta - 750 rubles. The Crimean peninsula has a bus connection with many cities in southern Russia thanks to ferry crossing Port-Caucasus - Kerch.

There are many amazing places... One of these is the Swallow's Nest in the Crimea.

It is popular all year round. Here thousands of tourists come daily... They take pictures, walk here and look at this wonderful area with their own eyes. How to get to it and where is it located? This needs to be dealt with.

In which city is it located and how to get to it?

bird home located in Yalta, near the village of Gaspra. This relatively small structure is located on the Aurora rock of Cape Ai-Todor at a height of 40 meters.

How to get there to the Swallow's Nest? Regular buses leave from Yalta and follow their destination. In addition, you can take a pleasure boat. It will take tourists to the foot of the cliff, on which the Swallow's Nest is located.

If you wish, you can drive along the highway and on personal car... This is not difficult to do, as there are many signs on the road.

Excursion tours

At the beginning of the 20th century, all interiors were completely lost in the Swallow's Nest. For this reason, at the base of the castle a cultural and exhibition center appeared... All kinds of exhibitions are regularly held in this place. Archaeologists bring here various artifacts, paintings of the 17th - 20th centuries, old photos and much more.

To the right of the Swallow's Nest is the Wish Tree. Tourists decorate it with ribbons that symbolize desires.

The most up-to-date excursion today is the event "Yalta - Swallow's Nest - Yalta". The excursion is carried out on a pleasure boat. Study of the curious historical facts about Yalta.

Besides, tourists will see to interesting sanatoriums, enjoy nature. The guide will tell you everything famous stories that are associated with the Swallow's Nest. Near the castle you can take a walk, take photos and buy souvenirs.

The world is a large number of beautiful and mysterious castles. In the Middle Ages, they were the most prestigious housing for a well-to-do segment of the population. The castle indicated the wealth and nobility of its owner. The buildings were reliably protected and had everything necessary for living. The first castles appeared in England and were built from wood. Later they began to make of stone. One of the most famous similar structures in Russia is the Swallow's Nest castle in the Crimea. The history of its creation, as well as interesting facts about this place, are presented in the article. We invite you to take a virtual tour.

Crimea. "Swallow's Nest": history of creation

When we mention castles, we imagine something grand and majestic. I also remember the beautiful ladies who are awaiting their release. The history of the "Swallow's Nest" in Crimea is interesting and surprising. Let's plunge into wonderful world of this place... It will be interesting to know when the construction of this castle began? Who lived here? Are there any legends associated with this place? Why is the castle called that? And also other facts related to the history of the "Swallow's Nest" in Crimea are of interest. Further we will try to answer in detail all the above questions.

Construction and first owners

Curious to know when the Swallow's Nest castle was built? The Crimean land has always attracted a large number of people. The rich and eager to buy a plot here at a bargain price. There was nothing surprising in this. After all, the wonderful mountain air, endless sea, beautiful nature had a beneficial effect on the human body and well-being. Estates and parks were built here.

One of the rocks especially attracted attention. They came here to meet the dawn of the sun. Once a general (his name is unfortunately unknown) came up with the idea to build a summer house here. He called it "The Castle of Love". Perhaps in honor of the memory of his beloved or dreams of her. This remained a mystery. The general watched and admired the construction of his castle every day. Although it was only one-story and looked more like a dacha. After the death of the general, the building was sold to Albert Tobin.

Other owners

The next owner of the "Swallow's Nest" was a Moscow merchant - Anna Rakhmanova. She decided to demolish the wooden buildings and build a new stone building. But, soon she sold the house to the German baron von Stengel. The new owner decided to completely remodel the house.

A small castle was built on the Aurora rock, which surprisingly resembled those of the knights. But, only in a miniature version. The building was simply magnificent, however, the baron did not admire it for long. The First World War broke out and he was forced to leave for Germany. Before leaving, he sold the Swallow's Nest to a wealthy merchant Pavel Shelaputin, who opened a restaurant here. But the war was going on, and there were few people who wanted to have fun in such a difficult time. Therefore, the restaurant did not last long and was soon closed.

After several earthquakes, the building was declared emergency and closed for some time. After the restoration work, fascinating excursions began to be held here.

Name

Anyone who plans to visit the "Swallow's Nest" in Crimea, the history of the name will also be interesting.

Many questions that tourists have are immediately answered here. When you first see the castle, the association arises that it is just as attached to the rock as to the wall of a house. Moreover, the size of this building is quite small. Which also emphasizes the resemblance to a bird's house. It is only ten meters wide and twenty meters long.

But, and that's not all. Once upon a time, a section of a high cliff, from which the sea was perfectly visible, was chosen by swallows for their homes. This is where the name of this place comes from.

Curious facts

Getting acquainted with the history of the "Swallow's Nest" in Crimea, you can learn a lot interesting information... Many readers will probably be interested to know the following details about this place:

• The history of the construction of the "Swallow's Nest" in Crimea is of interest not only to Russians, but also to foreign tourists.
• This place has been portrayed by many famous artists... Among them are Ivan Aivazovsky and Alexei Bogolyubov.
• The building is made in the Gothic style. The building reflects its characteristic features. Such as: extended upward windows; sharpness; ribbed, repeating lines, and more. Such buildings were more typical for Europe than for Russia.
• The Swallow's Nest castle has been partially destroyed several times. Restoration work has been carried out here several times.
• The castle was once a restaurant and then a reading room.
• Exhibitions of paintings by famous artists are often held here.
• "Swallow's Nest" bore other names - "Generalif" and "Castle of Love".
• Scenes from once popular films - "Amphibian Man" and "Ten Little Indians" were filmed here.
• Once there was a garden near the castle. But, as a result of an earthquake, he collapsed into the sea. They did not restore it.

Where is it located and how to get there?

How many readers know the exact address of the Swallow's Nest? How can you get here? Now you will find out about it. The exact address The castle is next - Crimea, Gaspra village, Alupkinskoe highway, 9 A. You can get here in the following ways:

• Own car. One of the most convenient and fastest ways.
• Taxi. It can be taken from the Yalta bus station.
• Buses. It is best to go from Yalta. Route numbers: 102, 132. Travel time thirty to forty minutes.
• On the boat. One of the most enjoyable ways. You can see the beautiful castle not only from land but also from the sea.

Souvenirs and gifts

Surely our readers will be curious to know what you can buy here as a souvenir of a wonderful place. Tourists love to buy the following souvenirs and gifts:

• ceramic crafts;
• miniature images of the Swallow's Nest;
• plastic trays;
• beautiful corals and shells;
• paintings and more.

What can you do here?

Many people like to visit the most interesting sights. "Swallow's Nest" is just such a place. It will be interesting to know what you can do here for visitors from different cities and countries of the world. The list of popular entertainments in the Swallow's Nest will look like this:

• Photographing against the background of a landmark.
• Inspection of the territory and the building of the "Swallow's Nest".
• Study of the history of the construction of the "Swallow's Nest" in the Crimea.
• Admire the beautiful views of the cliffs and endless sea that open here.
• Acquaintance with various exhibitions, which are constantly updated here.
• Purchase of souvenirs, which are sold here in large quantities.
• Visit to the cafe. Here you can refresh your strength and relax in a pleasant and cozy environment.
• On the territory of the castle there is a tree on which a large number of colored ribbons are tied. It is customary for tourists to stop here. They say that if you tie a ribbon to it and ask for something intimate, then your wish will come true.
• Relax in the sanatorium, which is located at the foot of the "Swallow's Nest".
• Swim in the sea and relax on the cozy beach.

The swallow's nest is one of the most beautiful and romantic places Crimean peninsula. Introducing Yalta, most tourists remember the Swallow's Nest, although it is 11 km from Yalta to the castle, for example, to the Livadia Palace, only 4.5 km.

Geographic coordinates of the Swallow's Nest on the Crimea map GPS N 44.430467 E 34.128399

The swallow's nest is located south of Yalta, in the village of Gaspra, on a 40-meter sheer cliff called Aurora. The rock most likely got its name from the ancient Greeks, who settled on this land in the 1st century AD and built the Kharax fortress near the Aurora rock. Aurora in ancient greece was considered the goddess of the morning dawn. If you ever happen to meet the dawn at the Swallow's Nest, then you will certainly understand the ancient Greeks who gave this rock its name.

The fame of the Castle of Love quickly spread throughout Tsarist Russia and thousands of tourists from all over the Crimea went to admire this curiosity. Among the curious were the famous marine painters Aivazovsky and Bogolyubov.
The castle of love belonged to a retired military man, but the name and reasons for such a romantic name, unfortunately, have not survived to this day.
After the death of a retired military man, the Castle of Love changed several owners and fell into the hands of the oil baron Steingel, who, at the very opportune time, turned out to be a great romantic and decided to rebuild the Castle of Love into a new castle - the Swallow's Nest.

Castle Swallow's Nest designed in the neo-Gothic style, similar to castles in Germany, with loopholes, spiers, but in a miniature and fairytale manner. Therefore, instead of a gray Gothic building, a light one appeared, magic castle, harmoniously blended into the Crimean coast.
In 1912, the Swallow's Nest was put into operation and immediately became an attraction of the Crimea. From Yalta organized daily sea ​​excursions to Aurora rock with a walk through the village of Gaspra.
After the revolution, the Swallow's Nest is turned into a restaurant. A little later, rushing from one extreme to another, they give away for the needs of the library and a reading room opens there.

In 1927, one of the most powerful earthquakes in several centuries happened in Crimea, with a magnitude of up to 7 points with an epicenter in the southern part of the peninsula. The earthquake destroyed part of the support foundation, several turrets and part of the balcony. The building fell into disrepair and was closed for visits for almost 40 years, until 1971. In 1971, the foundation was strengthened and the lost parts of the building were reconstructed. The swallow's nest is again open to guests of Crimea and to receive visitors.

In recent years in Museum was opened to the swallow's nest and an exhibition of paintings. Once inside, you can see the exhibits, the old fireplace with the family coat of arms, climb the wooden stairs to the second floor, admire the views from the windows.
Getting to the Swallow's Nest is quite simple: either by lower road- along the Sevastopol highway to the village of Gaspra, and from there, follow the signs to the Swallow's Nest, there you park in the parking lot and go to the castle on foot; or along the upper road - on the Yuzhnoberezhnoye Highway, turn at the Gaspra signpost and move towards the sea until the Swallow's Nest signpost.

Directly to the castle itself, you can also drive up to exclude the walking route, but only there will be nowhere to park the car. There is no parking space, so you will have to unload passengers and return to the start of the route.
Not far from the start walking route from May to October there are barkers who are ready to take you to the castle for a fee. The prices are usually the same as if the carriage will not be for a distance of 1 km, but sightseeing tour along the southern coast of Crimea.
The hiking trail to the Swallow's Nest consists of 1200 steps, small descent and ascent. The castle can be reached unhurriedly in 10-15 minutes. Having climbed to the castle, they usually walk along the balcony, visit several viewing platforms, after taking pictures of themselves, go to the museum. After the museum, you must definitely get to the wish tree with your blank. After completing the entire ritual, you can enjoy the beauty of the panoramic sea view, pay attention to the Sail rock and the eagle above it.

From the Swallow's Nest castle, you can return to the parking lot or go down to the foot of the castle, to the pier, and from there take a motor ship to Vorontsov Palace or Yalta. The journey will be very entertaining and interesting.
Cost of visiting the Swallow's Nest: free; visiting an exhibition of paintings - 200 rubles. No matter what time you visit the Swallow's Nest, it will definitely not leave you indifferent.

Surprising facts about the Swallow's Nest
1. Under the Swallow's Nest there is a small cave, which is also called the Swallow's Nest. You can swim to the cave. The cave is formed by a small chain of grottoes up to 10-12 meters deep. One of the halls of the cave is black. Scientists suggest that in the Neolithic era, when the sea level was 20-30 meters lower, ancient people could have lived in this cave. So diving enthusiasts should pay attention to the Swallow's Nest Cave.
2. In 1927, after an earthquake and the partial destruction of the Swallow's Nest, the question of moving the castle along the stones into the depths of the Gaspra village, 30-50 meters from the cliff, was seriously discussed, and to recreate it anew. The discussions lasted for about 5 years, but fortunately, the matter did not go beyond theory.
3. In 1996, while filming the film “Police Story 4” with Jackie Chan, the film crew arrived in Crimea to stage several episodes, but after visiting the Swallow's Nest, Jackie Chan decided to slightly change the script and shoot a few shots in front of the castle.
Also, the Swallow's Nest fell under the sights of the lenses in such films as: "Ten Little Indians", "Academy of Pan Blots", "Blue Bird" and "Myo, my Myo".
4. The Swallow's Nest is the most recognizable castle in the post-Soviet space, and more than 72% of the respondents indicated exactly where it is.

"Swallow's Nest" is a beautiful castle, which is one of the examples of medieval architecture. This outstanding architectural monument was built on a steep cliff of Aurora about 40 meters high in the village of Gaspra (South coast of Crimea).

The buildings fully correspond to the medieval castles of the "eagle's nest" type, which were erected on inaccessible rocks. In those days, this was quite common. One example is the fortified tower - Fort Torri di Belém in Lisbon (Portugal).

Or Miramare castle in Trieste(Italy), which has an important historical meaning, and is also characterized by extreme beauty and graceful lines.

If you compare the architectural features of the "Swallow's Nest", you can see similar stylistic features. So, despite its grace and refinement of lines, the castle is a fairly fortified structure and a reliable shelter.

Such a layout of structures on the ground was fully justified by considerations of the safety of the owners, because the approach to its gates was only from one side. But the grief was for the defenders of the castle, if this only road was blocked by the conquerors - in this case, there was practically no way to retreat.

The historical and cultural significance of the Swallow's Nest is extremely high, so the building became the central image on the emblem of the South Coast of Crimea.

Construction history

Initially, on the site of the present castle in the 70s of the XIX century, a small building was erected from. It was the dacha of one of the retired generals of the Russian army. This area was so beautiful, and the view nestled on the very edge of the cliff was so picturesque that some artists of that time (I.K.Aivazovsky, A.P. Bogolyubov and L.F. Lagorio) captured it on their canvases.

In the future, the wooden house passed into the possession of the court doctor A.K. Tobin, but no renovations, much less rebuilding of the building occurred. Some time after the death of her husband, the widow sold the plot with the house to the wealthy Moscow merchant Rachmanina.

The old small building was immediately demolished, and an elegant wooden castle was built in its place, which the sentimental merchant's wife called "The Swallow's Nest". It was with her light hand that this poetic name was assigned to the new structure.

Of course, this structure was much more luxurious and solid than the previous building, and if you also take into account its unique location on the very edge of the Aurora Rock, the impression made by the Swallow's Nest was incredibly strong.

However, the Swallow's Nest acquired its modern appearance only at the beginning of the 20th century, when the richest Russian oil industrialist P.L.Steingel acquired the site. He was extremely fond of the Black Sea and Crimea, and therefore wanted to create his own romantic corner on its sun-warmed land.

Construction medieval castle in was produced in 1911 - 1912 according to the project of the engineer and sculptor Leonid Sherwood, whose father was the famous Russian architect Vladimir Sherwood.

A feature of the Swallow's Nest is the stepped arrangement of its tiers. This was done because the building site at the edge of the cliff was relatively small. Thus, the foundation of the building has an area of ​​only 200 square meters (width = 10 meters and length = 20 meters). The height of the castle itself reaches 12 meters.

In a two-storey one, rising above a steep cliff, the rooms are arranged sequentially, in tiers - this is an entrance hall, a living room, and then steps and bedrooms, the windows of which overlook the endless sea distance.

The relatively small size of the site did not prevent the garden from being built around the castle, as well as neat walking paths. The estate was, of course, quite restrained, but at the same time it was more than paid off by the magical beauty of the surrounding nature - inaccessible rocks and endless sea spaces.

Two years later, the castle of unique beauty was sold to the merchant P.G. Shelaputin, who turned the Swallow's Nest from a cozy romantic nest into a restaurant, the interior of which was decorated in the Old Russian style, which did not in any way harmonize with the general structure.

Then there were well-known historical events - the October coup and the civil war, and for some time the Swallow's Nest stood in complete desolation. When Soviet power came to the Crimean peninsula, the castle was transferred to the disposal of the Main Directorate of State Farms of Crimea. However, they were in no hurry not only with the restoration of the building, but even with the maintenance of it.

After the famous Crimean earthquake in 1927, a huge crack formed in the rock on which the Swallow's Nest was built. This led to the fact that part of the estate with the garden located on it collapsed into the sea, and the observation deck loomed threateningly over the sea. But the castle itself survived and remained practically unscathed.

After the earthquake, the reading room of the Rest House was located in the Swallow's Nest for some time, but soon the castle was declared emergency, and it was closed for visits.

Only 30 years later, the restoration of the Swallow's Nest began. The base of the foundation was reinforced with a slab of wood, and the castle itself was carefully restored. Since then, the Swallow's Nest has been one of the symbols of the Crimea.

At the beginning of the XXI century, the "Swallow's Nest" was reconstructed, and the castle again housed a restaurant, this time Italian. However, in 2013, new cracks were discovered in the rock, which again made the building hazardous.

The Swallow's Nest is currently closed to the public and awaiting renovation. However, the castle continues to delight the eyes of guests of Crimea and local residents its refined beauty and refined grace of lines.

Swallow's nest in the work of artists

Famous marine painters late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century were struck by the refined grace of the Swallow's Nest, and therefore depicted it on their canvases.

The magical beauty of the castle is reflected in the works of many contemporary painters. They depict a graceful medieval castle in a different manner, in different time days and under lighting of different intensity, but the beauty of the Swallow's Nest does not fade at all.

Fine paintings by modern painters, as well as high-quality reproductions of paintings, can become a real interior decoration not only in, but also in many classical styles.