Swallow's Nest castle, Yalta, Crimea, Ukraine

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Introduction 

The Swallow's Nest is a decorative castle located at Gaspra, a small spa town between Yalta and Alupka, on the disputed territory of Crimea. It was built between 1911 and 1912, on top of the 40-metre (130 ft) high Aurora Cliff, in a Neo-Gothic design by the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood for the Baltic German oil millionaire Baron von Steingel.

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Getting There

Head from Simferopolto Yalta by the world’s longest trolleybus route, and from Yalta go to Gaspra, near which Swallow’s Nest is located, by bus, taxi or with one of the many excursion boats (UAH20). Entrance to the territory of Swallow's Nest costs UAH3, entrance to the palace itself costs UAH6.

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Things To See

The inside of the Swallow's Nest castle contains two levels with a foyer leading to the two bedrooms and the guest room. To get to the two levels there is a stairway and higher up there is a tower to look out from. There is, however, a restaurant where one can get a drink or a bite to eat.

There is still much activity around the building as there are trinket sellers offering their wares to all the visitors and others offering to take your photograph. Some even have pets like monkeys and peacocks with them, which they offer to accompany you in the photograph if you so desire.

Article Sources | Wikipedia | castles.com | ukraine.com