Swallow's Nest

Swallow's Nest

 

Location: 6 mi Southwest of Yalta  Map

Constructed: 1911- 1912

 

The Swallow's Nest (Ukrainian: Lastivchyne Nest, Crimean Tatar: Qarılğaç yuvası, Karylgach Yuvasy) is a Gothic castle located on a sheer 40-meter cliff of Cape Ai-Todor in the village of Gaspra, Yalta urban district of Crimea. It took its present shape in 1912. It was rebuilt for a rich noble dynasty. After the revolution of 1917, in different years it housed warehouses, restaurants, reading rooms. Today it is an architectural and exhibition complex, which includes several tiers of viewing platforms, a permanent exhibition about the history of the castle and exhibition areas. Every year it becomes the most visited attraction of the Crimea and an invariable venue for cultural, leisure and patriotic events.

"Swallow's Nest" became the emblem of the southern coast of Crimea.

Monastery of Saint Theodore Stratilates

Cape Ai-Todor ends one of the spurs of Mount Mogabi; it consists of three rocky ledges. On the western part of the cape, the remains of a Roman fortress have been preserved. The central spur is called Monastery-Burun, on it was located the medieval monastery Ai-Todor, which gave the name to the cape. The toponymic meaning of the Greek preposition ai, combined with its own personal Christian name, means the temple of St. Theodore Stratilates.

M. Sosnogorova’s Guide to the Crimea, published in Odessa in 1880, noted that on the top of Cape Ai-Todor “there are ruins of a small building that clearly belong to the Greek church, where there are still places for the altar and the throne, and many figured bricks with stamps.

In 1835, a lighthouse was erected on Cape Ai-Todor, partly on the site of a Greek building. The construction was initiated by the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral MP Lazarev.

 

"Colony of Pietists"

From 1827 to 1865, the first owner of the land at Cape Ai-Todor was Baroness Sophia-Julia (Anna) Alekseevna de Berkheim (1782-1865). Her mother was Baroness Barbara von Krüdener, a well-known preacher of mystical Christianity who influenced Emperor Alexander. Baroness Berkheim arrived in the Crimea in 1824 with her mother and her close friends: Princess Anna Golitsyna, owner of a vast estate in Koreiz, and Countess de la Motte.

The reason for the departure of this union of like-minded women from the capital was that the Countess de la Motte, who lived in Russia under the name Countess de Gachet, was exiled by the emperor in 1824 to the Crimea, where she lived until her death in 1826.

Since 1824, Baroness Berkheim and Princess Golitsyna lived together, in St. Petersburg and then in the Crimea, as they had a plan to create a "pietist colony" on the Crimean land on their estates. Pietism at this time was widespread in court circles. To this end, Baroness Berkheim acquired six plots of land in Gaspra on Cape Ai-Todor, and vineyards were planted on them. A. S. Golitsyna died in 1838, leaving a will for all her property to Baroness Berkheim, who continued to live on the estate until the end of her life in the circle of other followers of V. Yu. Krudener. The idea of creating a Pietist colony remained unfulfilled.

After the death of Baroness Anna Alekseevna de Berkheim, which occurred on May 14, 1865, the court, according to the will of A. Golitsyna, decided to transfer the estate to Maria Ivanovna, Nikolai Ivanovich and Alexander Ivanovich Goncharov. Due to the long non-payment of taxes and other expenses, the Goncharovs began to sell the estate.

 

Dacha of Baroness von Steingel

In May 1888, a doctor, doctor of medicine, Adalbert Karlovich Tobin, a participant in the Crimean War, the Battle of Balaklava, bought these plots from A.I. Goncharov. By this time, A. K. Tobin had built a house in Yalta already in 1873, the doctor had a medical practice in the city, from 1876 to 1882 he also served as a doctor in the hospital at the imperial residence "Livadia". In 1889, Adalbert Tobin built “on the Aurora Rock on the western side a house with a white balustrade on the roof called “White Swallow”, in Anna Moskvich’s “Practical Guide to the Crimea” of 1889 called the swallow’s nest - “... on a completely sheer almost cliff and from from the balcony you see the sea below ... ", and between the lighthouse and the middle cliff were "scattered cottages of the same landowner." The cottages were built in an open field where there was no shade, no greenery, no fresh water, but people willingly rented them, "thirsty to restore their health at a cheap price and breathe fresh air."

Tobin's wife, Elizaveta Alexandrovna, nee von Steingel, who also acquired plots, built a stone house on the Aurora rock at a height of 38 meters, called the Villa Generalife. A guide to the Crimea, published in 1894, already tells that "on the last cliff, at the edge of the cliff, there is the original house of the city of Tobin, in the form of a castle with a tower." The building can be seen on the canvases of famous marine painters: L.F. Lagorio, A.P. Bogolyubov, as well as in photographs of that time. This building was photographed in 1904 by S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky, who was then working in the Crimea from April to September.

The family developed the idea to create a new resort on Cape Ai-Todor, and had two houses: one of them belonged to the husband, and the other to the wife. But in 1891, after the death of her husband, Elizaveta Alexandrovna began to sell the land on Cape Ai-Todor. On October 18, 1902, a plot with a stone house, plastered and painted red, was sold to the owner's younger sister, Baroness Sofya Alexandrovna von Steingel. In 1908, it is described as follows: “There are the following dachas on Ai-Todor: Generalife, the castle of love, better known as the Swallow's Nest. Rooms are not rented here. After 1911, the von Steingel sisters remained to live in the Crimea, soon their brother, Emmanuil Aleksandrovich von Steingel (1838-1915), joined them. They maintained relations with their cousin L. V. von Steingel and his sons, Pavel and Boris.

Most of the land was bought by Pavel Grigoryevich Shelaputin, a real state councilor, a hereditary nobleman and a famous philanthropist, at whose expense the Hellenistic hall of the Museum of Fine Arts on Volkhonka was created. A small resort “Zhemchuzhina” was built on the cape, it is described in a guide to the Crimea in 1908: “On the eastern side of the lighthouse is the estate of P. G. Shelaputin“ Zhemchuzhina ”, occupying over 13 dess. and having 8 dachas of various sizes, in 11, 4. 3 and 1 rooms, which are rented out on a monthly basis. … Rooms are rented with servants and samovars, drinking water is imported. Among the dachas, one is located above the cliff between the Generalife and the lighthouse, and is also known as the Swallow's Nest.

 

Rakhmanovs and the construction of a new building

In 1911, the Moscow millionaire Sergey Karpovich Rakhmanov, the elder brother of the philosopher and publisher Georgy Karpovich Rakhmanov, bought the plots and the house. The brothers Sergei, Ivan and Georgy Rakhmanov belonged to one of the richest families in Moscow. They entered the architectural history of Moscow with the construction of well-known tenement houses, which became characteristic Empire signs of the capital. The Rakhmanovs are also known for their unique collection of iconography, on which Pavel Muratov, invited by them, worked.

It was during the reign of Sergei Karpovich Rakhmanov that the Swallow's Nest estate received its present form - a romantic castle, reminiscent of medieval buildings on the banks of the Rhine. The project of a new house in 1911 was ordered by an experienced engineer Nikolai Sergeevich Sherwood, son of architect S. V. Sherwood, grandson of architect Vladimir Sherwood. In 1913, an original Gothic castle was built on a cramped area of the Monastyr-Burun spur. The stepped composition conceived by the architect proceeded from the small size of the site. The building, 12 meters high, was located on a foundation 10 meters wide and 20 meters long. The "bird" volumes corresponded to the internal arrangement: an office, a living room, and two bedrooms were successively located in a two-story tower that rose above the rock. There was a garden next to the building. The house continued to be called "Swallow's Nest", also "Rakhmanov's Swallow's Nest", sometimes the estate is called "New Swallow's Nest" on postcards of that time. The newspaper “Krymsky Kurortny Listok” dated August 4, 1913 reported on the completion of the work: “The Swallow’s Nest, which passed into the possession of the Moscow millionaires Rakhmanovs, was decorated with a new beautiful castle in the medieval style, built by the Alupka architect N. S. Sherwood.” The plot was registered to Agniya Pavlovna Rakhmanova (nee Sveshnikova. In 1914, after the death of S. K. Rakhmanov, the ownership of the villa also passed to his daughter, Maria Sergeevna Kuleva.

After 1917, the daughter of S. K. Rakhmanov, Maria Sergeevna Kuleva, lived in the villa with her husband, a young scientist Vladimir Artyomovich Kyulev, the brother of the artist Ivan Kyulev, who also emigrated. In June 1918, they received artists S. Yu. Sudeikin and his wife Vera Sudeikina at the Swallow's Nest. Vladimir Artyomovich and Maria Sergeevna Kyulev emigrated from Yalta to France in November 1920, shortly before the final establishment of Soviet power.

A description of the house, made in 1920, has been preserved: “A stone building with a flat roof, one-story, with a round tower rising above the cliff itself, in the east-south corner of this castle house .. There are only four rooms in the house and the front tower in the tower. Opposite, a stone kitchen without windows, with a glass roof clung to the rock... Several old junipers growing wild on the western border of the estate make up the entire vegetation of this rock... The water supply was carried out from the Mikhailovsky spring, located nine versts above Alupka from the estate... Heating in the house - fireplace, in the kitchen with an iron stove. Lighting with kerosene lamps ... ".

 

After 1920

During the Civil War, the Swallow's Nest was abandoned. At the end of 1920, after the establishment of Soviet power on the peninsula, all former private estates were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Main Directorate of State Farms of Crimea. During the NEP, a restaurant was opened in the castle.

In 1927, a strong earthquake occurred in the Crimea. A deep oblique crack formed in the rock under the castle, part of it, along with the garden, collapsed into the sea, and the observation platform hung over the abyss, but the building itself was practically not damaged.

In the 1930s, there was a reading room of the local Zhemchuzhina Rest House, but soon the building was recognized as emergency and closed. Restoration began in the late 1960s. The rock was strengthened, a reinforced concrete slab was laid under the base of the castle, and the castle itself was restored. The building becomes a recognizable symbol of Crimea.

After reconstruction, in 2002, the Swallow's Nest was reopened to the public. Initially, it housed an Italian restaurant, and near the walls of the palace there was a large market of Crimean souvenirs.

In July 2011, the monument of architecture and history of national importance was transferred to municipal ownership, becoming the Crimean Republican institution "Palace-Castle" Swallow's Nest "". At the same time, the exhibition "The Magical World of Arkhip Kuindzhi" was opened here, at which the painting "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" was exhibited. Art, archaeological and local history exhibitions change every 1.5-2 months.

In 2013, cracks were discovered in the foundation slab, and in the autumn the visit to the castle was suspended for design work to reconstruct and strengthen the rock.

Currently, the palace is in disrepair and is awaiting restoration. The balcony hanging over the sea “is an absolute emergency hazard,” said the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Crimea, Arina Novoselskaya. The palace will be completely closed to the public when renovation work begins.

It will be difficult to strengthen the rock under the building, since the more reinforcing material is driven there, the heavier it becomes, swelling and splitting.

On October 17, 2015, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted a resolution on classifying the Swallow's Nest as a cultural heritage site of federal significance.

 

Reconstructions

In September 1927, the "Swallow's Nest" was damaged during a strong earthquake measuring 6-7 points on the Mercalli scale, which occurred in the Crimea. A deep oblique crack ran from the upper platform to the middle, so that the castle could collapse at any moment. Part of the supporting rock, along with the garden, collapsed into the sea, and the observation platform loomed menacingly over the abyss. The building itself was hardly damaged, except for the plucked spiers and the torn off part of the rock under the lower balcony. However, the building was closed to the public. There were even proposals to dismantle it and build it in a new, safe place.

Only in 1967-1968, forty years after the earthquake, the workers of Yaltaspetsstroy carried out repairs without dismantling the walls. The restoration was led by architect I. G. Tatiev, KrymNIIProekt, who completed many buildings in Yalta together with engineer V. N. Timofeev. Restoration work, which began in 1968, was aimed at strengthening the foundation, partial modification of the facade and interior. The author of the restoration project, the Yalta designer V. N. Timofeev, planted the outer block of the building on a cantilever reinforced concrete slab, wound under the central volume. Thus, the extreme part of the house, which remained hanging over the collapsed rock, was securely fixed. In addition to a monolithic slab, the entire structure was surrounded by anti-seismic belts. The tower, increased in height, acquired more decorative effect thanks to four spiers.

The next stage of the reconstruction of the Swallow's Nest, which started in the early summer of 2017, was completed in November 2020. During this time, the basement part of the entrance group, the walls of the first floor, the upper belts of the tower, doorways, window lintels and the chimney were restored. Updated unique historical decor elements on facades and weather vanes. The terrace fences have been restored and artistic illumination of the palace and the rocks below it has been installed.

 

In cinema

Ten Little Indians
Pan Klyaksa Academy
Forgotten melody for flute
Journey of Pan Klyaksa
The Blue Bird / The Blue Bird
Mio, my Mio
First strike (in one of the episodes, Jackie Chan starred in front of the "Swallow's Nest")
Winter Tango mini-series
Looking for a wife with a child, mini-series
Hamlet. XXI Century
Swallow's Nest (TV series). Russia, 2012

 

In numismatics, bonistics and philately

On May 28, 2008, the National Bank of Ukraine put into circulation gold and silver coins "Swallow's Nest" with a face value of 50 and 10 hryvnias, respectively. The coins were released in the series "Remembrances of the Architecture of Ukraine". The gold coin is minted from gold of the 900th test and has a weight of 15.55 g. Mintage - 4000 pieces. Silver is minted from 925 silver and has a weight of 31.1 g. Circulation - 5000 pieces.

In August 2012, the Mint of Poland, commissioned by the Cook Islands, issued a Swallow's Nest silver coin in the shape of the Crimean Peninsula.

The obverse of the coin is engraved with the profile of Elizabeth II, the name of the issuer (Niue Island), the denomination ($1) and the year of issue (2012), as well as a relief image of the Bear Mountain (Ayu-Dag), a natural attraction on the Southern Coast of Crimea. The reverse depicts the symbol of modern Crimea - the "Gothic" castle "Swallow's Nest", which soars above the waves of the Black Sea, made in turquoise-blue color. On the right is the name of the castle.

The coin is minted from 925 sterling silver, weighs 14.14 g, and measures 32.88 x 49.90 x 9.15 mm. Circulation - 3500 pcs.

In 2014, the Central Bank of Russia issued a commemorative 10-ruble coin dedicated to the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation, on the reverse side of which there is a relief image of the Swallow's Nest in the center against the background of the outline of the Crimean Peninsula. The circulation of the coin was 10 million pieces.

The image of the castle adorns the commemorative banknote of 100 rubles dedicated to the annexation of the peninsula to Russia, issued in December 2015.

In 2014 Marka ITC issued a postage stamp of Russia depicting the Swallow's Nest castle with a face value of 15 rubles.

 

Visit

Since 2015, the object has been organizationally managed by the State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Crimea "Palace-Castle "Swallow's Nest". The director of the museum is Shchur Yuri Anatolyevich.

The "Swallow's Nest" can be viewed not only from the outside, but also inside the building, where the museum exposition is located. It is open from 10:00 to 19:00 in the summer, from 10:00 to 16:00 in the off-season. Guided tours are available on public holidays and weekends and must be booked in advance. You can get to the castle by public transport (buses No. 132 and 102) from Yalta.