Sights of Russia

The Swallow's Nest (Lastochkino Gnezdo)

This miniature neo-gothic castle is perched on the steep Avrora Cliff in southern Crimea. A structure called the "Swallow's Nest" because of its miniature dimensions (10 meters wide, 20 meters long, and 12 meters high) and location was built in 1912 based on the design of architect Leonid Sherwood. The castle’s history spans more than a century during which it has gone through several owners and even survived an earthquake. It initially belonged to German industrialist Vladimir Shteyngel. At the beginning of World War I, the new owner opened a restaurant here. In the 1930s, the structure was deemed unsafe and shut down. It was only 30 years later that reconstruction of the building began.