mountain park, marble quarry and canyon, recreation center, system underground caves and adits - all this and much more is located in the village of Ruskeala, Sortavalsky district of the Republic of Karelia.
Ruskeala is one of the most spectacular and beautiful sights of Karelia. Here you can visit the mysterious grottoes, admire the multi-colored tints of marble walls, enjoy the views of nature from the observation platforms.
The main attraction of the park is marble canyon. It was flooded a long time ago and the water in it is of a magnificent emerald color, which, in combination with snow-white rocks, gives rise to an incredibly picturesque image that attracts the eye. A walk along the marble canyon gives an unforgettable pleasant feeling of tranquility, harmony and aesthetic pleasure. I want to stop time to admire and admire this miracle of nature.
The history of the Ruskeala marble quarry.
Even before the start of the Northern War, Ruskel marble was mined by the Swedes for personal use. In 1766, a certain Samuil Alopeus drew the attention of the Russian authorities to local marble. And since 1768, in Ruskeala, by decree of Catherine II, active extraction of marble stone for the construction of palaces and cathedrals in St. Petersburg begins. Ruskeala marble was used in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, for facing the Marble Palace and the Hermitage, for laying floors in the Kazan Cathedral. Ruskeala marble was also used in the construction of palaces in Pushkin, Pavlovsk and Strelna.
In 1854, active marble mining ceased. Ruskeala marble began to be burnt into lime and crushed into rubble, beautiful marble, which was not used for decorative purposes, was simply destroyed.
Since 1898, the Finns rented the marble deposit, but they also used marble in the form of crushed stone.
During the war with Finland marble quarries flooded. According to some reports, the Finns themselves did this, according to others, the rock was damaged from long-term blasting and, after air raids by Soviet aircraft, could not stand it and gave way to the water of the Tohmajoki River, which flows nearby.
In Soviet times, marble mining resumed, but by the 1970s, the rocks were so damaged that large-scale work had to be stopped. However, marble was still used, it was lined with the Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya stations of the St. Petersburg metro, and also turned into lime and crushed stone at a factory located nearby.
Since 2002, the fate of the flooded marble quarry has changed dramatically - it has become a tourist attraction in Karelia.
Today, Ruskeala marble can also be seen in the cladding of some buildings in Helsinki and Sortavala.
Ruskeala mountain parktoday.
Even before entering the mountain park, visitors can enjoy many services and entertainment. On the territory of the park there is a large guarded parking lot, there are many souvenir shops in the form of traditional Russian huts and even a small amusement park. There is also a cafe with a kitchen on the coals, where they will gladly feed every hungry tourist.
Having bought a ticket and passed through a beautiful carved arch, you will find well-groomed and lined with Ruskeala marble paths around the canyon, a lot of benches from which a delightful view of the canyon itself opens. Following further along the marble paths, you find yourself in an old marble adit, going deep into the rocks for more than 200 meters. There is a cool atmosphere all year round, and ice lies at a depth.
Following further, you can see the path going to the right. It leads to the Ruskeala abyss. This is a wonderful place, located underground, where all year round, regardless of the temperature outside, there is ice. The entrance there was formed during the Finnish War, when the rock, which could not withstand the bombing, collapsed. However, it will not be possible to go down there without special equipment and experience, but by special agreement with the administration, the descent can be organized. On the this moment in development plans mountain park Ruskeala is a point for the improvement of the Ruskeala failure. It is planned not only to organize a convenient entrance for everyone, but also an underground skating rink, and even a cinema in one of the caves.
In summer you can go boating in the marble canyon. However, on weekends, when visitors to the canyon the largest number to take a boat for an hour, you need to sign up in a queue. But it's worth it. The purest green water can be seen 15-18 meters deep.
For thrill-seekers, several breathtaking rides are organized in the park:
- cliff jump. You are given the opportunity to jump with insurance from the cliff of the marble canyon. The free fall height is 8 meters from a height of 24 meters. A storm of positive emotions and impressions is guaranteed.
- Passage through the canyon on a rope bridge. At a height of more than 24 meters, three ropes are stretched: one must go along, and hold on to the other two. In the conditions of real mountaineering, only two ropes are used, here, in order to pass, you do not need to have special skills and experience. Everyone can test their strength and get a sea of unforgettable emotions.
- Trolls. A cable from one of the most high points marble quarry to one of the lowest. Water splashes, wind and breathtaking speed, as well as the opportunity to feel like a special forces soldier, overcoming a gorge in the mountains - this is what attracts tourists to this attraction.
Diving enthusiasts also have the opportunity to dive into the waters of the marble canyon and enjoy the views hidden from the eyes of ordinary people.
When night falls on the mountain park, the entire marble quarry is illuminated by many multi-colored spotlights, which gives rise to a magnificent, bewitching and admiring view.
Working hours of Ruskeala mountain park, services and prices.
The Marble Park is open in summer from 9 am to midnight, in autumn and spring from 10 am to 9 pm, in winter from 10 am to 7 pm on weekdays, and on Friday and Saturday until 22.00.
Prices:
- Entrance - 150 rubles full, 100 rubles for students, 50 - for schoolchildren, and for children under 7 years old admission is free.
- Boat trip (1 boat / 1 hour) - 250 rubles.
- Excursion ( short route, a group of 4 to 25 people) - 250 rubles for an adult, 80 rubles for a school student and 150 rubles for students. Children under 7 years old are free.
- Excursion (long route, group from 4 to 25 people) - 350 rubles for an adult, 80 rubles for school and 150 rubles for students. Children under 7 years old are free.
- For foreign citizens, translation services are provided - 100 rubles per person.
- Jump from a cliff - 350 rubles.
- Passage on the rope bridge - 350 rubles.
- Trolley ride - 600 rubles
*prices are as of June 2013.
Every year the popularity of this place is growing more and more. Excursions and tours are organized here from all over Karelia, the Leningrad region and Finland. Karelia, marble canyon, picturesque mountains and forests, architectural monuments - these places seem to be created so that everyone can appreciate the splendor northern nature. From bizarre shapes mysterious caves and the dungeons are breathtaking. And the impressions received remain in the memory for a long time and it is difficult to describe them in words, because it is not enough to talk about such things, it is worth seeing.
How to get to the marble quarry:
Ruskeala quarry is located 25 km from the Karelian city of Sortavala. From the highway Sortavala - Yarn, after passing the village of Helyulya, you need to turn left at the sign for Vartsel. Having passed and visited the wonderful waterfalls on the Tohmajoki River, after 400 meters turn left onto the second turn.
Read a detailed plan of how and on what you can get to the marble quarry with photos and with a mark on the map.
Marble Canyon - a place of mesmerizing beauty. Not far from the village of Ruskeala, located about twenty-five kilometers north of the city of Sortavala, Republic of Karelia, there are picturesque marble quarries that have long served as a place for marble mining. Back in the 17th century, the Swedes began mining marble here. At that time, marble was used for very mundane purposes - building foundations in the surrounding settlements and for the production of building lime. The practical Swedes did not need pompous material to decorate buildings, they always loved conciseness and practicality, so the hand did not flinch to translate good. However, almost a century later, our country began mining marble for its intended purpose.
St. Isaac's Cathedral, Marble Palace, Kazan Cathedral and Mikhailovsky Castle are decorated with Ruskeala marble
Marble from Ruskeala quarries was highly appreciated by such outstanding architects of that time as Rinaldi and Montferrand. They began to use marble slabs to decorate the buildings they erected. Many famous buildings of St. Petersburg. lined with marble from the Ruskeala quarries, the main of which are Green and White, named after the color of the marble that is mined from them. For example, white marble from Karelia was used in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, one of the facades of the Mikhailovsky Palace, the pedestal of the monument to Peter I, they decorated the windows Winter Palace. The marble of the Green Mountain was useful in the construction of the Kazan Cathedral and other objects in St. Petersburg, Gatchina and Tsarskoye Selo. Nowadays, Ruskeala marble has been used for lining the underground halls of St. Petersburg metro stations. Marble was mined at different levels, called horizons, which are located even underground. The original horizons did not reach our time, they were replaced by later ones. I will not write about how the marble was mined, because it will be much more interesting for you to hear this story from a qualified guide in the park, who will tell you everything in detail. Currently, some of the quarries are abandoned and flooded, and some continue to be used for industrial stone extraction. The combination of the nature of Karelia and human activities have given these quarries an amazingly picturesque look that attracts travelers not only from Karelia, but also from St. Petersburg, Moscow and other places. One of the quarries, now called the “Ruskeala mountain park”, is equipped for tourists to visit - pedestrian paths have been cleared and fenced around, a parking lot has been equipped, right in the quarry, you can rent a boat and enjoy the view from the water to the marble walls, which have a height of more than twenty meters . It has been developed since 1765, today its length from north to south is four hundred and sixty meters, width - up to one hundred meters. The distance from the highest point of the canyon wall to its bottom is over fifty meters. The transparency of the water reaches up to eighteen meters. 
In addition to the marble canyon, the mountain park includes many other interesting objects.
In front of the entrance to the park there is a square with a long row of souvenir tents and an administration building where tickets are sold. There is also an observation deck at the largest Ruskeala quarry. The mountain park occupies a small area and its inspection does not take much time. If you rent a boat, then from the water you can swim into the marble grotto and admire the bizarre play of light reflected from the water on slightly transparent marble arches. Sheer cliffs also leave an indelible impression. 
In the evenings, the quarry is illuminated with colored lights. There are several other quarries around the park. Interesting fact- careers differ from each other in the color of water. In the main quarry, the water has an emerald green hue, in the neighboring ones it is blue and gray with a blue tint. And this is not accidental: the shade of water is directly related to the color of the marble mined here. In addition to the flooded galleries, there are also not flooded ones. But getting into them on your own without an escort is impossible.
The quarry is filled with crystal-clear water with an emerald hue and is framed by patterned banks - sheer cliffs. In places, the marble glows through the water. From the observation platforms located along the perimeter of the quarry, very picturesque views open up. The banks of the quarry are steep, sheer cliffs. It is forbidden to climb on them, as indicated by the corresponding signs. When issuing the boat, they warn not to swim up to the rock, fenced on the water with buoys, as stones sometimes collapse from above. 
There is also something to see outside the park.
Close to it are the so-called "Italian quarries", where layers of evenly cut marble are clearly visible, both directly in the mountain, and in the form of rejected and abandoned huge stone blocks. Italian - because the first developments here were carried out with the involvement of Italian specialists and technologies. There is also a marble pool carved into the “floor” and filled with water. 
One of the sights of this place are the brick kilns of the 19th century, for firing marble chips (XIX century), the pipes of the kilns are somewhat similar to towers or minarets. You can come close to them, and even look inside. Mono to see the old administrative building, made entirely of marble Ruskeala. 
A separate topic is diving. The flooded Ruskeala quarries, interconnected by adits, are a real paradise for divers. Labyrinths of tunnels, at least three underground levels of marble mining and remote unexplored underwater caves attract diving enthusiasts in large numbers. At the bottom of the main canyon, the technique used at one time for the extraction of marble has forever remained. Combined with amazingly clear water, these techno-artifacts only add to the attraction of the place. By the way, the transparency of water is due to its low temperature: the water in the quarry is the key and is constantly updated. 
If you are traveling by car, on the way to the marble quarries, you should definitely stop on the banks of the Tohmajoki River, at the Ahvenkoski waterfall. Benches and houses are specially made here so that you can stop and relax. Having gained strength, you can also go to the destroyed Finnish power plant, located on the same Tohmajoki river, a little downstream. To do this, you need to go back a little along the highway - less than a kilometer and turn right, after walking five hundred meters along a forest road. The waterfall is artificial but beautiful.
A small amount of money is charged for a walk through the park. Boat rental, of course, is also paid. However, the price for people who spent money on the road from St. Petersburg or another big city, will not seem high. Especially for divers provide a pier for diving. In winter, there is an ice skating rink and you can rent skates.
How to get to the marble canyon Ruskeala
It is difficult to get to the village of Ruskeala by public transport, although it is possible. First you need to get to the city of Sortavala. From St. Petersburg, it can be reached by train or by regular bus. From Sortavala to the village of Ruskeala, and you can get there by bus (it runs 2 times a day to Vartsila through Ruskeala) or by taxi. Alternatively, you can get to the Matkaselka station by train St. Petersburg - Kostomuksha, and walk to the park on foot about eight kilometers along the road. The arrival time of the train is very inconvenient 1:00 and 4:00, although, on the other hand, you will be the first visitors. On the private car much easier to get to. From St. Petersburg you need to get to the city of Sortavala along the highway A-129 St. Petersburg - Sortavala. Then go north along the A-130 highway to Vartsila to the village of Ruskeala. It will have a pointer to the Mountain Park. You can leave your car in the complex's parking lot (free parking) or on the side of nearby roads. The path is not close. From St. Petersburg to the Mountain Park about three hundred and thirty kilometers.
You are a lover of ancient Slavic and Scandinavian legends, you like to look at ancient monuments, beautiful in their originality.
One of these natural and man-made miracles, is the Marble Canyon, located in one of the most interesting and spectacular places on the Karelian land. The view of the canyon is a fairy tale created by nature and man, coming here you will fall in love with Karelia with its birch trees, lakes and amazing marble quarries!
History and location
At the end of the 17th century, a large marble deposit was found near the Ruskeala region. A beautiful stone, with shades from light gray to a beautiful greenish color, was found in a coniferous forest, near the beautiful Ruskeala waterfalls, places known to us from the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”.
It began to be mined on an industrial scale. An excellent material for highly artistic decoration, it was transported throughout Russia, it began to be used as an exquisite finishing material in the construction of St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals, the Tauride, Marble and Winter Palaces in the royal monastery - the city of St. Petersburg.
Before the start of the Russian-Finnish war, the universal quarry where marble was mined was flooded by representatives of the Finnish side in order to create a line of confrontation in that distant and unknown war.
The main quarry is a lake that has the color of a noble jade, complemented by sheer walls made of natural stone, the depth of the lake was more than 100 m.
In the Republic of Karelia, not far from the town of Sortavala, near the village of Ruskeala, there is a magnificent park complex "Ruskeala".
A distinctive feature of this natural monument is a marble canyon, striking in its amazing beauty, having a length of about 500 meters.
weather conditions
Geographically, Karelia is located in the north-west of Russia, on the coast of the majestic White Sea The climate is mild and changes very quickly.
The winter period in Karelia is marked by abundant snow drifts and frosty weather, and the summer is short and cool, although hot days do occur, but not often. According to weather forecasters, January and February in the republic are distinguished by the coldest weather, but July is the peak of the Karelian summer, when the average monthly temperature ranges from +13 ° C to +15 ° C, and sometimes a weather anomaly occurs and the heat reaches +30 ° C.
A little about the beauty of the mountain park Ruskeala
The main quarry, now called the “Ruskeala Mountain Park”, opened almost 10 years ago, before that, the territory adjacent to it was cleared, footpaths were fenced, free parking was equipped, tourists can rent a boat to swim closer to the walls of the canyon and view marble giants that rise to a height of 20 meters.
The approach to the remaining quarries was abandoned, some were flooded, and the rest continued to be mined for ornamental stone. The gently sloping banks of the quarries have been overgrown with small shrubs and trees for many years; nothing can be seen behind this dense wall. But from the higher and steeper banks, a wonderful view of the quarries flooded with water opens up.
All quarries have a wonderful feature, they differ from one another in the color of water, and therefore they look completely different, remaining beautiful and fascinating corners of Karelian nature.
So far, Russian scientists have not yet come up with technologies to drain flooded quarries, but this will definitely happen, and then how many mysteries will appear before the curious gaze of tourists!
In the wall of one of these quarries, there is a marble grotto - which has become the hallmark of this unique place. You can get into the grotto only by boat, so boat rental is in demand among people who decide to visit the Karelian pearl, which is included in 100 beautiful corners of Russia
One of the main highlights is the Marble Canyon, which resembles a giant bowl, hollowed out by mountain craftsmen over the course of several years.
How to get to Marble Canyon?
The park of natural origin and the hands of the first mountain masters can be reached very easily, we offer several routes:
We go by train
The train from St. Petersburg to Kostomuksha runs on odd days. At 21:20 local time, it departs from Ladoga railway station. We arrive at the station - Kaalamo at 04.00 in the morning, then we get by bus to Ruskeala.
Rushing in a private car
From St. Petersburg we leave for the highway "A 121". You need to drive about 130 kilometers to the city of Priozersk, and from it the same distance to Sortavala, after driving another 25 km, you find yourself in the village of Ruskeala.
We get by bus or fixed-route taxi.
Regular buses and fixed-route taxis depart from St. Petersburg to the village of Ruskeala. From the bus station "Severnaya" leaves daily bus route number 805, next to the city of Sortavala. From the metro stations "Prospect Enlightenment" and "Ozerki" - depart fixed-route taxis No. 433 and No. 436. And from there, you can take a taxi to the village of Ruskeala or by bus.
What entertainment awaits you
Every tourist who comes to see the most beautiful natural landscape finds something to their liking and taste, for example:
Divers love to use Marble Lake as a training ground, where they can swim, dive and swim to the most remote corners of the canyon.
For lovers of rafting, extreme routes have been developed, passing through mountain rivers Tahmajoki and Janisjoki. They begin in the spring and end with the end of the summer season. The length of the rafting route is 2.5 km, along its entire path, rafting participants will face various obstacles in the form of dams and blockages created by river inhabitants - beavers.
Speleologists and drivers are attracted by the Ice Sink, which arose after a series of explosions in a nearby quarry. The galleries fell into the water, leaving a hole on the surface, resembling an oval, measuring 20x30 meters. In the Ice Hole, a special climate is preserved, in which even in summer, ice does not melt.
Tourists really like visiting the Ruskeala waterfalls, and the most beautiful, in their opinion, is the Akhvenkoski waterfall, which means “Perch Threshold”, next to the waterfalls, the shooting of the famous film directed by Stanislav Rostotsky “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” took place. In summer, many prefer to take water procedures, in the very place where the heroine of the film swam - the beautiful Zhenya Komelkova!
Where can you stay overnight?
The Ruskeala recreation center offers guests a wood-fired sauna for rent throughout the season. Fishing enthusiasts are offered boats and fishing tackle. The recreation center develops interesting excursion routes through the Mountain Park and picturesque waterfalls, at quite affordable prices.
The price for accommodation is 2000 rubles per day per person.
At a distance of 13 km on the shores of the beautiful lake Janisyarvi, there is another recreation center with the poetic name "Black Stones". The tourist center "Black Stones" offers vacationers accommodation options in a hotel or cottage.
The cost of living is from 1850 rubles per day per person.
What souvenirs to bring from Karelia?
So that, as the song says, “Karelia will be a dream for a long time”, you have a piece of Karelia as a keepsake, bring home local souvenirs, there is a huge selection of them. You can buy Zaonezhsky embroideries of craftswomen, incomparable examples of Karelian culture passed from mother to daughter, linen shirts and bags are also in demand, products made from Karelian birch, which, according to legend, is a protector tree for a person wearing products from it, have a special chic .
Birch is used to make various women's jewelry and colorful boxes, painted according to local motifs. Souvenir products are represented by all kinds of magnets and mugs, with views park complex Ruskeala.
Ruskeala is a village located 20 kilometers from the Finnish border and located in the Sortavala region, near the city of Sortavala. The history of the village has been known since the beginning of the 16th century. In those distant times, the Swedes mined marble there, and after the end of the Northern War, when the lands were annexed to Russian Empire, the workings were abandoned. But not for long: marble was needed to decorate St. Petersburg palaces and, thanks to rich deposits and proximity to St. Petersburg, industrial production of marble began in 1768. Ruskeala marble was used to decorate St. Isaac's Cathedral, Mikhailovsky Castle, and in the 20th century - for facing St. Petersburg metro stations Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya.
In the 20th century, the territory either belonged to Finland or the USSR, and when the Finns left during the Soviet-Finnish War, they flooded the marble quarries, connecting them with the river flowing nearby. Since then, these places have not been used for a long time either for industrial or tourist purposes, unlike, for example, from, which was visited by Tsar Alexander II.
Creation of a mountain park
In the 90s, Ruskeala experienced a rebirth: a private company was engaged in equipping flooded quarries as a tourist complex: routes were laid, leisure activities were organized, excursion programs, parking, and hotels. And since then this place has become one of the most favorite places for tourists not only from Karelia, Finland, St. Leningrad region but also more separated regions.
Marble Canyon Ruskeala
The main attraction of the park, which is visible even before entering the park itself, is the marble canyon. It's amazing a nice place: sheer marble cliffs along the banks and crystal pure water greenish blue. The color of the water is mesmerizing: from a distance it looks like northern Lights, it seems so unusual.
This flooded marble canyon used to be used for marble mining, but now all but one of the mines are flooded. Workers and marble were delivered along them, the depth inside the rock was 200 meters. The remaining shaft can be seen by sailing past on a boat or from above (the tourist trail runs around the canyon from above).
The park is open to visitors in both winter and summer.
Photos
Canyon characteristics
Length - 450 meters, width - from 60 to 100 meters, depth reaches 50 meters.
Boat rental
The canyon can be viewed from above by walking around it (and every visitor to the park will make this journey, because there is a trail there), but the real drive can be obtained by taking a boat ride on the lake. By boat you can swim to any place of the lake, incl. swim inside, under the rocks.
Renting a boat in 2014 cost 400 rubles for an unlimited time (about an hour - so much is needed to swim back and forth and enjoy the views), tickets are bought at the box office, but you need to wait in line. The queue and boarding of boats begins before the entrance to the mountain park itself. Boat rental is open until 20-00.
mountain park
The mountain park itself, in addition to the marble canyon, is a territory along which paths leading to other attractions are laid. Entrance costs 150 rubles for adults, children under 7 years old and certain categories of citizens are free. Opening hours - until 21-00.
Firstly, entering the mountain park, you can go around the entire marble canyon, admiring the green expanse of water and boating. But further there is an equally interesting underground lake - a failure.
Ruskeala failure
They say that the failure was formed when an industrial explosion was made not far from it, at another quarry, and the earth fell down. A large hole was formed with an area of approximately 500 square meters, flooded with water. The most remote edges of the sinkhole are covered with ice even in summer.
underground adit
Between the canyon and the failure there is a hole in the ground - an old adit, if you go around it from the side, you can go through it and go outside.
Marble exhibition: Italian quarry
What else is there in the park?
Leisure in the mountain park is well organized: you can not only rent a boat, but also jump on a cable "into the water" (not reaching the water), slide down like a bungee from one end of the lake to the other, ride a dog sled. This place is also interesting for divers who swim across flooded lakes and adits from one place to another. There is a small zoo nearby.
How not to get lost?
There are also two lakes in the Ruskeala park. When buying a ticket at the box office, you can take a map of the mountain park and go straight along it. You can order a tour service.
Where to stay?
You can stop in the city of Sortavala or numerous nearby on the shore Lake Ladoga, for example, on the eponymous b / o "Ruskeala", "Black Stones", "Yanisjarvi", "Piipun Piha" and others.
How to get to Ruskeala mountain park?
There are no particular difficulties on the road: by car from St. Petersburg, from Karelia and Murmansk, you need to go towards the city of Sortavala: the distance from Sortvala to the park is 37 km. Before reaching the canyon on the right, picturesque with a recreation area will be visible. We recommend stopping there on the way there or back, this is one of the famous tourist spots Karelia.
- By car from St. Petersburg
From St. Petersburg to Ruskeala 290 km, you need to go through the city of Priozersk, the city of Sortavala and then on the A-129 highway, turn around the turn to the village of Vartsila along the A-130 highway.
- By car from Petrozavodsk
By car from Petrozavodsk, you need to go through the cities of Pryazha, Kolatselga, Lyaskelya and turn to Vartsila village. The distance is approximately 250 km.
- By public transport
By train and electric train you need to go to the city of Sortavala. You can also get to Sortavala by bus. There is a regular bus from Sortavala to Ruskeala (it goes to Vartsila and stops in Ruskeala), but you can also take a taxi.
