Swallow's Nest (Crimea)

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The swallow's nest

The Swallow's Nest ( Ukrainian Ластівчине гніздо / Lastiwtschyne hnisdo , Russian Ласточкино гнездо / Lastotschkino Gnesdo , Crimean Qarılğaç Yuvası ) is a castle on the south coast of the peninsula of Crimea near Yalta . It stands about 40 meters above sea level on a cliff, the Ai Todor Cape. The castle combines elements of historicist neo-Gothic with oriental architecture .

View from afar
The swallow's nest in 1905.

The cape was already inhabited by Greeks in ancient times . As archaeological excavations have shown, the Romans also settled here in the 1st century AD. They built a fortification that was protected by two defensive lines with towers. About 700 years later, Byzantine monks built a small monastery on the middle rock, but nothing has survived today.

After the Crimea was annexed by Russia for the first time in 1783, a Russian general had a small summer house built. When Yalta became a popular health resort in the 19th century, a Moscow lady bought the property. She had the general's house demolished and built the little castle on the rock. In 1911/12 it was rebuilt into today's castle for the Baltic German Baron von Steingel - an oil millionaire based in Baku at the time.

The building was badly damaged in the violent earthquake of 1927. The pillars of the terrace and part of the rock wall fell into the sea. In 1968 the restoration began, for which the castle had to be completely demolished. The rock was stabilized and secured against earthquakes. In 1971 the castle was reopened, supplemented by pointed towers. From 1993 to 2011 it was an Italian restaurant ( Nido di rondine ). With the decision of the regional parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in March 2011, the Swallow's Nest was declared joint property of the Crimea. The contract with the restaurant was declared terminated by a court order at the initiative of the Crimean Council of Ministers. The building will contain a permanent exhibition in the future. It is also used as a cultural venue.

The swallow's nest has become a landmark for the Yalta area and the entire peninsula.

literature

  • Thomas Gerlach: Crimea: With trips to Odessa and Bessarabia . Trescher, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-89794-219-6 .
  • Helga Ewert: The Crimea: fascinating places and landscapes in southern Crimea; a travel guide through past and present , 8th edition, Gaasterland, Düsseldorf 2010, ISBN 978-3-935873-31-4 .

Web links

Commons : Swallow's Nest (Crimea)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 44 ° 25 ′ 50.6 ″  N , 34 ° 7 ′ 41.7 ″  E