Description of the attraction
The most beautiful marble in Russia is mined in Karelia, in the vicinity of Sortavala. On the site of the largest Ladoga deposit, which supplied the most beautiful and pompous palaces and temples of the Russian Empire with marble, there is now a picturesque natural park. This is an amazingly beautiful lake with clear water in silvery rocks, formed on the site of a marble canyon. Here you can see the underground tunnels, take a boat ride on the lake, bungee jumping and much more.
The history of the canyon
The name is derived from the name of the river - Ruskolka. It means "red" - its water was reddish with iron, and ocher has long been mined along its banks. They began to look for a building stone near St. Petersburg under Catherine II, because then a huge construction was carried out. In 1766, marble mining began here, primarily for the construction of the new St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, designed by Antonio Rinaldi.
The development was carried out on Mount Belaya, which entirely consisted of silvery marble, and Mount Zelyonaya, where the marble was of a different color - with green veins. The mining was carried out by the simplest method: holes were drilled in the rock, filled with explosives, and thus chunks were chipped off, which were then processed and polished.
Local marble was used in the 18th-19th centuries for the decoration of pavilions in Tsarskoye Selo, the Mikhailovsky Castle of Paul I, and the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Since 1819, the construction of the fourth building of St. Isaac's Cathedral began - just the one that has come down to our time. It is again faced with Ruskeala marble. The chief architect of the cathedral - Montferrand - personally comes here to observe the work of the quarry; in total, up to 700 people work here at a time. It also organizes a plant for the production of lime. Since 1854, industrial lime has become a priority.
The field has been actively developed until 1939. New adits, mines and quarries are breaking through. Rock is mined at six horizons - three underground and three aboveground. Lime, marble chips, crushed stone are produced here. The main quarry is 450 meters long and 150 meters wide and is surrounded by a system of adits and mines. Many official buildings in Helsinki, such as the National Bank and the Ministry of Defense, are decorated with this marble.
But after the war, when the territory again returned to Russia, it was in the main career that work was no longer carried out: its depth reached the level of groundwater, and it began to flood. The lime plant was rebuilt, and the main quarry was gradually filled with water from underground springs and formed a picturesque lake. The extraction of marble continued in other quarries using Western European technologies. In Leningrad, the marble quarried here was used to decorate the Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya metro stations. Only at the very end of the 20th century, production was stopped.
Park now
The park dates back to 1999. A year before, the territory was officially declared unsuitable for mining, and in 1999 the concept of the park arose, and excursions began. Since 2001, the clearing of the territory began, and in 2005 the first ecological path was laid, a boat station was opened on the lake. In 2017, a 650-meter underground route was launched. Speleologists conduct their research here - and perhaps in the future, tourists will find several more open and equipped caves and longer underground routes. Since 2009, the marble slopes have been illuminated, so the park is especially beautiful in the evening.
Now you can get from Sortavala to the park by a real steam locomotive, which copies the famous "Nikolaev Express".
The dungeons can only be entered as part of an organized group with a guide - it can be dangerous here alone. The route is laid along the old adit, created in 1930 by the Finns - it was used to transport marble from the mines below.
Lakes
What people come here for is a lake, almost half a kilometer long, formed on the site of a marble canyon. Its depth is almost 50 meters, and its high banks are formed of open marble deposits of silver-gray and white color. An unforgettable sight. The lake is fed by mountain streams and its water is absolutely transparent. Here and there at the bottom of the lake you can see mining equipment abandoned here - it is at a depth of 18-20 meters, but you can see it. There are several ecological trails around the lake with observation platforms in the most picturesque places. There is a boat station on the east bank.
To the west is another lake - Lake Montferrand. It is named after the architect who designed the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral, for the decoration of which local marble was used. It is smaller and of a different shape, not elongated, but round, but no less picturesque.
Ruskeala Gap and Kalevala Park
Another must-see object is the Ruskeala sinkhole. In the middle of the 20th century, after the explosion, the vaults of the underground workings collapsed, and a thirty-meter failure was formed. The ice never melts here, but in summer a small underground lake is formed, so inspection of the hole turns into an extreme attraction. It is necessary to go down the rope into the boat, and on it to inspect the failure. In winter, you can descend directly onto the ice, which freezes in the depths of the hole.
The "Italian quarry" is surprisingly beautiful. Here marble was mined in the middle of the 20th century according to Italian technology - "removing" it from the rock with flat plates. As a result, half-cut rocks were formed, on smooth cuts of which the structure of the marble rock is ideally visible. There is a small square lake, which is so beautiful that it received the local name "Cleopatra's pool".
Children will have an interesting part of the park dedicated to the Finnish epic Kalevala. Kalevala was once recorded in these places - in Finnish villages around Sortavala. It, as it should be in mythology, is divided into two parts. Light - Väinola and dark - Pohjala. The figures of the heroes of the epic are installed here, and at the entrance booklets with the presentation of Kalevala are handed out. The most interesting thing here is the observation deck over a high and dark cliff. In addition, quests and interactive classes are held for the children.
Entertainment
The park provides many entertainment services. There are guided tours of underground tunnels with an underground lake. There are caves that can only be entered from the lake - so there is the possibility of a boat trip with a boat rental. There are bungees, a rope bridge over the canyon at a height of 24 meters, trolls - a rope descent to the lake with a roller. There is a rope park for children "Kubik". Divers can rent a dive platform and explore the underwater beauty of the lake.
The park is well equipped for winter fun. Every year it is decorated with a gallery of ice sculptures. Husky rides from a local nursery are organized here.
Not far from the park, tourist centers and tent camps are equipped, so you can come here for more than one day. There are three cafes on the territory of the park, and in front of it there is a free guarded parking lot. In the vicinity of the park, you can ride ATVs, in addition, rafting on the Tohmajoki River is organized.
The famous Ruskeala cascade, a picturesque system of four waterfalls, is located 4 kilometers from the park. The remains of the plant that once produced lime are formally located outside the territory, but they are very close. However, only brick 25-meter pipes remained here, but they also look impressive.
Interesting Facts
- The territory of the park is included in the "Blue Road" - an international tourist route running from Russia to Norway.
- It was in this park that the film "The Dark World" was filmed, in some places even the scenery remained - for example, a hut next to the Ruskeala waterfalls.
On a note
- Location: Karelia, pos. Ruskeala, Marble st. d. 1
- How to get there: by bus from Sortavala or Petrozavodsk, by retro train from Sortavala.
- Official website:
- Opening hours: 09: 00-22: 00 in summer and 10: 00-19: 00 in winter.
- Ticket prices. Entrance to the park. - 300 rubles. Underground route - 1200 rubles. Boat rental - 600 rubles per hour. Park "Kalevala" - 100 rubles.
