Ruskeala park where is located. How was the mountain park created? Creation of a mountain park

Middle of the 18th century. The newly proclaimed capital of the Russian state is rapidly developing. They build palaces, pave squares, lay out parks. St. Petersburg needs marble. Lots and lots of it. Preferably domestic, so that it is inexpensive and not far away.

Catherine II orders to produce " geographical research all around Russia". Soon, rich deposits of white-smoky, like St. Petersburg summer nights, marble were found.

Ruskeala (from the Karelian reskea - “brown, brown”) is a small village in the Northern Ladoga region. It would be easily lost on the map if not for unique nature and glorious history.

For centuries, these lands have been the subject of military disputes. three states and then passed to the Swedes, then to the Finns, then to the Russians. Therefore, the first developers of the Ruskeala marble quarries were the Swedes. They built the first quarries there at the end of the 17th century.

After graduation Northern war The Ladoga region remained with Russia, and the Ruskeala canyons came under the jurisdiction of Field Marshal Buturlin. The extraction of marble was temporarily abandoned.

But in 1768, at the suggestion of the local pastor Samuil Alopeus, work began to boil again in Ruskeala. From all sides masons, architects and mining engineers gathered. An inconspicuous border village in just a few years became industrial center. Over the next 50 years, more than 200 thousand tons of marble were mined. Blocks of stone were loaded onto sledges pulled by 80 horses and taken to the pier. There they were transferred to small sailing ships and floated along Lake Ladoga to St. Petersburg.

The second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century can be called the era of Ruskeala marble without exaggeration. This noble ash stone adorned the interiors of many metropolitan objects:

• Orlovsky Gate (Tsarskoye Selo);
• Roman fountains (Peterhof);
• columns of the Gatchina Palace;
• Chesme obelisk (Gatchina);
• facade of the Mikhailovsky Castle and others.

But the most famous building, in the decoration of which Ruskeala marble was used, is St. Isaac's Cathedral. The architect Auguste Montferrand personally came to Ruskeala to supervise the breaking of the stone. As a result, the walls of St. Isaac's Cathedral are lined with beautiful white-gray marble about 50 centimeters thick.

In the second half of the 19th century, marble began to go out of fashion (city architects switched to granite). Active marble mining in Ruskeala has stopped. In 1896, the Finns rented the deposit: they built a marble-lime plant and produced marble chips, and with it, in turn, walls were plastered and floors were poured.

Production closed with the start of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940. The marble quarries were flooded. According to one version - by the Finns, according to another - by Soviet aviation.

After the Great Patriotic War Ruskeala plant resumed work. Its products (lime, crumb, crushed stone) were supplied to 10 republics and 17 regions Soviet Union. Whole marble was practically not mined. The last ones to be faced were Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya stations of the St. Petersburg metro.

In 1998 marble quarry Ruskeala is included in the list of cultural and historical heritage of Russia as a mining monument of the 18th-20th centuries. The flooded quarries became beautiful emerald lakes. In 2005, a tourist park opened there.

What to see in Ruskeala?

4 kilometers from the village of Ruskeala there is a place that is impossible to pass by when going to the marble quarry. This is the Ruskeala cascade - a chain of four small but picturesque waterfalls.

The Tokhmajoki River (“mad river”) flows into Lake Ladoga and has many rapids and rifts, the largest of which form waterfalls. The largest one is called Ahvenkoski, which in Finnish means "perch threshold". To say that the place is beautiful is an understatement. What is worth only the fact that one of the scenes of the film "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" was filmed there.

This waterfall is clearly visible from the highway leading to Ruskeala. Next to it there is a parking lot, a gazebo and a souvenir shop. Ruskeala waterfalls - perfect place to rest on the way to the mountain park "Ruskeala" and take some photos.

But the pearl of Ruskeala is, of course, the Marble Canyon. It is part of the Ruskeala mountain park (more about it a little later) and is a huge stone bowl filled with bluish-emerald water.

The length of the Marble Canyon is 460 meters, the width is up to 100 meters, the depth in some places reaches 50 meters. This is the very place where they took marble for St. Isaac's Cathedral and other St. Petersburg architectural monuments.

The canyon makes a huge impression! Sheer silvery marble cliffs that go deep into the clear waters, grottoes and galleries - all this creates the feeling that you are in fairyland, and a dwarf with a pick at the ready will look out of the mine.

Water is particularly striking. The quarry is fed by clean groundwater, there are no algae at the bottom. Therefore, its transparency reaches 15-18 meters, in some places you can even see the equipment left at the bottom of the quarry.

The Marble Canyon is flooded to the upper underground horizon (there were seven in total: three underground and four above ground).

The horizon is the layer highlighted inside rock.

Most of the galleries are under water. Only one of them, in the northwestern part of the mountain park, has remained above the water level and is open to the public. It is believed that the Finns broke through it in the 1930s in order to transport trolleys with marble from mine No. 2. The mine itself is about a third flooded, and ice is visible at its bottom, which does not melt even in summer.

An adit is a horizontal or inclined mine working that has access to the earth's surface.

Another attraction of the Ruskeala mountain park is the Ruskeala failure. This is a collapsed vault of underground workings. According to the memories local residents, it was formed in the 1960s after a strong explosion in a quarry. As a result, a huge hole about 30 meters wide was formed on the surface of the earth.

A feature of the failure is its microclimate. In the far parts of the working, the ice never melts, where bizarre icicles hang from the walls. But directly at the site of the failure in the warm season, small lake. Therefore, in order to get deep into the working, you must first go down to the boat on a rope, and then get to the ice “floor” on it. In winter, everything is easier: you immediately descend onto strong ice.

On this interesting places in the mountain park "Ruskeala" do not end there. On its territory there is also the so-called Italian quarry. Until the 1970s, block marble was mined there according to Italian technology (hence the name) using foreign machines. The color and texture of marble are clearly visible here, and the method of its extraction can be traced. It, like bread, was cut into large layers using wire saws, layer by layer.

Ruskeala sights are a rare symbiosis natural object and industrial museum open sky. Looking at all these beauties, you involuntarily think: "How rich our planet is, how much it can give us."

What to do in Ruskeala?

As already mentioned, in 2005 the Marble Canyon, as well as the Ruskeala failure and the Italian quarry, became part of the Ruskeala mountain park.

The park was created by the efforts of private companies that united, allocated money and put these objects in order. They took out garbage and scrap metal, laid convenient paths, and built viewing platforms. Lighting was carried out along the perimeter of the canyon - now at night the marble rocks shine with multi-colored tints. The only pity is that artistic lighting works only in winter (from November to March) and only on Fridays and Saturdays.

We also created the infrastructure. They built a parking lot, cafes, toilets, souvenir shops and a pier where you can rent a boat. Boat trip along the Marble Canyon is considered the most exciting: you can swim in the grottoes, swim up to the adits and feed the ducks.

But the park offers its visitors a lot of entertainment. Those who like to tickle their nerves will appreciate them:

1. Jump from the 24-meter cliff of the Marble Canyon. Of course, with insurance. Height free fall at the same time it is 8 meters.
2. 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.
3. Trolley is a high-speed descent on a roller along an obliquely stretched rope straight to the surface of the Marble Lake.

Another popular pastime in the park is diving. As you remember, the Ruskeala marble canyon has three underwater horizons. Flooded mines, connected by adits, like a mysterious labyrinth. Diving lovers can feel like real explorers and see what is hidden in the ancient quarries.

But perhaps the most exciting adventure in the mountain park is the descent into the abyss. For this you need to have special equipment and permission from the management of the institution. In addition, descent on a rope to a depth of 16 meters is a very risky activity, so it must be done in the presence of professionals. There are guys who organize the descent to the Ruskeala failure. Even if you are not a fan of extreme sports, the views that open up inside the failure are worth it to overcome your fears. In winter, it is like the residence of the Snow Queen! Take a look at this virtual tour and see for yourself.

Of the quieter winter activities - riding huskies (those very fluffy cuties) and taking pictures with them. Also in the park and its surroundings, various recreational activities: concerts, folklore holidays, historical installations, competitions and more.

But at the camp sites you will find not only comfortable beds, barbecues and equipped baths, but also additional entertainment. So, you can rent an ATV and ride around the area, you can buy a jeep tour or go rafting.

Rafting is a sports rafting on a mountain river on six-, four- or two-seater inflatable boats.

Rafting is carried out along the Tohmajoki River - you can not only see the Ruskeala waterfalls, but also feel their strength.

In a word, you will not be bored in Ruskeala. From this place you will take away a lot of picturesque photos and no less vivid impressions.

How to get to Ruskeala?

The village of Ruskeala is located in the Sortavalsky district of the Republic of Karelia, 37 kilometers from the regional center and 20 kilometers from the Russian-Finnish border. There are three ways to get to the Marble Canyon and other attractions.

By private car

From St. Petersburg, the route runs along the A129 highway, through the cities of Priozersk and Sortavala. Having reached the last one, you need to turn onto the A130 highway. The distance from St. Petersburg to Ruskeala is about 300 kilometers.

From Petrozavodsk to Ruskeala, the M18 highway (another name is R-21) leads first, from which, in the area of ​​​​the city of Pryazha, you need to turn to the villages of Lyaskelya and Helyulya (road M130).

By bus

From Petrozavodsk to Sortavala run every day intercity buses. You can see the schedule. In turn, from Sortavala to Ruskeala can be reached by shuttle bus. Also from Sortavala to the Marble Canyon can be reached by taxi for a few hundred rubles. With a taxi driver, you can agree on the day and time when he will return for you.

By train

Train 350A "St. Petersburg - Kostomuksha" runs from St. Petersburg to the city of Sortavala. 23 hours - and you are there. Too bad the train doesn't run every day. Check out the schedule. How to get from Sortavala to Ruskeala - see above.

It is also possible to get there by train, but you will have to make several transfers.

The railway route is considered the most inconvenient and time-consuming.

Why is it worth seeing Ruskeala?

Because Ruskeala is the most beautiful mountain park with the system underground caves, Marble Canyon, waterfalls and recreation centers. This tourist complex where you can spend an active weekend with the whole family at any time.

Marble Canyon is so beautiful that even norwegian fjords. Sheer silvery walls embrace a transparent emerald lake, adits caves can be seen. It seems as if he was in a fairy tale and everything around has special magical properties.

But most importantly, Ruskeala is an industrial monument, through which you can trace the history of mining from the 18th to the 20th century. For centuries, workers with the hardest work have been extracting marble, which adorned luxurious palaces Petersburg.

If this is not the first time you have been brought to St. Petersburg, you have bypassed the entire checklist of the city's attractions and even all the underground clubs, then it's time to see something new. Editorial along the way I did just that, and went to Karelia, to look at the Ruskeala mountain park and everything along the way.

What is it and why is it for a tourist?

Ruskeala is an old marble quarry, inside of which a lake has formed. Previously, marble was mined there for the needs of St. Petersburg (here is the one that was used for lining metro stations, and even earlier - for St. Isaac's Cathedral). It looks incredibly beautiful at any time of the year, so there are always at least a dime a dozen tourists there. About ten years ago, they decided to equip the park and turn it into full place for recreation, which the management did very well. Now it is not only a beautiful quarry with a lake, but also large territory for walks, Karelian forests, boating, rope park and even flying over the canyon on a zip line. And also souvenir shops, master classes, food courts and other pleasures.

In fact, the mountain park "Ruskeala" is very similar to the same "Park Kievan Rus", only surrounded by marble and amazing Karelian nature. And now the details.

Where is it and how to get there?

Ruskeala is located almost on the border with Finland, so you can drop in not only from St. Petersburg or Petrozavodsk, but also from northeastern Finland, if it has already drifted there. Nearest Russian city- Sortavala, even though the name is Finnish. From Sortavala to the mountain park, it’s another 30 kilometers to go, so if you are not an experienced hitchhiker and don’t get high from traveling in the spirit of “we’ll take the train to Sortavala, and then we’ll figure it out, we’ll catch a ride or take a taxi,” then you have two options to get to the park . This is to take an excursion from St. Petersburg or drive by car. The main part of the route runs along a very good track, with bumpers, markings and a new surface without holes, so it’s quite possible to drive a rental car.

The road from St. Petersburg without stops will take about 4-5 hours, but there is also something to see along the way, we will talk about this later. There is a car park in the mountain park itself, although on weekends there is a chance to spend time looking for a parking space. A detailed description of the route is on the park's website, signs are also present. We chose a two-day bus tour from St. Petersburg. On the same site there is a list of options (they differ in the number of days and program). The cost is quite reasonable - from 2250 rubles per day trip, which already includes tickets, breakfasts, guides and other joys, up to three-day tours of Karelia in the region of 8,500 rubles per person. We only had to pay extra for the entrance ticket on the second day and for the food, but this is not a mandatory option.

What to see along the way?

These sights are included in the program of bus tours. But if you are traveling by car, you can take your time and spend as much time here as you want.

Korela fortress- the northernmost fortress of the Novgorodians, built in the middle of the XIV century to defend against the Swedes. The fortress is well located, so it was besieged so many times that it’s amazing how it is still preserved, and during its existence it was ruled alternately by Russians, Lithuanians, Swedes, or who knows who, conquering and recapturing the outpost. Korela is also known for the fact that Emelyan Pugachev was kept here with his whole family and the Decembrists were constantly exiled.

Now the fortress is a beautiful well-groomed complex on the island, on the Vuoksa River. On the territory there are several small expositions. It is worth taking a guide who will tell you a lot of interesting things and show you the territory, the prison, exhibition halls, etc. Editorial along the way I was very pleased with the tour, and this is the rare case when I advise everyone.

Entrance tickets - 100 rubles, excursion - 120 rubles. Website of the fortress: korelafortess.ru

Waterfalls Ahvenkoski - scary beautiful Karelian waterfalls, very bustling and well-equipped - with railings, bridges, photo platforms, etc. Most of them are known for the fact that a scene from the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was filmed here. Since it is very close to the park, you can stop by on the way back if it is very crowded on the first visit.

Ladoga lake- needs no introduction. You can go to any place you like, wander around, take pictures. For bus tours in Sortavala on the shore Lake Ladoga lunch is provided, but if you are driving a car - do not make a mistake and do not dine at this point, it is better to look separately, have lunch separately.

Mountain Park "Ruskeala"

There is something to do in the park for a day or two. You can take a tour, but we decided to wander on our own and found entertainment for both days. On this occasion, the editorial along the way made her top 5 activities in the park.

1. Ride a trolley over a quarry. It costs 1000 rubles, but not for the faint of heart.
2. Ride a boat on the lake inside the quarry. It costs 400 rubles per boat per hour, capacity 4 people.
3. Climb on marble blocks, go down to the river on stones, climb into the depths of the forest (carefully - everything is for people who are self-confident)
4. Find your way to the old lime kilns built in the early 19th century.
5. Choose a master class and mold your souvenir.

As a bonus, you can choose any place in the sun overlooking a flooded quarry and have a picnic there. The cost of entering the park is 250 rubles per day, all activities, master classes, dogs and pots are paid separately.

What not to do on the road?

If you took a bus tour, then you will not have much choice. If by car, then it all depends on you. We advise you not to waste time on these places, but of course the choice is yours.

Tasting tinctures in the city of Lahdenpokhya. Lahdenpokhya is a stop for many buses on the way to Ruskeala in order to lightly drink fifty tourists and convince them to take out half the drinks store. It is worth saying that the drinks there are passable, but it is not worth the time at all. If you are traveling with a group, then all that remains is to pray that it is adequate and does not hang out in the liquor store for an hour longer than necessary. Instead of tasting edition along the way went to explore the town of Lahdenpokhya and really plunged into the theme of the famous public

This post is a continuation of the article about our trip to the Marble Canyon. Read the beginning with a story about the road to Ruskeala, the arrival at the Korela fortress and the Ruskeala waterfalls.

After driving a couple of kilometers from the waterfalls, we saw the village of Ruskeala itself.

It is difficult to skip the turn to the village, there is a large green sign right on it, which says that you have reached the Mountain Park.

Well, here we are! Here it is - the beautiful Marble Canyon, which even in the photo impresses with its beauty and majesty, what can we say about the real picture.

Now I'm not talking so much about the size, because there are much larger canyons in the world, but about the totality of the atmosphere, nature, strict vertical cliffs and history. I couldn't stop looking at steep slope, illuminated by the rays of the sun.

When we arrived, it was already evening. The clock was a little over four o'clock, and there was not much time left for a walk, since we still had a way back. But there was still plenty of time before closing. Since September, the park has switched to the autumn mode of operation - until 21.00. In the summer it worked until midnight, and in the winter it will work only until 19.00.

My companions distracted me from contemplation, and we went to buy tickets. Entrance to the park for adults without benefits costs 150 rubles. The ticket office is located to the right of the entrance and is a small wooden building, in the same style as the rest of the buildings in the area in front of the park. And there are plenty of them: these are houses with souvenirs, and cafes, and even a toilet - everything looks like a small log street. Most of Souvenirs, by the way, is made of marble mined here.

What to do in Ruskeala park.

In general, it is clear that the infrastructure of the park is actively developing, so for additional fee various excursions and entertainment for tourists are organized here. Hiking and water routes have been developed. They can be passed both independently and as part of an excursion group.

The walking route is a walk around the canyon with a tour of the available sights, including a descent into a dry adit - a horizontal working that has access to the surface of the earth.

The rest of the adits have been flooded for a long time and you can get to them only by water, and inside they are accessible only to divers.

Boat rentals are available for boat trips. There is a small boat station. A boat trip costs 400 rubles and is designed for one hour. Moving closer to the right bank, you can approach the marble wall, swim into the marble grotto.

Previously, in order to get the opportunity to take a boat ride, it was necessary to book it 2-3 days in advance, but now there is no preliminary reservation. During the time that we spent near the Canyon, there was not a minute that the water surface was not disturbed by bursts of oars. There were enough people who wanted to take a walk, but there were still free boats.

Water excursions are possible not only on the surface of the lake. There is also entertainment for diving enthusiasts. They have the opportunity to explore the underwater labyrinths of flooded adits and drifts.

According to one version of the flood (yes, there are several of these versions), before the start of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. the Finns, who were actively working on the extraction of marble, left the quarry. When the work was stopped, they destroyed all the documents on the location of underground adits, and, leaving mining equipment here, flooded the quarry, connecting it with the Tohmajoki River.

According to another version, the flooding occurred after the end of the Second World War, when there were attempts to restore work in the quarry. The aquifer was so damaged that water began to penetrate into the quarry and accumulate too quickly, and already Soviet workers were forced to quickly leave their place of work, leaving their equipment.

In a word, whether the parting harmfulness of the Finns is to blame, or a combination of circumstances, but the flooding served an excellent service for the formation of a wonderful landscape here. So until now, tourists-divers manage to find those abandoned cars at the bottom of the flooded adits. Also a touch of history in its own way.

For those who are more attracted not by deep darkness, but, on the contrary, by height and a sense of flight, bungee jumps and descents along a rope stretched over the Marble Canyon are organized. We had a chance to observe the descents from the side, and to be honest, this activity did not make much of an impression. The speed was not very high, and judging by the reactions of the “flyers”, who silently glided along the rope, this event did not give a “wow” effect. However, maybe that's how it seemed to me from the outside. In any case, if it didn’t even take your breath away, then just looking at the canyon from such an unusual and unusual angle was probably curious and entertaining. :)

There is also such entertainment as sledding with husky dogs. But as far as I understand, it is available in the winter.

Our walk.

We, like many independent tourists, decided to do without excursions. The overview of the canyon starts from its eastern slope. There are very pretty footpaths around the perimeter, strewn with rubble and bordered with white stone, probably local marble.

Periodically, along the edges of the path, there were some similarities of stone pyramids, apparently laid out by the visitors themselves.

Viewing platforms are located along the paths with a certain interval.

In some places, the slope collapses, so it is forbidden to approach the edge of the cliff, as indicated by the corresponding signs.

And in some places, outside the footpath, there are places chosen by tourists with polished stones or trampled grass. Of course, they are located at the edge of the slope, because the most spectacular and breathtaking views open from there. I didn’t notice the signs there, so we, at our own peril and risk, contributed to polishing the stones and trampling the grass.

The view from the slope is really beautiful. Monolithic marble walls appeared before our eyes, at the bottom of which openings of drifts and adits are visible. All drifts and adits, except for one, are flooded. You can see the entrances to them from a boat, but you can’t get inside - they are closed with bars.

Also, on the opposite slope from the entrance to the park, a marble grotto appeared, into which you can swim by boat

Sights of the Mountain Park "Ruskeala".

There are five main attractions in the park: the Marble Canyon itself, the dry adit, the Ruskeala failure, the ruins of the Marble Factory and italian canyon. All these objects are in general around the canyon, on the way walking route, you don't have to go anywhere. Only in order to reach the Ruskeala failure and the Italian quarry, you need to make a small loop. The marble factory remained a little aloof, but we did not look for it.

The descent into the adits was impressive. When you stand at the top, and only theoretically imagine that such complex work was carried out here, you still remain under the influence of the picture around - the magical nature that surrounds you, you feel the warm rays of the sun on your face, you see the gleam of water scales cut through by the prows of boats , the talk of tourists, the chirping of birds ... But as soon as you go down into the adit, you are enveloped in completely different emotions.

When I was little, I spent every summer in the village with my grandmother, in a big village house. The upper rooms were very bright, always flooded with sun, with windows at a height greater than human height.

I adored this house. But there was one place there that always… confused me, or something. It was a glacier. A small closet in the back wall of the house, on the basement level. There was a deep hole in it with a block of ice inside, which did not melt even in summer.

The glacier played the role of a kind of refrigerator, it stored dried meat, huge bottles, the contents of which remained a mystery to me, and other food, for which I was periodically sent for. I wasn't afraid of this place, no But it seemed to me very mysterious, made me hold my breath. As soon as you enter there, the cold immediately cut through to the bone, and goosebumps ran through the body, although here, literally outside the door, the sun shone and warmed.

So, when we went downstairs, I very clearly remembered this feeling. A huge dark mine, crossed by adits, not letting in light and heat and enveloping in darkness and cold ...

It's scary to imagine how it worked here. Previously, apparently, a mechanism, like an elevator, went along the vertical descent, which moved workers and equipment along horizontal adits. Now one of the adits is equipped with a bridge from which you can view the mine.

Coming out of the mine, it was insanely nice to feel the warm rays of the sun.

After a short walk along the paths, visiting all legal and illegal observation platforms, we came to a fork with a sign indicating the new route "In the footsteps of the masters."

From here you can turn left and go to the exit from the park along the western part of the canyon, or you can go straight and see another “window in the dungeon”. This is the Ruskeala failure - an oval hole in the ground, which, in fact, is the failed roof of one of the former adits, now flooded with water.

The depth of the failure to the water surface is about 12 meters.

The Ruskeala failure is interesting because, due to the special microclimate in it, the ice in its remote areas does not melt even in summer. You can get inside only by descending on a rope into a rubber boat, and then landing on the ice.

The career name is easy to explain. Italians mined marble here, and in the process of development, Italian technology was used, which made it possible to use rope sawing instead of the explosive method, which was practiced by the Swedes, Finns and Russians. This is clearly seen in the smoother, clearer contours of the cut blocks.

Leaving the Italian quarry, we again got on the path around the Marble Canyon.

The sun was setting, and its shadow had already begun to touch the eastern slope. Because of this, the colors and colors became deeper and richer.

We admired the beautiful emerald transparency of the water a little more, the whitening sheer mass of marble walls in the gentle frame of the yellowing growth on the slope, watched the drifting boats and headed towards the exit.

Initially, of course, my plans included a boat trip, but due to lack of time, it no longer fit in. More precisely, in addition to this, according to the plan, there was also a halt on one of the lakes and barbecues prepared by oneself, but there was time for one thing, because there was still a way back to St. Petersburg ahead.

I tried to timidly remind about the boat trip, but when I saw how my guys looked at each other, I decided that why do I need three angry hungry men in the boat, especially with a swim in a dark grotto.

Well, it was a pity, of course, to say goodbye to this amazing place, but this is definitely not our last trip to Karelia, and even the first, but not the only meeting with the Marble Canyon.

Before heading back, we found a very picturesque place on the lake for our express picnic. It was not difficult, since the landscapes there are pleasing to the eye - more than enough. While the guys conjured over the barbecue, I walked around the neighborhood.

From sensations and impressions, I wanted to gather my thoughts and think everything over. Well, don’t such landscapes, silence and tranquility around you have this?

And here is the whole honest company at a farewell dinner before the return trip.

By the way, according to tradition, we got home faster. Already more or less knew the road and did without traffic jams.

You are a lover of ancient Slavic and Scandinavian legends, you like to look at ancient monuments, beautiful in their originality.

One of such natural and man-made wonders 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 birches, 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".

The distinctive feature of this natural monument- 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 only get to the grotto by boat, so boat rental is in demand among people who decide to visit Karelian pearl, which is included in 100beautiful 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.

From St. Petersburg to the village of Ruskeala depart Shuttle Buses and taxi. 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 his 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 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 tackle for fishing. The recreation center develops for vacationers 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 they say in the song “Karelia will dream for a long time”, you have a piece of Karelia left in your memory, bring home local souvenirs, they are here huge selection. You can buy Zaonezhsky embroideries of craftswomen, incomparable examples of Karelian culture passed down 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.

Today I would like to tell you about another amazing sight of Karelia - the Ruskeala mountain park, located 30 km north of the city Sortavala.

In fact, the Ruskeala mountain park is an abandoned marble quarry, although the river flowing nearby has made its own adjustments to the lifeless gray landscape. Thanks to her, the main marble canyon was filled with turquoise water, turning the industrial facility into a natural fairy tale of amazing beauty. There is also a version that the Finns specially let the water from the river into the quarry in order to flood the adits and prevent further stone extraction. It turned out very effectively! This place is so mesmerizing that recently it has been included in the top three most beautiful natural and man-made attractions in Karelia. Be sure to take the time to visit it.

The extraction of marble in these parts began in the 17th century, when the Swedes owned these lands. It was they who built here a factory for the production of construction lime from marble. After the end of the Northern War, the land, together with the plant, became the property of Russian empire. The marble quarry turned out to be useless before Catherine II came to power.

In the second half of the XVIII century. for the construction of St. Petersburg in the vicinity of the city began to look for large deposits of natural stone. It was then that they remembered the abandoned marble quarry. By decree of the Empress dated August 9, 1766, several families of stonemasons from the Urals arrived on the banks of the Ruskolka River to extract marble, laying the foundation for a mining village called Ruskeala.

From Ruskeala marble, such amazing pearls as St. Isaac's Cathedral and marble palace Petersburg, triumphal columns in Tsarskoye Selo and Gatchina. Ruskeala marble was used in interior decoration Mikhailovsky Castle, Kazan Cathedral, the monument to Peter I and other buildings and structures northern capital. Fireplaces, countertops, monuments, candlesticks and other luxury items for wealthy people were made from marble.

From the middle of the XIX century. Ruskeala marble ceased to be widely used in decoration, and so that the mining in the marble canyon would not stand idle, a building lime production plant was built. Later, at the beginning of the XX century. The plant's range of building materials has expanded. Here they began to produce crushed stone, marble chips and facing blocks.

After the Great Patriotic War, the plant continued to operate. True, the production of marble in the main canyon was stopped. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, the adits and the quarry itself were already flooded, and secondly, the use of explosive stone mining technology over the centuries gave many cracks in the rock, which prevented the production of marble slabs.

Interesting fact! Currently, clean groundwater feeds the quarry. Algae do not grow in such water, which allows you to view the water of the quarry to a depth of 15-18 meters directly from the surface. However, the bottom is still not visible. In some places, the depth of the quarry reaches 50 meters.

After the war, Ruskeala marble was used in decoration only once, when the Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya metro stations were built in St. Petersburg. The rest of the production was sent to the production of building materials. The plant finally ceased to exist in the 90s of the last century.

Ladozhskaya metro station in St. Petersburg

And since the beginning of the 2000s, to be more precise in 2005, the Ruskeala mountain park was equipped with the money of local entrepreneurs, which has become very popular over the 10 years of its existence. Every year, tens of thousands of tourists from all over Russia and foreign countries come here to enjoy the beauty of the natural and man-made landscape.

What can you see in Ruskeala mountain park?

Map of the Ruskeala mountain park (click to enlarge)

The entire walk through the park goes around the marble lake. Together with the tour, it will take no more than 1.5 hours. The length of the route is about two kilometers.

On a note! The Ruskeala mountain park is located a few kilometers from the border with Finland, so often the mobile phone switches to European towers. Be careful with calls so as not to get into the roaming of another country!

Along the way except the main marble canyon you will be able to see the preserved adits, see the pipes of the lime plant in the distance, pass by several picturesque cliffs, an underground failure with a lake below, and also visit Italian career. In addition, along the route you will have the opportunity to stop at several observation decks and take memorable photos.

Our guide is a resident of Ruskeala Margarita in a national Karelian costume

How much does it cost to visit Ruskeala Mountain Park?

The park is open daily from 10:00 to 21:00.

Entrance to the park is paid. As of July 2016, the ticket price for an adult was 200 rubles. Student ticket - 150 rubles, school ticket - 100 rubles. Preschoolers and WWII veterans can visit the mountain park for free.

What to do in your free time?

After a tour or self walk around the picturesque marble canyon, you can choose from several active entertainments:

Swimming in the canyon on a rented boat per hour will cost 400 rubles. Maximum capacity boats - 4 people.

On a note! If you plan to ride a boat, it is better to get in line before the tour. There are many more people who want to ride than there are boats.

Flying over the canyon on a zipline will cost 1000 rubles. In summer, the queue for this attraction was also impressive, but unlike boating, you do not have to wait an hour for the return of the previous group, due to which the queue moves noticeably faster.

Ropejumping- jump from high point canyon on a rope - will also cost 1000 rubles, but 10 seconds of unrealistic sensations will be remembered for a lifetime.

Children from 5 years old and adults can also visit rope park on Montferrand lake. The cost of an adult ticket is also 1000 rubles. Just remember in rainy weather the rope park is closed to the public.

If you tempt fate on extreme entertainment I don’t feel like it, but it’s somehow too lazy to row a boat, you can feed the local seagulls, enjoy scenic views, have a bite to eat in a cafe or go in search of souvenirs. Good souvenirs here for every taste.

Of the winter activities, skiing in the Ruskeala mountain park is especially popular. dog sledding, as well as a descent into the failure to the underground lake.

Interesting fact! Inside the underground failure, formed as a result of the collapse of the rock, a special microclimate reigns. In the far reaches of the underground working, the ice never melts, and bizarre icicles hang from the walls everywhere. To get there in the summer, you need to go down to the lake on a rope, and then go a little more by boat. In winter, everything is much simpler: the descent takes place on solid ice.

By the way, very soon a new route is planned to be opened in the Ruskeala mountain park - "Underground Ruskeala". Illumination will be laid among the picturesque grottoes and caves, dips and adits, and it will be possible to fully enjoy not only the beauty, but also the amazing acoustics of these places.

And also the construction of a marble amphitheater has already begun, where it is planned to organize performances by creative teams.

So in a couple of years the Ruskeala mountain park will be unrecognizable. A great reason to come here, even if you have been here before.

How to get to the marble canyon in Karelia?

By car

From Petrozavodsk, past Pryazha, Kolatselga, Lyaskelya, drive to the turn to Vartsila, then along the highway to Ruskeala village. We pass through the village, then across the bridge and then to the left following the sign. The distance is approximately 250 km.

From St. Petersburg, you need to move along federal highway A129 to the city of Priozersk, then to the city of Sortavala. From Sortavala we move towards Petrozavodsk along the A130 highway. At the 10th kilometer there will be a turn towards Vartsila. The distance in this case is about 290 km.

public transport

The first step is to get to Sortavala. Regular buses and trains run from St. Petersburg or Petrozavodsk to Sortavala. Next, you need a bus to Vartsila village or Kaalamo village (located 7 km from Ruskeala). They make a stop in Ruskeala. True, they do not go every day. The current schedule can be found on the website of SUE "Karelavtotrans".

great way– take a taxi from Sortavala. Phone numbers of local carriers can be found.

As part of the tour

You can get to the mountain park Ruskeala. Similar excursions can be found in various travel companies Petrozavodsk and Sortavala.

Ruskeala waterfalls

On the way to the Ruskeala mountain park, it is reasonable to make a stop at the Ruskeala or Tokhminsky waterfalls. A cascade of three small waterfalls (the height of the largest does not exceed 4 m) became famous for the fact that it was here that Zhenya Komelkova’s bathing scene was filmed in the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”. However, this is not the only television picture that glorified these places. In addition to The Dawns Here Are Quiet, a fantasy thriller The Dark World was filmed at the Ruskeala waterfalls, a wooden hut remained in memory of which, as well as a children's fairy tale about Baba Yaga. The fairy tale was filmed not so long ago, so even the guides do not know its exact name. For the shooting of the fairy tale, a lot of memorable scenery was built here - elegant wooden ladders, benches, tables and a lot of fairy tale characters. A lot of interesting things for both children and adults.

The picturesque Tokhminsky waterfalls "starred" in more than one television film

The falls themselves are not very high. Two flow a little further...

... and one - the most powerful - is very close

The waterfalls themselves amaze with the color of their water. She is absolutely red, one might even say rusty, thanks to the large amount of iron contained. Falling from a height, the water falls into a lake covered with white foam. Because of this, at first glance it seems that the water here is dirty, but this is not at all the case.

It was here that we managed to taste the cloudberries praised on every corner. This jar cost 200 rubles

Speaking of filming. Not only the waterfalls, but also the marble canyon of Ruskeala became famous on TV screens. Here, as well as on the waterfalls, some scenes of the fantasy thriller "The Dark World", the crime series "The Golden Trap", the action movie "Flint", the adventure thriller "The Seventh Rune" and the series "Trace of the Piranha" were filmed.

That's all for now! When planning your trip to Karelia, do not forget to include in your plans a visit to the marble canyon in the Ruskeala mountain park and the Ruskeala waterfalls. Trust me, you won't regret a minute! Amazing place! Fascinating beauty!