Republic of Karelia for the weekend. Ruskeala mountain park and a waterfall from a Soviet film. Excursions and routes. Location of Ruskeala mountain park in Karelia
This June I managed to make short trip in Karelia as part of organized tour for 5 days (tour review). The program was designed in such a way as to show us the most recognizable and photographed places in Karelia that can be visited for such short vacation. We spent the first part of the tour in the area Karelian city Sortavala, next to which there are such famous sights of Karelia as the Ruskeala waterfalls, the island of Valaam with an ancient monastery and the Ruskeala mountain park, which will be discussed today.
A bit of history
mountain park Ruskeala is a territory on which marble canyons with emerald water, adits, mines and paths with viewing platforms are located, organized into routes for tourists. I would call this attraction industrial-natural, and here's why.
Back in the 17th century, the Swedes began mining marble here, which, with northern severity, was turned into whitewash. Practical Swedes did not need pompous material to decorate buildings and pavements, 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. Few people know, but many famous buildings of St. Petersburg are faced 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, they were 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 of the 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.
Marble was quarried 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, as part of the recruited group, will tell you everything in detail.
It is worth saying about marble quarries that a kind of unique park, because it was created with private investment, you must admit that for Russia it is not a frequent occurrence.
Walk around the Ruskeala quarry
Our excursion group arrived at the Ruskeala mountain park around 8 pm. In summer, admission is possible until 24-00. In June, in the Russian north, the nights are almost white, and in another season, the backlight works in Ruskeala.
You can walk around Ruskeala on your own by buying an entrance ticket, or you can excursion group led by a local guide in the park. For some reason, our travel agency could not organize an excursion for us earlier than 20-30, so by agreement with all the participants of the tour, we went to the territory ourselves. Why didn't they wait an extra half hour? It was the first day of our trip, many got off the train at 6 am, then we visited the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery in the Leningrad Region, we drove almost 5 hours to the recreation center in the Sortavala area. We had a choice - to sit an extra hour at the base, and then go, which meant returning back later, or leave the base earlier, take a walk in the park ourselves and go to rest after a crazy day.
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.
Since we arrived in the evening, we didn’t see emerald-blue water, because the sun, apparently, fell at the wrong angle. But still, marble mountains, water, floating boats looked very nice, I was already impatient to get into the park.
Around the quarry laid walking route, during which they constantly meet viewing platforms, allowing you to approach the edge of the quarry without extreme sports. For the especially gifted, signs are placed everywhere, stating that do not throw stones down, do not approach the edge and do not dive down ... apparently, there were such.
I drew attention to the rather large grottoes on opposite side mountains, for some reason they seemed familiar to me, although I had never been to Ruskeala.
And then Zhenya suggested to me that this is the first 3D Russian film "The Dark World", namely the scene with the lake witches, was filmed here. Here is a video for the song "Witch", you can see the landscapes of Ruskeala.
Filming location "Dark World" in Karelia
In addition to boats that can be rented at a special station, I noticed divers in their careers. As the guide said, they really like this place, and the park allows professionals to train. It turns out that the water in the quarry is very clean, besides, at the bottom lies the equipment flooded by the Finns, with the help of which marble was mined. And since Karelian lakes are not rich in outlandish seabed or tales of sunken ships with treasures, the exploration of the bottom of Ruskeala is extremely interesting for divers. The cost of using the pier for diving is 200 rubles.
As soon as we passed one side of the quarry, we saw a pointer to an adit, into which you can freely go down without special permission. In your own words, the adit is a recess in the ground, a kind of corridor, a quarry. We decided to go down to the adit, which has been preserved for a long time, which goes 200 meters deep. It was created to deliver trolleys with marble from the mine along the narrow-gauge railway. At the entrance to the adit, you can see what an old trolley looks like.
To be honest, going down was scary, and I don’t like all sorts of caves and grottoes at all, but I decided to go into the adit, because I had never seen anything like it.
We walked around the quarry and quietly envied independent tourists, who sailed on boats, swam up to the grottoes, as in frames from the film.
We were told that research is now being carried out in the quarry to open a passage inside the mountains for tourists. In a couple of years, they promise to organize excursions to grottoes, caves and other wonders of nature hidden from the eyes.
Routes in Ruskeala
Routes along Ruskeala can be found at the entrance to the park - a large poster hangs.
Download map with routes
Route around the Marble Quarry
You can limit yourself to walking around the Bolshoy marble quarry like us, or you can visit the factory, the neighboring lake. In general, if you are lovers of industrial tourism, then Ruskeala is just an ideal object. In any case, this place is very unusual, so I recommend allocating at least 3 hours for it, and then, as they say, as it goes.
What else can you do in Ruskeala
As you already understood, Ruskeala is interesting, first of all, to walk on foot, depending on the degree of interest, take a look at the quarry with one eye or make a real journey into the industrial past of our country.
From entertainment Rusleala offers boating. Immediately upon entering, you will see a descent down to boat station. There you will be put on life jackets, and you can go swimming. I think it's very cool to swim under the huge marble rocks, to look into clean water and just enjoy nature. In addition, you can swim up to the grottoes, which we saw only from above. Boat rental is open from May 20 to September 30, it costs 400 rubles per boat (no more than 4 people, we are not in China).
If you like to tickle your nerves, then you definitely want to ride on the torso on a bungee shortcut or cross the entire quarry. The bungee is located at the exit of the Marble Quarry.
I can’t say anything about reliability and safety, but it’s fixed like this.
There is a trampoline for children at the exit, beer with barbecue for dads, shops for moms. They also regularly ride husky dogs there, but we arrived too late.
How to get there, opening hours, entrance fee
The opening hours of the mountain park depend on the time of the year.
If you walk around Ruskeala on your own, then the entrance ticket will cost 150 rubles. for adults, 100 for students, 50 rubles for schoolchildren, and for children under 7 years old, admission is free.
A tour of the park costs 250 rubles. behind short route duration 1 hour and 350 rubles. for a 1.5 hour walk.
And if you decide to create and celebrate a wedding not in Thailand, but in Karelia, then the mountain park will give you a boat ride ... and let all the guests wait. ?
Get to Ruskeala by car not difficult, here is her address. Free parking near the entrance is present.
On one's own, i.e. on public transport, you can also get to the marble quarries.
From St. Petersburg, you need to take train No. 350 St. Petersburg - Kostomuksha, having bought a ticket to the Kaalamo station. Next, take a taxi to the park (drive about 5 km).
You can get from Petrozavodsk to Ruskeala by train No. 680-Ch Petrozavodsk-Sortavala, get off at Kaalamo station. Travel time from 19-20 to 06-06. You can also get there by bus or minibus (NUMBERS), which go to Sortavala, although the travel time will be from 5 to 8 hours.
The easiest way to get to Reskeala or the city of Sortavala. At the bus station, look at the bus schedule to Vartsila, it stops near the park, though it runs very rarely. If you are in Sortavala, then it is most convenient to take a taxi (about 450 rubles one way), and you can immediately arrange to be waited for and brought back. This option will cost you about 1000 rubles, but it all depends on the particular taxi driver, your art of trading and the time you want to spend in the park.
From Moscow to Ruskeala, you guessed it, you can get through St. Petersburg or Petrozavodsk.
Perhaps the information on how to get to Ruskeala is scary, but you need to understand that it makes no sense to go to Karelia on Ruskeala. It is necessary to develop a route that includes the city of Sortavala and its environs, visit Ruskeala, Ruskeala waterfalls, swim to Valaam, fish, walk in nature, and there are many things to do in this area of Karelia.
Where to stay
In the area where Ruskeala is located, there are several recreation centers where you can comfortably stay. This will allow you to combine outdoor recreation with visiting attractions located nearby.
I lived at the recreation center "Black Stones" and I can safely recommend it. The base is located about 30 minutes drive to the mountain park.
Recreation center "Black Stones"
Approximately the same distance is country club Gardarika, who can be booked on booking.com .
In close proximity to the marble quarries is the recreation center "Ruskeala". On the Ruskeala website you can read about the route to the base, a private bus and transfer. A little further, on the lake, there is a Janisyarvi base.
If you like city breaks, I recommend book one of the hotels in Sortavala. It will be extremely convenient for you to travel around this part of Karelia from it, you may even meet some taxi driver who will become your driver and pleasant companion.
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Karelia is the pearl of the Russian North. Its modest beauty, bottomless lakes and relic forests leave no one indifferent. There, not far from the border with Finland, is located unique monument nature and at the same time a museum under open sky entitled Ruskeala.
MARBLE PANTRY
Middle of the 18th century. Newly proclaimed capital Russian state is developing rapidly. 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 the 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.
Stone mining stopped and the old abandoned Ruskeala quarries turned into beautiful mountain lakes.
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 on Lake Ladoga to St. Petersburg.
The second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century can be called without exaggeration era of Ruskeala marble . 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, - Saint 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.
Entrance to the gallery. Photo: Tatyana Dorohova.
View of the mine from the mine. A bridge was thrown over the mine for passage.
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, the Ruskeala marble quarry was 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 RUSKEAL?
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 Tohmajoki ("mad river") flows into Ladoga lake and has many rapids and rifts, the largest of them 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.
Tohmajoki river.
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.
Ruskeala waterfall Akhvenkoski.
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.
Marble Canyon.
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 silver marble rocks, going deep 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).
A horizon is a layer within a 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 in the place of failure in the warm season, a small lake is formed. 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.
Ruskeala failure. Photo: Vladimir Kirichenko.
The ice inside the working does not melt even in summer. Photo: Vladimir Kirichenko.
The 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 an industrial open-air museum. Looking at all these beauties, you involuntarily think: "How rich our planet is, how much it can give us."
WHAT TO DO IN RUSKEAL?
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.
Scheme of the mountain park "Ruskeala"
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.
The park is open all year round, only the mode changes from season to season. After the Ruskeala sights were ennobled, the entrance to the park, of course, became paid - 150 rubles per person. Boat rental, guide and other services also cost money (detailed price list here).
But the park offers its visitors a lot of entertainment. Those who like to tickle their nerves will appreciate them:
Jump from a 24-meter cliff Marble Canyon. Of course, with insurance. Height free fall at the same time it is 8 meters.
Rope bridge walk : three ropes are stretched through the canyon at a height of 24 meters - you go one at a time, you hold on to two.
trolls - This downhill on a roller along an obliquely stretched rope straight to the surface of Marble Lake.
Another popular way to spend time 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 descent into failure . To do this, you need to have special equipment and permission from the directorate 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. 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!
Of the quieter winter activities - riding a husky (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.
Observation deck. Photo: Andrey Kirnov.
Pier and rope rides. Photo: Andrey Kirnov.
It is better to come to Ruskeala for a couple of days. Moreover, there will be no problems with accommodation. Near the park there are two recreation centers and a tourist complex. Besides, in summer time many prefer to break camping and rest on the march.
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 on a rafting .
Rafting- This sports alloy By mountain river on six-, four- or two-seater inflatable vessels.
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. You can get to the Marble Canyon and other attractions three ways.
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).
Driving directions.
By bus
From Petrozavodsk to Sortavala run every day intercity buses. The timetable can be found here. 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. Study the schedule. How to get from Sortavala to Ruskeala - see above.
It is also possible to get by train, but you will have to make several changes.
The railway route is considered the most inconvenient and time-consuming.
WHY SHOULD YOU SEE RUSKEALA?
This is a must see! Because Ruskeala is a beautiful mountain park with a 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.
- Based on materials from the LifeHacker portal
- 18 November, 2014
One of the most popular sights of Karelia - beautiful mountain park and marble canyon Ruskeala . Sheer marble cliffs go vertically down and break into emerald green water, and a well-groomed and well-maintained path has been laid around the quarry, which offers wonderful views.
Many years ago, in the 18th century, marble was mined here, which was used to decorate many architectural structures Petersburg, Gatchina and Tsarskoye Selo. In particular, marble for the construction of the magnificent St. Isaac's Cathedral, perhaps the most beautiful in St. Petersburg, was mined here. The decoration of the majestic Kazan Cathedral also did not do without Ruskeala marble, here it was used for facing the mosaic floors.
At the beginning of the 20th century, marble mining stopped, the quarries filled with water and turned into beautiful mountain lakes. It turned out to be a kind of fusion of natural sights with a living open-air mining museum.
In fact, there are several quarries here. The largest, main, is called the Great Marble Canyon. Its length is slightly less than 500 meters and its width is up to 100 meters. Near the Italian quarry and two small lakes. Under the quarries - a whole network underground tunnels- adits and drifts - with a total length of several kilometers.
Although Marble Canyon ("Main" quarry) is a monument of industrial culture, included in the list cultural heritage Karelia, the Ruskeala Mountain Park itself, formed in 2005, is a private territory. During this time, work was carried out to improve the territory: paths were laid, fences and stairs were installed, observation platforms were built, lighting was arranged, and a car park was equipped. Now Ruskeala is visited by several thousand tourists a year.
Around marble canyon you can not only take a walk, in the summer you can take a fascinating boat trip here.
Swim in the grottoes. There are several of them, but the accessible grottoes are not very deep.
Seagulls nest on the ledges of rocks.On the mirror-smooth surface of the marble quarry, you can ride not only on a boat, but also on a small ferry.
A rope is stretched through the entire marble canyon, on which you can make a lightning-fast exciting (even slightly extreme) trip to the other end of the quarry :-)
Since 2013, the route of the Ruskeala mountain park has been expanded. Now you can easily reach another interesting place which is located near the main quarry. This is an Italian Quarry. Here you can get close to the rock mass and touch the place where the marble was cut with your hands.
Walking through the Ruskeala mountain park, you will also see " underground lake"- Ruskeala failure, you will enter the underground adit.
How else to have fun in Ruskeala?
- Using climbing equipment you can go down into the cave, which was once a mine.
- Not far from the small quarry there is a rope park.
- It must be said that Ruskeala Park is interesting and picturesque not only in the warm season. From November to March, after dark and until the closing of the park, artistic lighting is turned on here.
Ruskeala - is it safe to travel with children?
Of course, visiting the marble canyon with children implies that they will have to be constantly monitored. The path itself, laid around the quarry, is absolutely safe:
There are no critically steep descents and ascents. But a child, left to himself, can easily climb over the railings of the fences and head to the very cliff. Be careful not to leave children unattended. Then your family holiday will remain a great event.
Is one day enough to see Ruskeala?
If you don't have any specific plans, that's definitely enough. It will most likely take a few hours. The "standard" set of activities - calmly and without haste to walk, take pictures, ride a boat - will take about 3 hours. But keep in mind that the road takes a lot of time - whether you go from St. ), and on most Karelian roads it will not be possible to accelerate much;)) Therefore, it is better, of course, to provide for an overnight stay in the vicinity of Sortavala or Lahdenpokhya.
In summer, to visit Ruskeala, if possible, choose a weekday.
