Swallow’s Nest Castle in Gaspra

The Swallow's Nest (Russian: Lastochkino Gnezdo), the decorative Neo-Gothic castle located between Yalta and Alupka on the Crimean peninsula in southern Russia. It was constructed by design of the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood between 1911 and 1912 on money commissioned from the owner of this land, Baron von Steingel, a Baltic German noble who had made a fortune extracting oil in Baku, acquired the timber cottage and within a year had it replaced with the current building almost within a year. The building in shape of a castle (although it is classified architecturally as a castle it was not built to house and protect its occupants) stands majestically on the top of the 40-metre (130 ft) high Aurora cliff overlooking the sea, outside of the town of Gaspra, and stands as a curious remnant of Imperial Russia. In Soviet times inside the famous tourist attraction was opened an Italian restaurant and because of its inspiring location, the castle also was used in the exterior shots of multiple Soviet films. In 2011, after 3 months of restoration work estimated to cost $150,000 USD, it was opened as museum. The Swallow's Nest is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Crimea, becoming the symbol of the Crimea's southern coastline.