Lastochkino Gnezdo can be treated as a symbol of the Autonomic Republic Crimea, Ukraine. It is an emblem of it the same like the Eiffel Tower is emblem of Paris. A lot of people suppose it to be a medieval castle. Its beauty is amazing and location right on the edge of the rock, makes it look fearless and inaccessible. Everyday it attracts millions of tourists.
History of the Castle. 
The 1st stage of its history started many many years ago in 1877 and it is connected with a general, wounded in the Russian-Turkish war. There is a very beautiful legend, considering this event. The old general came to the cape Aj-Todor and saw a tree. It was growing right from the rock and was an embodiment of the power, courage and firmness. The general developed a passion for this tree and decided to build a wooden house there. The house was later called “Generalif”. But the following fate of the castle was much more interesting than its beginning. In 1911 it was bought by a saleswoman Rahmanova and titled Lastochkino Gnezdo. Later she sold it to baron Steingell. The new owner ordered to ruin the wooden house and built a new one – a stone castle. The project was designed by a Russian architect A. Sherwood. The castle was built in 1912 and in 1912 a tradesman Shalaputin opened a restaurant there.
In the USSR period Lastochkino Gnezdo was a building of the Russian sanatorium “Pearl” (the library was situated there ). In 1927 there was an earthquake and the building was damaged, part of the rock has fallen away, the castle was closed and opened again only after a reconstruction in 1968.
To tell the truth, I was amazed with the beauty of this castle. We got there by water and for 45 minutes I was waiting for its image to appear on the horizon, it appeared suddenly and out of nothing. It provokes mixed feelings, feeling of admiration and fear. Looking at it seems, that the building will fall for sure. Because after the reconstruction, the part of the fallen rock wasn’t renewed. Thus, it looks like a small castle on the edge of the deep blue and only endless see is around. On the right it is possible to see a rock Parus (Sale).
By the way, there are a lot of opponents of this architectural masterpiece, they say, that the popularity of the castle is explained because of its natural location and apart of the rock it stands on and the Black Sea around it. Without this accompaniment it will look like a bust and lose its magnificence.
