Construction and restoration drawings of the Crimean swallow's nest. "Swallow's Nest", Crimea: history, description, interesting facts and reviews
The Swallow's Nest in Crimea was built by a retired officer immediately after the end of the war with Turkey in 1877. Only a brave person could come up with a bold decision and implement it.
Then it was a small wooden house on one floor, which was used by the owner as a dacha.
Why was it called the Swallow's Nest?
Later, the house became the property of the court physician of Alexander III, Tobin. After his death, relatives sold the building to the famous Moscow merchant Rakhmanina. It is to her that the castle owes its name. Rakhmanina demolished the old building. And in its place, a two-story wooden castle appeared, to which the merchant gave the name - Swallow's Nest.
Swallow's Nest history in brief
After the merchant's wife, the Swallow's Nest went to Rudolf von Stengel, a German industrialist who often liked to spend time in the Crimea. The German, with the help of a famous engineer and sculpture by Leonid Sherwood, created a real stone castle, which we can admire to this day. In connection with the aggravation of Russian-German relations, Stengel was forced to return to Germany.
In 1914, the castle passed into the possession of the merchant Pavel Shelaputin. A restaurant was opened in the castle. The business did not bring the expected result and was declared unprofitable, the restaurant was closed. And the castle, after the change of several owners, is abandoned.
After the revolution of 1917, a canteen for party workers worked in the Swallow's Nest. But a strong earthquake in 1927 brought the castle into disrepair, the building was closed and fell into disrepair for several decades. The castle was in this form until 1967. A team of specialists led by the Yalta architect Tatiev strengthened the facade of the castle and the foundation of the rock, and restoration work was carried out in the castle.
In 2011, the Swallow's Nest castle received the status of an architectural and historical monument.
Today, Swallow's Nest is one of the 100 most popular places in Russia, taking 38th place. At the moment, in 2017, the Swallow's Nest is open to tourists. Thematic exhibitions are held in the castle premises. Anyone can buy a ticket and get inside the castle. You can see only two halls on the first floor of the building.
In one of the recent news, there was information that restoration work will begin next year, which will allow the castle to be fully opened to the public, including the second floor and balcony. Will wait.
The address: Russia, Republic of Crimea, Gaspra village
Date of construction: 1912
Architect: Shervuda 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 monument of architecture and history, 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 pseudo-Gothic style, resembles a knight's castle. The crenellated walls with lancet windows rise in ledges to the round three-tiered tower with spiers that crowns the entire structure.
The interior of the Swallow's Nest cannot be called luxurious, there are no decorations here, except for ancient 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 good location - between the sea and the sky.
Love nest of Aurora and Poseidon
There is a romantic legend about this castle: the lord of the sea, Poseidon, fell in love with the goddess of the morning 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, Eol, to obscure the sky with black clouds so that Aurora could not decorate the morning with a wonderful dawn. The mistress of the dawn dozed off in languid expectation, and Poseidon crept up to her with a magic diadem in his hands, but dropped the crown into a crevice. The clouds dissipated, and Aurora lit up the sky with rays. One of the rays flashed in the gorge, where the fragments of the crown of Poseidon rested, and, lit 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 the Crimea, and he built a country house here. The second owner of the estate was the court physician and vowel zemstvo A. K. Tobin.
After his death, the widow sold the estate to the Moscow merchant Rakhmanina. The Swallow's Nest acquired its modern look thanks to the German oilman and baron Rudolf von Stengel.
On the site of a wooden house, he erected a stone structure, taking the medieval castles of Germany as a model. To implement 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 World War I, Stengel prudently sold the estate to the merchant Shelaputin. In Soviet times, the Swallow's Nest housed a reading room at the Zhemchuzhina rest home.
The earthquake of 1927 spared the castle, it was almost not damaged, except for the plucked spiers and the collapsed lower balcony. During the reconstruction, the building was surrounded by anti-seismic belts.
Swallow's Nest - source of inspiration
For the past twenty years, the castle has housed an Italian restaurant. Hot drinks and magnificent landscapes inspired visitors to feats - jumping into the sea from the "nest". In 2011, the Crimean authorities closed the restaurant, and exhibition halls were placed in the building. The exposition presents lithographs, drawings and engravings telling about the history of the southern coast of Crimea. In September 2011, the international cliff diving championship was held on the Swallow's Nest rock - acrobatic diving.
This graceful building, unusual and beautiful, as if miraculously strengthened on a sheer 40-meter Aurora rock near the village of Gaspra, has long been considered a symbol of both the South Coast and the Crimean peninsula itself. The Swallow's Nest is a historical and architectural monument of the federal level.
Photos from the Swallow's Nest from users:
Short story
The first house on the rock appeared in the last decades of the 19th century. The wooden dacha of the general who fought in the Russian-Turkish campaign of 1877-78, whose name has not been preserved, did not differ in special architectural merits, but was captured in several paintings by I. Aivazovsky, A. Bogolyubov, L. Lagorio and in photographs.
Not much information remains about the next owner of the house. It is only known that he was the court physician of Alexander III and his name is A.K. Tobin.
After the death of the owner, the widow soon sold the plot.
It was acquired by a merchant from Moscow, Rakhmanina. She demolished the old house, and instead built a wooden castle and called it "Swallow's Nest".
The history of the attraction is modern, beginning in the 20th century. The next owner is the wealthy oilman P.L. Steingel (nephew of Baron R. Steingel, who built railways in Russia), decided to build a real romantic German castle in neo-Gothic style.
The construction was entrusted to the son of the famous architect V. Sherwood Leonid, who combined the talents of both a sculptor and an engineer.
Interesting:
L. Sherwood was in demand in Soviet Russia. He received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR. Together with a group of sculptors, he carried out the “Monumental Propaganda” plan developed by V. Lenin. He taught at the Academy of Arts in Petrograd.
The complexity of the task was the very small size of the site. Foundation area 10X20 m². The architect created a stepped composition, and managed to place it inside the palace (its height is only 12 m):
- small hallway
- living room
- 2 bedrooms in a two-story tower
In 1912, the work was completed, and in 1914 the owner changed again. Now the Swallow's Nest has been converted into a restaurant. It was owned by a merchant from Moscow, P.G. Shelaputin.
After the death of I.P. Shelaputin, the interior of the Gothic castle was redesigned in the Old Russian way.
And this is what the Swallow's Nest looks like today. Difficult times in the life of the castle
The small castle experienced difficult times along with the entire Crimean peninsula:
— during the civil war, it was forgotten and abandoned;
- in the 1920s, like other private properties, it belonged to the Administration of the Crimean state farms;
- in 1927, during the famous Yalta earthquake, a plot with a garden collapsed into the sea due to a crack in the rock. Fortunately, the palace itself was not damaged;
- in the 1930s. for some time there was a reading room of the Zhemchuzhina sanatorium.
Then the building was closed to the public as an emergency.
Only in the 1960s did the reconstruction of the attraction begin. As a result, the foundation was strengthened, the castle was surrounded by anti-seismic belts. The tower itself has changed a bit, increasing in height and acquiring 4 decorative spiers. All these innovations only improved the appearance of the palace.
Another photo from history.
Recent History of the Swallow's Nest
The restoration of the castle and the adjacent territory was completed only in 2002, and in 2005 an Italian restaurant was opened in the building, a market of local souvenirs was located around it.
In 2011, the monument was given the status of architectural and historical, national significance. Here began to open, replacing each other, various art, local history and historical exhibitions.
Photo from an art exhibition.
Since 2015, it has been a cultural heritage site of the federal level.
Another renovation took place in 2017.
Those who visit the amazing castle get a unique opportunity
- test yourself by climbing 1200 steps leading to the sights from the highway;
— admire the amazing view of the Yalta Bay, Ayu-Dag and the surrounding rocks;
- see the building itself and visit the museum,
- Take great photos.
Good to know:
– since 2007, the castle has been officially considered one of the seven wonders of Crimea;
- coins with the image of the palace were issued from silver and gold (Ukraine 2008);
- in 2014, a coin was minted in denominations of 10 rubles. in Russia;
- in 2012, a coin with a Swallow's Nest was minted in Poland for the island of Niue;
- Since 2016, this symbol of Crimea has been adorning one of the versions of the 100-ruble banknote.
The modern look of a swallow's nest.
And here is the view inside the castle.
A wonderful place could not fail to notice and filmmakers. Movies like this have been filmed here.
- "Blue bird";
- "Myo, my Mio";
- "Ten Little Indians";
- "The Journey of Pan Klyaksa";
- Jackie Chan himself was filmed here in a scene from the movie "Police Story - 4".
Video overview of the castle and its surroundings
Castle legend
Crimeans love to surround the most beautiful and interesting places of the peninsula with legends. Of course, this palace has its own.
A very romantic story about the love of the sea god Poseidon for the beautiful goddess of the morning dawn, Aurora. Unfortunately, the love was not mutual. To attract the beauty, Poseidon prepared a luxurious diadem for her, but asking the god of the wind Eol to catch up with the clouds (he wanted to quietly sneak up on Aurora and put the jewelry on her head), he missed in the dark and dropped the gift into a crevice of the rock.
And when the clouds cleared, a ray of sunshine penetrated the gorge, illuminated the crown, and it turned into a wonderful castle. Like this!
What services does the castle offer?
Visiting exhibitions
As a cultural and exhibition complex "Swallow's Nest" began to work at the beginning of the 20th century. Once every 1.5-2 months, art, local history and archaeological exhibitions changed in it.
Evening at the castle
From June to the end of August, the open area near the Swallow's Nest hosts concerts by artists of various genres, vernissages and performances by masters of various arts. Here you can see performances, performances of symphonic music orchestras and master classes of artists. All these events were called "Evening at the Castle".
Conducting wedding ceremonies
The newlyweds of the surroundings of Gaspra prefer to hold their wedding ceremony in the castle. Many romantic legends are associated with this place, so the Crimeans consider it the most successful marriage option.
wish tree
A tree grows near the castle, which, according to local tradition, brings good luck. Tourists tie them to his "wish ribbon" branches. This tradition is over a century old.
swallow mail
A mailbox has been opened especially for tourists in the Swallow's Nest. With it, you can send a letter or a postcard from the cult place of the Crimea.
Excursions to the castle "Swallow's Nest"
You can visit the palace on your own, but it is better to do it with a guided tour. You can get to it not only by land, but also by sea. It offers tourists excursions: sightseeing and thematic. You can order them as a group or individually. The route of bus tours includes visits to other sights of the Crimea.
The most popular among tourists is the excursion tour on the boat "Yalta - Swallow's Nest - Yalta". It includes viewing the coast from the sea and visiting the Swallow's Nest. The length of the walking route "Yalta - Livadia - Ai-Todor - Swallow's Nest - Yalta" is 15 km. The duration of the tour is 2 hours.
It is difficult even for a physically strong person to go through such a path in a short time, so tourists travel 13-14 km of the walking route on a sightseeing bus. Those who decide to visit the castle alone get to it by minibus to the Parus stop.
To climb to the "Swallow's Nest", you have to overcome 1200 steps. To do this in the summer heat is not as easy as it might seem at the beginning of the journey. Along the road leading to the castle there are benches where you can rest while climbing. The Swallow's Nest rises 40 meters above the sea.
Museum Information
During the summer period (from May to October), the palace is open seven days a week from 9:00 to 19:00.
From November to April from 9:00 to 16:00, and there is a day off - this is Monday.
Prices for tickets to the "Swallow's Nest" in 2019
Before the restoration work began, art exhibitions were held inside the palace-castle. Ticket prices were set separately for halls No. 1 and No. 2. Free access to the halls was open to children under the age of 16, participants in wars and the disabled. Certified guides had the same right. Adult ticket price:
Hall No. 1 - 200 rubles;
hall number 2 - 50 rubles.
Ticket price for pensioners and students:
Hall No. 1 - 100 rubles;
hall number 2 - 25 rubles.
How to get there
Castle address: Gaspra, Alupkinskoe highway, 9A.
It is most convenient to visit here as part of a group on a sightseeing bus.
By bus
From the Yalta bus station to the castle can be reached by minibus number 102. She stops in front of the Swallow's Nest observation deck.
- from sq. Lenin auth. No 132 (every 20 min.);
- from the embankment. Lenin in the summer on a pleasure boat;
On the boat
There is a pier next to the castle. Motor ships and boats moor to it. During the holiday season, they run from early morning until late evening. Boats to the "Swallow's Nest" leave for Yalta from the embankment. Ticket offices are located near the chapel. One way fare is:
- for adults -300 rubles;
- for children - 240 rubles.
When buying round-trip tickets, their price for the boat is:
- for adults - 500 rubles;
- for children - 400 rubles.
How to get to the Swallow's Nest
GPS Coordinates: 44.430524, 34.128379 Latitude/Longitude
It is likely that no one will dispute the fact that Swallow's Nest is the hallmark of Greater Yalta, and the entire Crimean peninsula. Even those who have never been to Crimea will recognize it in photographs and paintings - this place is so famous! And there is a Swallow's Nest in the resort village of Gaspra, on the edge of a sheer forty-meter Aurora cliff, which is the extreme point of Cape Ai-Todor. The name of Cape Ai-todor is translated as "Saint Fedor" from Greek.
Geographical coordinates of the Swallow's Nest on the map of Crimea GPS N 44.430722 E 34.12825
The experience of such construction on the mountain cliffs of the Crimea has already been. Twenty years before the emergence of the Swallow's Nest, in Foros, on the edge of the Red Rock, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was built at an altitude of 412 meters above sea level. This temple became, in a way, the inspiration for the construction of a new castle. But, unfortunately, the fate of this building was less successful than that of the Foros church.
Castle Height - Swallow's Nest is 12 meters, length 20 meters, width 10 meters. The castle is located on the sheer cliff of Aurora. The castle is made in a neo-Gothic style - it looks like a scenery for a cartoon with wizards and fairy-tale castles. As soon as the Russian Empire conquered the Crimean peninsula, the lands of the southern coast began to be built up with castles and parks. Wealthy people actively bought land, which they subsequently equipped for summer holidays. The first house on Aurora Rock was wooden, and its owner was a retired general. This house was very romantically called the "Castle of Love".
Unfortunately, it is not known exactly who (or what) this building was erected in honor of, but it is obvious that only warm feelings could serve as an incentive to create such beauty. By the way, the "Castle of Love" can be seen in the paintings of Aivazovsky, Bogolyubov and Lagorio. Later, the Swallow's Nest began to belong to the court physician of the Livadia Palace A.K. Tobin, and after his death to his wife. Later, it was bought by the Moscow merchant Rakhmanina, who gave the name to this house - "Swallow's Nest". And already in 1911, these places were bought by the German oilman Baron von Stengel, who started building a new Swallow's Nest, which has survived to this day.
The construction took place under the leadership of A.V. Sherwood - the son of a Moscow architect, whose most famous work is the Historical Museum on Red Square. Sherwood saw this castle as small, with lancet windows and spiers. In general, the castle corresponded to the Gothic architectural direction. Inside, the Swallow's Nest also looked miniature: a two-story tower contained a living room, an entrance hall and two bedrooms. There was a small garden in the courtyard. In 1914, a restaurant operated in the building of the Swallow's Nest, owned by the merchant Shelaputin, who bought it from the previous owner. But hostilities forced Shelaputin to leave the country. He emigrated to Germany, where he died. After his death, the Swallow's Nest restaurant had to be closed.
For a while Swallow's Nest was empty, and in 1927 it was partially destroyed. The reason was the earthquake of 1927, as a result of which the garden collapsed into the sea, and a huge crack formed in the rock under the castle. The castle itself remained almost untouched, but dangerous. In the thirties of the 20th century, the Swallow's Nest became a reading room, which belonged to one of the local rest houses. And later they stopped letting visitors in at all, since at any moment the castle could collapse. But there were always brave tourists who, despite all the prohibitions, made their way to the castle to take a photo as a keepsake.
Needed a major overhaul. Various proposals were put forward regarding its design and organization. One of the proposed solutions was the complete dismantling of the building in order to recreate it in a safer place. Each brick and piece was supposed to be numbered so that the new lock would be identical to the original. But this idea did not find support at the top of the Soviet government. Forty years after the earthquake, no one dared to restore the Swallow's Nest, and only in the late 60s was an architect, I.G. Tatiev, who took responsibility for the repair. Enormous and dangerous work was carried out to repair the crack. And to strengthen the entire structure, a reinforced concrete slab was installed under the rock.
At the very beginning of the 2000s, the Swallow's Nest again becomes available to visitors. Within its walls, an Italian restaurant was again organized, and merchants of Crimean souvenirs settled around the castle. In 2011, the restaurant was closed, and the Swallow's Nest received the status of an architectural and historical monument of national importance and became known as a palace-castle. Many exhibitions were held in its halls, and the expositions changed every two months.
This continued until 2013, when cracks were discovered in the retaining slab. The Swallow's Nest was once again closed for renovation work. But despite all the obstacles, this architectural monument is still the most famous and visited. On the southern coast of Crimea, the Swallow's Nest is recognizable on a par with and is an unspoken symbol of Crimea.
Swallow's Nest on the map of Crimea
