Wednesday evening, the first warm weekend is approaching and the age-old question "What to do?" comes to the fore. The answer is obvious - go to desert island! Quickly figuring out that buying a small tropical island, which are offered in abundance on the Internet, is beyond the budget for this weekend, decided to spit on climate zone and find an island with a free visit;) It turned out that there are many such islands in the Ladoga skerries, and that in a place called Lumivaara (which is not far from Landepokhya) at the camp site of the same name, you can rent a boat and raid any island you like in order to rob it and enslavement.

The site of the camp site modestly reported that among the sights nearby, in Ruskeala, are the Marble Quarry (Marble Lake) and the waterfall on the Tokhmajoki River - the same one where the film "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" was filmed. Remembering the rave reviews of friends about these places, we decided - we are going to Ruskeala, and then we will occupy the island in skerries. For the needs of the trip, a tent, sleeping bags, an ax, bowlers, a flashlight and three cans of stew of different varieties were urgently bought (in order to find out which is the tastiest). We are ready! :)

Go! A little about the road

The long-awaited Saturday morning, the souls bounce and rush forward. The navigator plots a route from St. Petersburg to Ruskeala through Priozersk, but at the same time says that it will take more than 6 hours to travel 300 km. We frivolously decide that the navigator is stupid))

The freshness of the early morning, the sun, while the roads are still empty. The mood is super, we sing songs, laugh)) The road to Priozersk, with the exception of a couple of short sections, is good. But behind Priozersk, post-war asphalt begins, which was never patched up after the bombing. The thought flashes in my head that the navigator is not such a fool;) After 20 km, the remains of the asphalt end and we roll out onto the dirt road with relief. On the border of Karelia, we are met by a beautiful, smooth, like a table, road. However, exactly after 10 km this lure turns (no, not into a pumpkin!) Back into a dirt road, which stretches almost to Landepokhja. I must say that the primer is quite decent and allows you to keep the speed of 60-80 km / h.

Korela fortress

Immediately at the entrance to Priozersk, on the left side (near the tank), there is an earthen fortress called "Korela". Originally built by the Novgorodians, it was later taken over by the Swedes, who invested in this property for a hundred years. After which they were thanked and took the fortress back.

The fortress is known for the fact that both wives of Emelyan Pugachev and his three children were kept in it for 30 years. Such a sad story.

marble quarry

We were lucky and we turned off the road exactly where we needed)) If you drive from St. Petersburg, you need to turn left immediately after the bridge over the Tohmajoki River. After a kilometer and a half, the path led us to the Ruskeala mountain park.

For a couple of minutes we were torn between the desire to eat and the desire to immediately see and touch everything. Curiosity, of course, won, and a couple of livers were sacrificed to the feeling of hunger. And we dived into the beautiful :)

It is difficult to convey in words the magic of a warm, sunny spring day, the aroma of resin, the smells of nature that has just awakened, the cries of seagulls echoing from the marble shores, the infinity of space under your feet and the silent admiration of this beauty. Be sure to leave the path and wander along the edge of the cliff, sit on the warm stone slopes and answer the echo of your voice.

old adit

At the northern end of the quarry there is an adit - a deep vertical shaft cut into the rock, at the bottom of which is dusk, cold and blocks of ice. An ideal cellar :) Approximately in the middle of the shaft there is a horizontal passage through which you can get to the bridge. Only a piece of the sky is visible from the bridge, and the sun bypasses this gloomy place.

Failure: Ice Realm

Imagining ourselves as prisoners of the dungeon, we moved towards the mysterious failure, which was formed as a result of the collapse of the vault of one of underground galleries. When we went down the stairs to the failure, an unusual-looking man called us and offered to go down into the failure on ropes. If you meet this person - agree immediately, it's worth it :) We got a lot of vivid emotions from descending from a 12-meter height and skiing on transparent ice.

As soon as you touch the ice, you enter another world. This world hardly changes... When it's hot in June, there's still ice here. It is quiet and resonant here, the transparent ice a quarter of a meter thick is covered with long cracks. In one of the corners of the cave, ice stalactites and stalagmites grew during the winter. And you can sit on the ice throne, imagining yourself as the Snow Queen :)

Our expedition to the bottom of the failure was not in vain: a thawed frog was found and rescued on the ice, despite its desperate resistance. In the pocket of the jacket, we raised it to the surface and released it into a warm puddle near the Italian quarry))

Waterfall on Tohmajoki

As it turned out, we slipped through the waterfall on the way to Marble Lake without even noticing)) Apparently, our attention was diverted by numerous wooden gazebos directly at the bridge over Tohmajoki. Under the edge of the forest along the coast, thick ice is still hiding. The taut water rolling over the granite threshold is like molten glass. Stone plate trembles underfoot from the sound of water. Beautiful and strong.

The finish

Tired and hungry, but contented and happy, we traded an uninhabited island in skerries for an uninhabited lawn near a small lake somewhere along the road. The smoke of the campfire, dinner cooked on the fire, and a quiet sunset completed this magical day.

In Karelia, not far from the city of Sortavala, in the village of Ruskeala, on the banks of the Tokhmajoki River, there is mountain park"Ruskeala". The main attraction of this park is the amazingly beautiful marble canyon. The depth of the canyon, which stretches for almost 500 meters in length and 100 meters in width, in some places reaches fifty meters.

Geography and climatic conditions

Karelia is located in the northwest of Russia, on the coast of the White Sea. Most of the territory of the republic is occupied by a hilly plain. The glacier that retreated to the north at one time had a strong influence on the relief structure of Karelia, forming a large number of moraine ridges, ramparts and ridges.

The climate in Karelia is generally mild, changing from maritime to temperate continental. Karelia is characterized by a large amount of precipitation throughout the year.

Winters are snowy and cold, although frost is rare. Summer in these parts is short, mostly cool. Hot days are extremely rare.

The coldest months of the year are in January and February. July is considered the warmest month in Karelia, the average temperature during this period is +13 -15 degrees, the maximum air temperature can rise to +30 degrees.

Light day in Karelia has a different duration depending on the season. The shortest day is in December - about six hours in the south, four hours - in the Subpolar regions. Somewhere in mid-January, the duration of daylight intensively increases, and in June-July the famous “white nights” begin, when the sun shines with almost round knocks.

The first to develop marble quarries in Ruskeala were the Swedes. Then, when these lands were transferred to Russia after successful military operations in the Northern War, the development of marble was suspended for some time. And only in 1769, Empress Catherine II issued a special decree, according to which work in the quarries was restored. The beginning of work on the quarries was associated with the active construction of new palaces and cathedrals in St. Petersburg.

Starting from the 17th century, the Ruskeala marble canyon began to supply different types marble to the capital and other cities of Russia. St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg was faced with marble mined here, and the floors of the Kazan Cathedral were decorated with it. Ruskeala marble was used for the manufacture of window sills and window cladding in the Hermitage, the facade of the Marble Palace, Winter Palace, Mikhailovsky and Taurida castles. In Soviet times, it was used to decorate the Primorskaya and Ladozhskaya metro stations in Leningrad. The locals are very proud of this.

Ruskeala today

Today, most of the quarries flooded with groundwater and the waters of the Tohmajoki River are no longer used for industrial purposes. Unique nature in combination with the results of human activities have made the canyon one of the most attractive natural attractions of Karelia. Some of the quarries are adapted for visiting tourists, while others continue to supply valuable building material.

Since marble of various colors was previously mined here, the banks of the canyon also acquired various shades. The marble quarries remaining under water differ from each other not only in outline, but also in bizarre shades of water. When you sail on the Marble Lake on a boat or boat, you find yourself in a snow-white, then malachite-green, or even completely black kingdom.

And the water in the lake is so transparent that you can see the bottom at a depth of 10-15 meters. Around there are many grottoes of the most bizarre shapes and shades, which creates a feeling as if you were in a fairyland. This journey along the lake is one of the most popular excursions among the tourists of Karelia.

No less exciting activity - walking tour along the shores of Marble Lake. Moreover, they are cleared and paths for tourists have already been laid along them. Some places are specially equipped viewing platforms. Tour guides take tourists to the mines and adits within the walls of the quarry, most of which, unfortunately, were flooded during the Russian-Finnish war. And in the adits and drifts that have survived to this day, you can walk along the routes of the old masters.

Here you can find dry galleries but it is dangerous to go there unaccompanied. Interesting feature adit - the higher the temperature outside, the more deadly cold is felt inside.

One of the grottoes of Marble Lake was named "Musical Grotto" because of its unique acoustic features. in winter the park turns into a bizarre fairy-tale palace shrouded in snow and ice.

Ruskeala waterfalls

Tohmajoki River is one of the largest tributaries Lake Ladoga, its length is almost 40 kilometers. It has many rapids and waterfalls. The largest of them - Ahvenkoski waterfall, located three kilometers from the village of Ruskeala. The name of the waterfall is Finnish, which means “perch threshold”. Among local residents there is also the name "waterfall at the three bridges."

The waterfall is clearly visible from the road passing by the village, and therefore it attracts the attention of tourists. Especially for them, next to the waterfall, there is a parking lot, a recreation area with cozy gazebos and awnings. Once upon a time, the famous bathing scene of the heroine of the famous Soviet film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was filmed on this waterfall.

Ahvenkoski is a complex that includes four waterfalls about four meters high. This is a favorite place for tourists and fans of active water recreation.

Another waterfall near the village - Ryumyakoski which is not accessible by car. The road there is very swampy, so you have to walk about 200 meters. Once there was a Finnish hydroelectric power station on Ryumyakoski, some of the dilapidated buildings of which have survived to this day.

Behind the village of Ruskeala, where the Tokhmajoki River crosses the road, an amazing picture of another group of water rapids opens before the eyes of the tourist. And, although these waterfalls are not so high, nevertheless, their unique and enchanting beauty cannot leave anyone indifferent.

Ruskeala failure

Ruskeala failure- another attraction of Karelia, it is located on the border of the territories mountain park and the current marble factory. Local residents claim that this ice failure was formed when blasting was carried out in a nearby quarry in the 60s of the last century. The roof of the semi-flooded adits left by the Finns could not stand it and went under water, forming an oval-shaped hole on the surface of about 20 by 30 meters. From here you can go down to the mining center. Once upon a time, the underground zone was connected to the territory of the current mountain park through unflooded adits. But now they are all under the rubble. Inside the sinkhole, especially in its distant parts, the ice does not melt even in the summer.

Lutheran parish

The Lutheran parish in the village of Ruskeala was founded in 1727. The wooden building was designed by the Finnish architect Anders Fredrik Granstedt in 1834, approved by the famous German architect Johan Carl Ludvig Engel.

The building almost completely burned down during the war in 1941, only fragments of its foundation have survived to this day. The church bell was moved to Stockholm, where it is still kept.

The modern Lutheran parish was founded in 1990, when local residents registered the Church of Ingria. A small hotel "Pappila" was opened at the church.

Do you know how to get to? Do you want to see the sights of Petrozavodsk? Read the answers to these questions, as well as tips on how to get there, where to stay and what to see in the city on our website!

Water activities and excursions

divers, especially cave divers, love to train in Marble Lake, swimming in the most remote corners of the quarry. At one time, there were three underground horizons of marble mining here - there is where lovers of underwater travel can roam. After the Finns flooded many mines and adits during the war, a huge amount of equipment remained at the bottom of the canyon, which attracts cave and techno divers in our time.

Amateurs make their routes along the rapids of the Tahmajoki River, from spring to the end of summer. The length of the route is about 2.5 kilometers, along the way there are dams and blockages created by beavers.

Travel company in the city of Sortavala - "Kolmas Karelia" organizes one-, two- and three-day rafting routes along the local rivers Janisjoki and Tahmajoki. The tour includes a transfer from Sortavala to the start of the rafting, the cost of which is from 1,500 to 6,500 rubles per person, depending on the duration. Multi-day rafting includes accommodation, meals and various educational excursions to local attractions. The complexity of the routes depends on the preparedness of the tourists.

For inexperienced tourists those wishing to try their hand at rafting at the Forest Hotel Vegarus offer a route along the Janisjoki River. The program has two routes to choose from - a length of 7 and 9 kilometers. Rafting takes about 2-2.5 hours. In addition, the program includes a rest at the finish line, where you will be treated to excellent fish soup from local trout. The cost of the tour is from 2,400 rubles per person.

The hotel offers several options for excursions to local attractions. Very interesting trip to the lost village Kinerma It will help you to get acquainted with the culture and history of the local people. In this village there are unique architectural monuments that have been preserved since the 16th century.

Ruskeala mountain park in Karelia amazing place. This is a unique attraction not only in Karelia, but throughout Europe. More than 50 thousand tourists visit the Ruskeala park and quarry every year. The quarries created by human hands, where marble was mined until the 19th century, attract and beckon with their beauty, fresh clean air of the Ladoga region.

Abandoned quarry turned into an interesting tourist attraction mountain park Ruskeala in 2005, thanks to the efforts of several enthusiasts. For 200 rubles you can get around along the tourist routes. Paying more, you can take a boat or try yourself in extreme form sports. Recommend mountain park Ruskeala to visit in Karelia. It is also interesting to know what is popular in the Ruskeala area: hotels, prices and recreation centers.

The month of June turned out to be rich in travel. I visited Bangkok, then Pattaya, then Moscow, then I went to St. Petersburg and visited Karelia. To be honest, going there, I had no idea what the Ruskeala mountain park was and how mesmerizingly beautiful it was. But I saw this place and was completely delighted. After visiting, I studied enough interesting materials about in Karelia, and now I can tell you.

Location of Ruskeala mountain park in Karelia

Main landmark marble canyon Ruskeala in Karelia it is the city of Sortavala. Sortavala is located about 30 km from career Ruskeala and is known for being the starting point to Valaam for thousands of thousands of travelers from all over the world. Valaam is perhaps the most famous island on Lake Ladoga.

The island is similar to the island city of Sviyazhsk near Kazan with its numerous monasteries and churches. You can get there only by water - a round trip ticket starts from 2000 rubles per person. But Ruskeala marble quarry in Karelia also an interesting attraction, even more accessible and not overloaded with crowds of tourists that can overshadow any, even the most interesting trip.

Ruskeala Quarry. Found this cute card:

Unusual discoveries in Ruskeala park, which are not written about anywhere

The first thing that surprised me was that mountain park Ruskeala private, created with the money of investors in 2015. In total, about 600 thousand rubles were spent. By my Moscow standards, they even met the budget. At the same time, paths, observation platforms, illumination of the marble quarry were equipped in the Ruskeala mountain park, extreme rope descents were organized. The park is being watched and it shows. And it’s not a pity even to give money for the entrance. In the park marble quarry Ruskeala perfect cleanliness, the water is clear, but this is of course more natural feature, but at least nothing floats in the water: no leaves, no bottles.

The park is equipped with all kinds of maps and signs, and in general makes a good impression.

Entrance to the marble canyon Ruskeala in Karelia

Entrance to the paid, as I said, and at the same time, the organizers also turned out to be not fools. As I noticed, every day in the Ruskeala mountain park they give out bracelets of different colors. The colors seem to be repeated, but for 2 days in a row you won’t be able to visit one bracelet at a time. And we wanted 🙂 Yesterday we had blue bracelets, the next day they sold yellow ones, and there are also orange ones for sure.

Entrance fee to Ruskeala park in Karelia

Now for the cost of visiting. mountain park Ruskeala in 2017. I read the articles of my blogger friends literally in February 2017, the entrance to the Ruskeala mountain park was 150 rubles. I visited in June 2017, the entrance is already 200 rubles. But it's worth it, of course. Well, a picture with an input cost for clarity. Discounts for schoolchildren, students, residents of the Sortavala region. Children, veterans of the Second World War and residents of besieged Leningrad - free of charge.

The entrance to marble canyon Ruskeala in Karelia as follows. Recently they put up a sign for tourists "Visit center".

Lots inside useful information about the mountain park Ruskeala.

You can also take a map of the Ruskeala marble quarry in Karelia, all sorts of advertising brochures, read for general development.

A bit of history of the mountain park Ruskeala in Karelia

The territory of the current park and marble quarry Ruskeala in Karelia was Swedish until 1721. The Swedes mined marble in small quantities. After the Great Northern War, when the territory of the Ruskeala marble quarry became Russian, the extraction of industrial marble here began in the 1760s. Marble from Ruskeala was used to decorate St. Isaac's Cathedral, Mikhailovsky Castle, the Small Marble Palace and Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

As I already said, the main attraction of the Ruskeala mountain park is the marble quarry. This is a huge area of ​​marble production, with adits and equipment, flooded with water. The view here is really beautiful, I was completely delighted, although, perhaps, it is already difficult to surprise me with something. Clear water, with visibility up to 15-18 meters, small blue boats on the water, sheer marble cliffs, everything is very very beautiful and majestic.

It is also interesting that the entrance to the Ruskeala mountain park is from the side where the view of the marble quarry is the most beautiful. Going to the end of the short tourist route, you can go back to another part of the quarry. And the view there is no longer the same, the rocks are more gentle and overgrown with moss.

Around marble quarry Ruskeala in Karelia paths and viewing platforms are equipped, but I would not advise staying on them for a long time, because there was already a precedent when blocks of marble broke off and fell down. They can even be seen through the crystal clear water. Even at the bottom of the quarry there is equipment, it’s just that everything was flooded suddenly when the Finns left these lands.

Another place in the Ruskeala mountain park in Karelia that I want to talk about is the so-called Ruskeala failure. It was formed as a result of explosions in neighboring adits and fascinates with its scale, depth and eternal people at the bottom, which does not melt even in summer. You can go down there, and in winter even go ice skating.

All quarries in Ruskeala are separated by adits, which are almost all filled with water. However, there is one that you can get into. And it looks like gnomes worked there 🙂 Because with my beautiful height of 175 cm, I couldn’t calmly pass. There are "places for headbutting," as the tour guides joke. The hall is cool and the lights are flickering. Looks like one of the bulbs just burned out. However, it was very colorful to walk through the cave in the marble rock with the flashing light of the lanterns.

The adit comes to the surface and if you raise your head up, then people are walking there. And this is the top view.

If you move away from the beaten paths, you can find quite interesting places in the mountain park Ruskeala. One of them is an Italian quarry. It is not related to the Italians and pasta has never been here. Just marble was mined using Italian technology. But the marble was not very High Quality, crumbled, and soon the quarry was closed. Blocks of marble still stand in this place. And on it you can see the stripes that have remained since the time of its extraction.

If you go beyond the Italian quarry marble canyon Ruskeala in Karelia, then you can see another quarry where they don’t lead hiking trails and equipped paths. You need to get to the quarry along a pile of stones.

But the view from it is fantastic. The abyss is behind us. I'm scared. I'm on the left 🙂

Ruskeala hotels prices and recreation centers

I’ll tell you separately where to stay if you go on vacation to Karelia and want to visit Ruskeala itself has a recreation center, but it is quite expensive due to its good location next to the Ruskeala mountain park. Therefore, the most optimal housing in terms of price and quality is the city of Sortavala. In Sortavala there is a choice of accommodation for different categories of tourists. Not so big, but still there. The direction is developing, the Finns are actively visiting the city, so a certain tourist infrastructure is being created for them.

Prices are quite affordable, and for lovers of economy and nature, there is an opportunity to simply put up a tent. So, Ruskeala - hotels, prices and recreation centers in the Sortavala area, from where you can easily get to Ruskeala marble quarry in Karelia. Here, as elsewhere, there are offers for budget tourists, as well as for those who are not going to save money. Prices for hotels and recreation centers in Karelia near Ruskeala start from 1,500 rubles for two. Below is a selection of several options for recreation in Karelia near the marble canyon. You can view prices, as well as book hotels and recreation centers using widgets.

The nearest hotels and recreation centers to Ruskeala

Inexpensive hotels and recreation centers near Ruskeala (in Sortavala)

The best hotels and recreation centers near Ruskeala

Most best hotels and recreation centers near Ruskeala are located on the island of Riekkalansaari near Sortavala:

For a complete picture, I am also attaching a map of Ruskeala with the nearest hotels.

Shops in the mountain park Ruskeala

Near the park there are cute souvenir shops with all sorts of garbage. A bunch of memorabilia, marble items, amulets, amulets, magnets, bags of herbs and other crap.

If you want to eat after a long walk in marble quarry Ruskeala in Karelia, then there is only fast food here. You can buy the famous Karelian wicket (with cheese and cheese or with potatoes and red fish), hot corn is sold on the street, and fish is fried. After several hours of walks in the Ruskeala mountain park, you will be so hungry that you will no longer care what you eat 🙂

So, today I talked about the Ruskeala mountain park, the main attraction of which is the Ruskeala marble quarry in Karelia. In addition, there is also an Italian quarry, an abandoned quarry (I’ll tell you about it another time), adits, and Akhvenkoski waterfalls, which is often called the Ruskeala waterfall. This place is known for the fact that the film "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" was filmed there. But more about that in future articles.

Life hacks of visiting Ruskeala mountain park in Karelia

Many seek to get to Karelia and the Ruskeala mountain park, most tourists choose Saturday. Naturally, Saturdays from 13 to 18 are the busiest peak times in Marble Canyon. If you want to truly enjoy privacy with amazing nature Karelia, calmly go boating in the canyon, try all possible entertainments and attractions and avoid long lines and crowds of tourists - I suggest you go to Karelia on weekdays or on Sunday.

So, what can you do in the Ruskeala mountain park on weekdays and Sundays, without queues and rush?

1. Guided tour of the park, visiting abandoned quarries and the ruins of an old marble factory that have survived to this day.
2. Jump from the 24-meter cliff of the Maramor Canyon. Of course, with insurance. The height of free fall in this case is 8 meters.
3. Passage along the rope bridge: three ropes are stretched across the canyon at a height of 24 meters - you walk one at a time, you hold on to two.
4. High-speed descent along an obliquely stretched cable straight to the surface of the Marble Lake. This is the longest troll in Europe!
5. Rope park for young children. Trains agility and endurance.
6. Fascinating and romantic walk along the marble canyon by boat. You will be able to swim in all corners of the canyon and in underwater grottoes (from the moment the ice melts from the lake).
7. Photographing and communicating with husky dogs.
8. Rent of standard and small (for children) snowmobiles (in winter).
9. Riding on an inflatable banana behind a snowmobile (in winter).
10. Driving around Ruskeala in jeeps (by appointment).
11. Dog sledding.
13. Workshops on making souvenirs in the souvenir workshop.
14. Rental of sports equipment (cheesecakes, skis, skates, bicycles).

That's all for now. Soon I will tell you more about Karelia, because I have visited and seen a lot of things. She didn’t tell everything about Thailand, and there will be several articles about Crimea soon. In general, subscribe to updates and share the article in social networks. +100500 to karma guaranteed 🙂

Mountain park "Ruskeala" is one of the main attractions of Karelia. He is in 36 km from the city of Sortavala, in the vicinity of the village of Ruskeala. The river Tohmajoki flows nearby, which is translated from Finnish as “mad”. Most likely, she received such a name for her skittish character. It was caused by numerous thresholds. The locals also call her Ruskolka from the Karelian word "ruskea" - "redhead". This is the color of the water in the river.

The marble deposit in Ruskeala is considered the largest in the Ladoga region. Valuable rock lies at a depth of half a kilometer. The area of ​​the deposit exceeds several tens of square kilometers. The color of marble is varied. It can be gray, bluish, black and even completely white. Frequent stripes give a special color.

From quarry to park

Marble began to be mined in these parts in the middle of the 17th century. More than three hundred years ago, the Swedes ruled this territory. They did not appreciate the natural beauty of the stone and made lime out of it. She in in large numbers required for the construction of residential buildings and fortifications. The field received a new purpose only after the change of owners and the accession of Catherine II. During this period, palaces were actively erected in St. Petersburg and its suburbs, which required a huge amount of marble.

Photo: Local marble has a beautiful pattern

In the summer of 1765, mining masters arrived in Ruskeala to assess the quality of the stone. Marble was found suitable. The Empress issued a corresponding decree, and a year later they began the industrial development of the deposit. Since there were not enough specialists in the capital, stonemasons were brought with their families from the Urals. This is how the village with the romantic name Ruskeala appeared.

It was not easy to transport the mined rock to the capital. At first, stone blocks on sledges or carts were delivered to the village of Helyulya near Serdobol (now Sortavala). There they were loaded onto small ships and transported along Ladoga to St. Petersburg. St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals were erected from Ruskeala marble, marble palace and Mikhailovsky Castle. The development of the deposit ended only in the late 80s of the last century.

In 2005, on the site of the mining enterprise, nature Park. Its concept was developed by the Karelian local historian Andrey Gribushin. An illuminated hiking trail was laid around the former quarry. Observation platforms have been set up in the most spectacular places. Developed excursion programs. The new tourist attraction quickly gained popularity. Now during the year it is visited by about 300 thousand tourists! Ruskeala Mining Park is unique because it is the only such facility in Russia.

Hits of Ruskeala

The dominant feature of the mountain park is undoubtedly the quarry itself. It was romantically nicknamed "Marble Canyon". And he deserved that name. The giant niche is filled with water. In fact, this man-made lake. The water in it has a rich emerald hue. The depth sometimes reaches 30 m! The canyon stretches from north to south for 456 m. The width is 109 m. The height of the steep sides reaches 25 m above the water level. It is hard to believe that such beauty is man-made.

The entire space in the vicinity of the quarry is permeated with mine workings. Some of them come to the surface, others are hidden under water. The length of the dungeons available for visiting is hundreds of meters. Particularly impressive are the spacious rooms. They are decorated with marble columns that rise from the bottom of an underground lake. It is only possible to get into them with scuba gear. Man-made caves look especially impressive in winter. When water freezes, ice stalagmites and stalactites form. Often they resemble fabulous figures of animals and people.

In the northern part of the park there is an entrance to the adit. A hundred years ago, it was struck in the upper underground horizon. From a special bridge here you can see the shaft of an old vertical mine. Picturesque places include the cliffs of Catherine II and Ivan da Marya. Even more impressive is the failure of the "Underground Lake", along which you can take a walk along the pontoons. And the “Italian Quarry” is absolutely mesmerizing! It traditionally serves as a place for mass photo shoots.

The mountain park is not only an industrial facility, but also an open-air natural museum. Many plants grow on its territory, which are listed in the Red Book. Rare species of reptiles, amphibians and bats are found here. So that visitors do not engage in spontaneous “mining” of marble, a small working was organized for them, where everyone can take as many samples as they like. In the stone-cutting workshop there is an opportunity to make a souvenir from stone with your own hands.

On the way to the quarry, one cannot pass a picturesque place with seething waterfalls formed by the Tohmajoki River. Before the war they were called "Achinkoski". Translated from Finnish, this means "Waterfalls of the Water". Then they began to be called Ruskeala. The famous film "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" was filmed in these places. After the release of the picture, the newlyweds came here to swear allegiance to each other. Now there are cafes, souvenir shops, water bike rentals, and hiking trails near the waterfalls. There is a large car park.

Things to Do in Ruskeala

Apart from hiking trails, guests of the park are offered boat trips on the lake. Since the number of boats is limited, you may have to queue. But the view from the water is fantastic! Only by boat is it possible to visit some of the grottoes, since the entrance to them is only from the water. If you are too lazy to work with oars, you can ride on a small boat with a motor. It accommodates more than ten people. Such walks are available from May 20 to September 30.

Photo: Boat trip on Marble Lake

Fans of extreme sports are recommended "zipline" - a flight over the abyss along cable car. The "bungee" is in operation. In winter, dog sledding is popular. Huskies are the driving force. The amazing transparency of the water in the lake attracts divers here. They travel with scuba gear through the labyrinths of flooded quarries. At the bottom of the quarry, old equipment remained - a crane and dump trucks. Visibility under water reaches 14-17 m. Such entertainment is offered not to ordinary visitors, but to experienced divers.

In summer, the park hosts international festival outdoor Ruskeala Symphony. The magnificent acoustics of the canyon make this show especially spectacular. For children, games are organized with the participation of gnomes and other fairy-tale characters. There are fire and laser shows, as well as annual new year holidays. marble canyon"lit up" in the films "Shaman", "Dark World", "Golden Trap".

Tours and opening hours

You will have to pay to visit the Mountain Park. You can walk around the area on your own. Tours are offered for an additional fee. There are two routes: a short one ("Marble Canyon") goes around the quarry; long (“Road of Mining Masters”) also includes the failure and the Italian Quarry.

More exotic excursion "Underground Ruskeala". Route length - 850 m. Duration - about one hour. It is held for groups of 4 to 20 people. It should be borne in mind that even in summer you will need warm clothes, since the temperature in the workings does not exceed +80.

Opening hours of the Mountain Park: from November 1 to February 28 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Fri-Sat from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.); from March 1 to April 30 from 10 to 21; from May 1 to August 31 from 9 to 22; from September 1 to October 31 from 10 to 21.

Photo: Tour guide in national Karelian dress

Our tour club offers two programs for visiting the Mountain Park: one of them is held in the warm season with accommodation in tents, and the other in the cold season with accommodation in a hotel.

Roof over your head

In the village of Ruskeala there is a recreation center. She works all year round. Rooms are designed for 2-8 people. The total capacity is about 90 people. There is a Russian bath, rental of sports equipment and tourist equipment. You can also stay overnight in hotels and apartments in the city of Sortavala.

There are cottages and guest houses, whose guests are offered organized trips in Mountain Park. There is a campsite near the Ruskeala waterfalls. There are many in the vicinity scenic spots where individual tourists stay in tents. There are cafes and eateries in the park and near the waterfalls. There are restaurants in Sortavala.

How to get there

Mountain Park coordinates: 61.9475, 30.5865

St. Petersburg and Ruskeala are connected by the A129 highway, which passes through the cities of Priozersk and Sortavala. Distance - 309 km. Estimated travel time is about 5 hours. A train runs from the Ladoga railway station to Kostomuksha, which makes a stop in Sortavala. Then you have to take a taxi or regular bus. Several times a day he goes to Vartsila through Ruskeala.

Photo: The most convenient way to get to Marble Canyon is by car

From Petrozavodsk by car, you should go along the P21 highway through Kolatselga. Distance - 287 km. Travel time is 4-5 hours. Train No. 680-Ch runs to Sortavala. Further, they get to Ruskeala by taxi or bus. Taxi drivers are waiting for tourists railway station. For a group, you can take a minibus.

Marble Canyon Ruskeala (Karelia, Russia) is a mountain park that was created in 2005. It is filled with the purest spring waters. Ruskeala is a former marble quarry. The quarry is 460 meters long and about 100 meters wide.

Marble Canyon Ruskeala - map.

Marble canyon Ruskeala in Karelia - the history of creation.

The marble canyon of Ruskeala began to be developed in the 17th century. Human activity and the nature of Karelia itself gave the career an amazing and bewitching look. marble quarries"Ruskeala" used to be used for marble extraction and decoration of palaces and cathedrals in many cities. Marble from the Ruskeala quarry was used in the construction of such buildings as the Kazan Cathedral, the facade of the Mikhailovsky Castle. Marble, mined from this canyon, was also used for lining the Primorskaya and Ladozhskaya stations of the St. Petersburg metro.

Even before the start of the Finnish-Russian war, the quarries where the valuable stone was mined were flooded by the Finns. This was done in order to interfere with the Soviet troops.

Currently, part of the territory of the Ruskeala canyon is abandoned and flooded, and the other part is used for marble extraction. The Ruskeala quarry in Karelia is equipped and arranged for tourists from different countries peace. Around the quarry there are paths and paths, there is parking, you can rent a boat to enjoy the views of the surrounding area. The banks of the quarry are heavily overgrown with trees and bushes, which does not allow you to fully explore the entire spectrum of beauty. In one of the walls of the quarry is the "Marble Grotto". It can only be accessed from the water by boat. The water in the quarry has different colors: in one place it is blue, in another it is green, in the third it is yellowish.

Ruskeala mountain park, Karelia - description.

Ruskeala mountain park in Karelia is very beautiful place. He gained popularity among tourists and won his respect in many countries of the world. It is visited by tens of thousands of tourists a year. Ruskeala Park is an example of investing in cultural heritage. Along the banks of the Tohmajoki River, three quarries were formed, which are interconnected by an adit. The extraction of stones practically stopped, and the canyons turned out to be in the form of bowls that are filled with crystal clear spring water of a bluish-white color. Abandoned mines and adits have become like caves and impassable places.

Marble Canyon Ruskeala is the most important and amazing attraction of the mountain park. In 1998, this canyon was included in the list cultural heritage Russia.

Excursions in the marble canyon of Ruskeala are held all year round, and everyone can visit them. It is forbidden to visit this place without a guide. But there are also places that are closed to the public even with a guide - for example, galleries. They are so old and decrepit that they can simply crumble. Most excursions are held in the summer, but tourists also visit this place in winter.

There is no place in Europe similar to the Ruskeala marble canyon, so it is very popular among tourists.