The 2015 holiday season: for some it has already ended, but for others it is just beginning. Tourists who love Crimea with all their hearts carefully choose the places they would like to visit this season. A lot of interesting things can be seen in the vicinity of Alushta, a major tourist center that rivals Yalta in popularity. Here is the Lighthouse Temple in the village. Malorechensky, and the romantic Bay of Love in Rybachye, and the amazing Red Caves. Some masterpieces are created by human hands, others are bizarre creations of the elements.
One of these amazing places is the Gazebo of the Winds. If you move east from Mount Avunda, you can see how, on the very edge of the cliff of the steep southern slope of the Main Range of the Crimean Mountains, an elegant white structure boldly resists all the winds. This is the famous “Gazebo of the Winds”, located on a peak called Shagan-Kaya (the name translated from Crimean Tatar means “falcon rock”).
Brief information:
Place name: Gazebo Vetrov
Location: Crimean Nature Reserve, Gurzufskaya yayla, 11 km from Yalta and about 20 km from Alushta
When built: 1956
Master: the object belongs to the property of the state nature reserve
What is the Arbor of the Winds?
The gazebo is located on a cliff, at an altitude of approximately 1450 m above sea level. This domed stone colonnade is about 4 meters in diameter and its height is approximately 6 m. On the floor of the gazebo, its creators laid out an original mosaic representing a compass rose. Both the design and the name of the colonnade are quite logical: the speed of frequent winds in this Yayla region often reaches 40 m/s. In sunny weather, thanks to its bright white color, the gazebo can be seen even while in Gurzuf. The six-meter wooden cross, built in 2001 on the occasion of the anniversary of Ukraine's independence, is also clearly visible from the village.
In 1998, the gazebo was restored and they tried to give it a new name, writing it above the entrance - “Starfall of Memories.” However, the new name never caught on, and the building remained the Gazebo of the Winds. From this place there is an incredibly picturesque view of Mount Ayu-Dag, the villages of Gurzuf and Partenit, the southern slope of the ridge and the sea coast. They say that in clear weather on the endless horizon you can see the middle of the sea, 150 km away from the coast!
Who built the Arbor of the Winds and why? Unfortunately, it was not possible to establish the name of the author of the project. We can only mention that the facility was built with funds and with the support of the Crimean Nature Reserve.
Caves near the Arbor of the Winds
Fans of speleology will be pleasantly surprised: not far from the Gazebo there is a crack cave. It’s not difficult to go down into it, you can even do it without insurance (however, it’s better not to do this without a flashlight and a rope). Backpacks can be left at the entrance. On a hot day, this variety will be especially pleasant: there is snow here even in summer. When you go lower, be sure to look up. You will be amazed at the change in color of the sky: now it will seem not blue, but dark ultramarine.
There is another cave nearby. Although it is deeper, you will not find snow in it. Descending into this cave is more risky: there is a visible hole right under your feet, so you should be careful. You can make sure that the grotto is dangerous by tying a flashlight to a rope and lowering it down. You won't be able to see anything, it's too deep.
Having been near the Gazebo, you can check out several more amazing places. Those who love active recreation in Crimea will be happy to climb one of the highest Crimean peaks - Mount Demir-Kapu with a height of 1539 m. A little to the south is Mount Aunda (height 1449 m), and to the north is the Gurzuf Saddle mountain pass.
Here you can find a very rare plant - Selena yalensis, which in the world can only be found on the southern slopes of this ridge of the Crimean Mountains. Scientists were able to count only 446 copies of this plant.
How to organize a visit?
Currently, the reserve is closed, so entry into it is only possible with passes. But it’s still worth ordering passes, as there’s a lot to see here! Here is the chapel of the ancient Kosmo-Damianovsky monastery, where the healing spring Savlukh-Su originates, and a rare trout farm, actively engaged in breeding a delicious type of fish; here are also the hunting grounds that belonged to the king. That is why this reserve appeared in 1913. It was the Imperial Hunting Reserve. Then they organized a special huntsman service and allocated significant areas of forest near the town of Bolshaya Chuchel, where they demonstrated animals brought to the Crimea: bison, Caucasian deer, bezoar goats, Dagestan aurochs and Corsican mouflons.
To visit this amazing reserve in your own car, you must arrange an excursion with a guide in advance. But you can visit the Cosmo-Damianovsky monastery and the trout farm on your own, using a pass obtained from the administration of the reserve at the address: Alushta, st. Partizanskaya, 42 (passes are issued until 12:00).
If you try to enter the reserve without permission, there is a risk of encountering unforgiving rangers. It will not be possible to come to an agreement with them, especially if the basket contains mushrooms, berries or medicinal herbs. And of course, it’s better not to make a fire. Please note: during the summer season, employees try to organize “duty” right next to the gazebo.
Perhaps the easiest way to admire the Gazebo of the Winds is to book a regular four- or five-hour excursion to the Alushta embankment. As part of the excursion, there will be no problems with foresters and route finding.
Gazebo Vetrov: how to get there from Popovka?
From Popovka it is necessary to develop a route that will allow you to get to Yalta or Alushta. Minibuses from Evpatoria and Sevastopol travel in this direction regularly. You can get to the “Gazebo of the Winds” along the Romanovskoye Highway or walk from the Gurzufskoye Sedlo pass, which is located 1.5 km to the east, or a shorter route - from Gurzuf through the village of Partizansky. You can approach the village from the Alushta-Yalta highway. It is better to use the help of local guides or experienced tourists.
You can also get to the territory by car, moving along the Alushta highway towards Izobilny. In this case, you will have to cover approximately 50 km.
If you managed to get out of Popovka to Alushta, you should definitely visit the enchanting Valley of Ghosts on Mount Demerdzhi. It’s interesting to see with your own eyes the places where the eternally young comedies of L. Gaidai were filmed: “Caucasian Captive” and “Sportloto 82”.
We wish you a pleasant holiday in Crimea and vivid impressions from your trips. And remember, Villa Ark is waiting for you for dinner :)
You can book a room at Villa Kovcheg. In the meantime, enjoy the views of the Arbor of the Winds and your beloved Crimea.
The gazebo of winds on the southern coast of Crimea is visible only from the village of Gurzuf, only in clear weather. If you stand with your back to the sea, then it is located exactly opposite you on the top of the Shagan-Kaya rock (translated from Tatar as “Falcon Mountain”). The Gazebo of the Winds is perhaps one of the most romantic places in Crimea. Every year, hundreds of people propose to their lovers here; couples in love often come to this place. A constant flow of tourists, in excursion groups or simply on their own, on foot or by car, come here. This place attracts all these people because of the extraordinary beauty that opens from the cliff.
Geographic coordinates of the Wind Arbor on the map of Crimea GPS N 44.578103, E 34.224776.
Located at an altitude of 1423 meters above sea level at the very edge of the cliff. Approaching the edge of the gazebo, the balustrade, you will see a stunning view of Bear Mountain (Ayu-Dag), the village of Gurzuf, the southern coast of Crimea and the endless Black Sea. It is here, looking at the sea, that you can understand why it is called Black, especially if the sun is covered by clouds, the sea becomes dark blue, in some places it is Black. Approaching the balustrade, it immediately takes your breath away: the view from the gazebo is stunning, but the feeling of height and the abyss opening up in front of you will take your breath away. The place is full of emotions and a little extreme sensations, although you are safe, but the height significantly tickles your nerves.
The easiest way to get to the Arbor of the Winds is from the Yalta highway (Yuzhnoberezhnoe highway). If you are driving towards Yalta from Simferopol, then, before reaching the city of Yalta, in the village of Massandra you turn following the sign or Massandra Winery. The road goes at a 90-degree angle into the mountains, in the opposite direction from the sea. From the turn from Massandra to the Arbor of the Winds it is 22.6 km, along a winding road. The road constantly winds and is very difficult in places, but it has no branches, and it is impossible to lose your way. There is an option to go up from the village of Nikita, but the road there is worse.
After driving 14 km, there will be a checkpoint; the gazebo is located in a protected area; at the checkpoint you will have to pay for entry.
It should be remembered that the checkpoint is open until 17-00; in the evening hours you will most likely not be allowed into the territory of the reserve.
History of the Gazebo of the Winds
The gazebo was built in 1956. Consists of 8 columns 5.5 meters high and a dome covering the columns, the total height of the Gazebo of Winds is 6 meters. The floor in the gazebo is covered with a mosaic depicting a compass rose.
Until 1998, the gazebo had never been repaired; only in 1998, cosmetic repairs were made. Now the condition of the gazebo can be rated 3+.
Near Gazebos of the winds There is a seating area where you can have a snack or a hearty meal. There is also a sanitary area.
Whatever climbing option you choose, once you reach the top, approach the edge of the cliff, and see these stunning views, a piece of your heart will forever remain in these places. The impressions received here will be included in your personal list of amazing and beautiful places on the Crimean Peninsula for a long time. The Gazebo of the Winds is one of the most visited in the area Gazebo of the winds on the map of Crimea
An outstanding building regarding the search for answers to unanswerable questions.
First question: why is it called that? They say it’s because there’s a compass rose on the floor. But to say so is to get too excited. A true wind rose contains knowledge that is derived from many years of observation of air flows in a certain place.
It is a polygon built around the center of diverging rays oriented to the cardinal points. Looking at such an image, you can understand what winds and in what direction predominantly blow here. It is necessary to take into account the wind rose when constructing buildings, roads, bridges, and airfields.
When planning cities and towns. You are not indifferent to what smells the wind brings into your windows. Knowledge of the wind rose is necessary in agronomy, park management, water and air navigation, ecology, etc. It is difficult to find an area in human economic activity where the wind rose suddenly becomes superfluous.
This is important knowledge. And of course, when looking at the floor in the wind gazebo, it immediately becomes clear that there is no wind rose there. There is something like a star, resembling a bare skeleton without a rose.
Probably realizing this, in 1998 they decided to rename the gazebo of the winds “starfall of memories.” But there is already one “starfall of memories” in Crimea, over Feodosia. Will too many memories fall from the sky onto this peninsula? Besides, what does anyone do when they see the tail of a shooting star? He is in a hurry to make a wish, and he must do it quickly before the star falls - otherwise it will not come true.
Are there memories? In short, this name did not catch on among the people at all. In the end, the undeniable reality in this gazebo remains the wind blower. It seems that the winds have only the opportunity to talk in this structure open on all sides.
People, after all, find it more pleasant to do this in quiet. Therefore, the arbor of the winds remained the arbor of the winds.
Question two: for what?
Why was it built in 1956 in the Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve? The assumptions are interesting.
So that couples in love go up there and propose to each other. Considering that on the way to it you will have to overcome dozens of kilometers, this assumption makes sense. Probably, the hope is that by making this ascent on foot, the lovers will have time to realize that the path in marriage can be thorny and difficult.
Those who are unsure will have time to come to their senses before the proposal. Those who are persistent will come and offer. Only without flowers, without talking - that’s not possible, period. Because it's a nature reserve. It is absolutely forbidden to pick flowers, berries, leaves and branches, as well as to offend oncoming roe deer, insects, wild boars and snakes, even if you cannot feel your feet under you from fear.
Grab your friend by the hand (or in your arms, you never know...) and return to the beaten path, or better yet, along the road, maybe you’ll find her there.
One more guess. In Crimea, the gazebo of the winds was built so that Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev would drink tea or something stronger there, probably in commemoration of his “royal” gift to the Ukrainian SSR - an entire peninsula along with more than a million living souls.
And so that the “grateful” neo-serfs would not interfere with an intimate feast among their own, they built a gazebo in a closed reserve, dragging 6-meter columns and a dome up the mountain. But Nikita Sergeevich probably realized that it was too windy for a feast there.
Or maybe the gratitude of the souls who were given, but not really informed about “such a joyful event,” was disturbing. In general, I did not visit. And the gazebo was abandoned. Is this version plausible? Plausible. Local residents still tell how, when Khrushchev arrived to hunt in the reserve, foresters dressed cats in the skins of hares. And Nikita Sergeevich was then surprised at how deftly the hares in the Crimea climb trees.
Maybe that’s why the gazebo of the winds was included in the only official excursion, which is called “To the places of royal hunts.”
But if you are a principled opponent of excursions, but at the same time are firmly committed to visiting the gazebo of the winds in Crimea, how to get there is an important question.
Firstly, you will have to pay to enter the reserve in any case. And if you have a romantic ascent, then it is extremely desirable that the journey does not end tragically. In Crimea, unfortunately, every year someone manages to get lost in a mountain forest with all the bad consequences.
It happens that two steps away people do not notice cave-cracks, which can be quite deep. It’s easy to fall through, twist your ankle, lose consciousness for a while, or eat a poisonous, but so attractive-looking berry. Therefore, it is highly advisable to leave a trail for rescue services.
Secondly, if you smoke, then again it’s better not to go. Unless you get a special jar with a lid into which you will carefully shake off the ashes and place cigarette butts. Remember, a fire in a Crimean forest can flare up from carelessly dumped ashes.
It is strictly forbidden to make fires to warm yourself after “talking with the winds.” You won't be allowed to spend the night there. By the way, the same applies to garbage from a “snack”. Please do not throw any packaging around, especially nylon packaging. Think about what will happen to the animals and birds if they eat this.
And thirdly, too often one hears the following reviews from those who have visited the gazebo: “My legs are going numb, I don’t want to go there again.” If you are sure that “you need it,” then get to Partizansky, which is above Gurzuf, and go for it. But remember, there are options.
The gazebo of the winds in Crimea is not the only one
They are just called differently. The most attractive of them is Silver - in Livadia. It is called so because the frost or dew that covers it begins to sparkle like silver in the moonlight. It was erected in honor of the completion of the Yalta-Bakhchisarai road in 1894.
Getting to it is easier and more pleasant, because the place is equipped for relaxation. It is surrounded not by bare steppe, like a gazebo of winds, but by large shady trees. Feel the difference in the photo. Here is a gazebo of winds in winter:
And here is the Silver Gazebo in winter:
As for the view from them, in both places there is a wide view of Yalta and Bear Mountain.
But, one detail. Where there is a gazebo of winds, the same view will open to you both tens and hundreds of meters away.
It’s different in the Silver Arbor. But as? Sorry for keeping the intrigue going, but come and take a look.
The article was written by Ulyana Kor
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Gazebo of the winds. What kind of unusual attraction is hidden in the area of the southern slopes of the Crimean Mountains? There, on the rock, you can see a white stone colonnade, which is covered by a dome. This is one of the most famous Gurzuf attractions - the famous Gazebo of the Winds, floating in the air.
Almost all tourists visiting these places enter it and take pictures against the backdrop of an incredibly beautiful view of the endless Black Sea, Partenit, Artek, Gurzuf, Ayu-Dag and four mountain peaks. In good weather conditions, the visibility is about one and a half hundred kilometers.
The Gazebo of the Winds, located on Mount Shagan-Kaya, was built in 1956. According to legend, the then head of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev decided to visit Crimea and hunt on the peninsula. They wanted to please Nikita Sergeevich with a new unusual architectural object, but he did not come.
Who developed the gazebo project is still unknown. It is worth noting that its name is not directly related to the wind, but comes from the mosaic that can be seen here on the floor. It represents a “wind rose”. In 1998, this object was restored and since then it began to be called “Starfall of Memories”. This is exactly the sign hanging at its entrance. True, Crimeans and guests of the peninsula continue to call the attraction the Gazebo of the Winds.
Not far from this amazing architectural site you can see a rare plant - Yailinskaya resin, which is an endemic species. There are only 250 resin bushes growing on Earth! And they are all located in Crimea.
Near Mount Shagan-Kaya you can see the so-called “Aeolian harps” in the form of arches made of stone, some of which are so large that a car can easily pass through them. They appeared after the destruction and weathering of karst rocks at the base of the Crimean Mountains.
To see the Gazebo of the Winds, go on an excursion to the Crimean Nature Reserve. This will save you from an unpleasant meeting with a forester, who may fine you for unauthorized entry into a protected area. The excursion takes place by bus for 6 hours around the ring, leaving Alushta. During it, tourists visit the Red Stone rock, a trout farm and the monastery of Kozma and Damian. If you travel independently by car to the Arbor of the Winds, you should set off from Massandra towards the Uch-Kosh tract. Then drive past the Red Stone rock towards the Nikitsky Pass and along the old Romanovskoye Highway you will get to the gazebo.
If you are well versed in the area located near Gurzuf, then the attraction can be reached along a short road through the village. Guerrilla. By the way, the Nikitsky slope is unique in that it is perhaps the only mountain range on the South Coast that has a direction perpendicular to the seashore. All other mountain ranges have a parallel direction.
The very name “Gazebo of the Winds” implies coolness. And indeed, even in extreme heat with a wind speed of up to 40 meters per second, it is quite cool on the rock, so when preparing to explore this attraction, stock up on warm clothes.
How to get there Greater Yalta region. Nearest settlements: Gurzuf, Krasnokamenka
Coordinates: N 44° 34.714" E 34° 13.506"
