Caves in the Leningrad region or Karelia there are, but most of them are man-made. Previously, tons of sand were mined there and glass was processed at factories. That's it now quarries abandoned and in decline. But this does not stop desperate seekers of travel and extreme recreation from coming and exploring the mysterious dungeons.
Unexplored passages, narrow tunnels, flocks bats, dampness, layers of earth rocks and dim candlelight - there is a certain romance in this. If you are not afraid of confined spaces and want to feel like a pioneer speleologist, then we have collected for you the most complete list of caves Leningrad region (Len. region).
Getting to the caves of the Leningrad region, real natural caves of Karelia or nearby areas is not difficult; many quarries are located a couple of hours drive from St. Petersburg. And if you don’t know how to get to the caves, the map on our website will help you. Detailed map of caves, addresses, photos, descriptions and history of places. These and other beautiful places in the Leningrad region are here.
Sablinskie caves
Sablinskie caves in Tosnensky district Leningrad region, perhaps the most popular in the St. Petersburg region. They are in great demand due to their proximity to St. Petersburg and these are almost the only caves to which excursions are officially held.
On paid excursions to Sablinsky caves They will show you the largest in the Leningrad region"Left Bank Cave", which preserves traces of the Ice Age. You will see real bats, sleeping butterflies, a large underground lake and even the remains of fossils, shells and other marine life, because millions of years ago there was a seabed here!
But the caves in Sablino are not only excursions for tourists. There are many more wild, interesting and absolutely free quarries. Of course, visiting the Sablinsky caves of the Tosnensky district without an experienced guide is quite a dangerous activity, but this does not stop almost anyone. The caves in Sablino are not deep (only 30-50 meters) and anyone can find a way out.
Learn more about information about the Sablinsky caves and waterfalls, the official website, prices for visiting, history, look at photos or find out how to get to the Sablinsky caves, we will show you the way on the map, you can see all this.
Leningrad region, village Ulyanovka, railway station "Sablino"
Visit from 250 rub.
Marble Canyon
Marble Cavesin Karelia located in mountain park "Ruskeala". These are some of the most beautiful and largest caves in Karelia. In summer you can only get to them by water by boat, and in winter you can walk.
Marble Canyon in Ruskeala It is famous, in addition to its huge waterfalls and rocks, for its underwater caves, sinkholes, mines and abandoned adits. After all, marble has been mined here on a large scale since the end of the 17th century. (it was from Ruasquel marble that they builtIsaac's Cathedral and many metro stations). Now work in the adits has stopped, but everything is well maintained and safe. You can get inside and explore the caves of the Ruskeala marble canyon either on an excursion with an instructor or on your own.
You don’t know how to get to the Marble Canyon, all the coordinates are indicated on the map). From St. Petersburg the journey will take 4-5 hours.
Karelia, pos. Ruskeala, 25 km. from Sortavala
Visit from 0 to 200 rub.
Oredezhsky caves (Borshchevsky)
Borshchevsky caves(they are also called Oredezh caves, because they are located near the Oredezh River) is a network of artificial caves formed as a result of the extraction of quartz sand for the Tarkovich glass factory.
Previously, the lengths of the passages of the Borshchevsky caves reached 15 km., but are now almost completely filled up. There are only 2 entrances left, the depth of the caves reaches no more than 500 meters. The width of the underground corridors can be up to 4 meters, due to the fact that sand mining was carried out by peasants who did not follow the rules of mining and drove into the adits directly on carts with horses.
Get to the Oredezhsky caves (direction map indicated ) is not difficult, just drive to the final station Oredezh and walk 5 km. on foot.
Leningrad region, pos. Oredezh
Tanechkina cave
One of the main attractions Staraya Ladoga- these are caves on the banks of the Volkhov River. There are several of them here (Staroladoga Cave, Malyshka), but longest cave Leningrad region, and it is also located in Staraya Ladoga - Tanechkina cave. The length of its underground corridors reaches 7.5 km, but despite this, it is not very popular, unlike the Sablinsky caves. Many passages are blocked, and in the northern part there is a real underground lake!
Lives in Tanechkina Cave largest colonybats in the north-west of Russia, here they are more than 400 individuals!
Leningrad region, Staraya Ladoga, bank of the Volkhov River, 1 km. from Oleg's Kurgan
Caves in Rozhdestveno
Natural karst caves in Rozhdestveno on the banks of the Gryazna River in the Leningrad Region can be seen on the territory museum-estate of V.V. Nabokov. They are only 20 meters long, but a beautiful cliff of red sand, a forest river and a small waterfall are worth coming to Rozhdestveno. In one of the caves it beats spring water source, stock up on a bottle to take clean water home.
Getting to the caves in Rozhdestveno is very easy. Just go through the parking lot next to the estate and walk along the ancient alley to the end and turn left.
Leningrad region, Gatchina district, village. Rozhdestveno
Dolozhskaya cave
Dolozhskaya cave in Slantsy- the second largest in the Leningrad region. According to legend, in the 18th century a hermit lived here, who died here. And in 1908, a monastery was established there at the Porechen women's community. In 1900, a church was erected on the site, which was completely destroyed during wartime.
Now a spring with a holy spring flows from inside, and at the end of the cave there is a miraculous icon of the 16th century.
Leningrad region, Slates
Marble Canyon is a place of mesmerizing beauty. Not far from the village of Ruskeala, located approximately 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 extraction. Back in the 17th century, the Swedes began mining marble here. Then marble was used for very mundane purposes - building foundations in surrounding settlements and for the production of building lime. Practical Swedes did not need pompous material to decorate buildings; they always loved brevity and practicality, so their hand did not waver when translating the goods. However, almost a century later, our country began to extract marble for its intended purpose.
St. Isaac's Cathedral, Marble Palace, Kazan Cathedral and St. Michael's Castle are decorated with Ruskeala marble
Marble from the Ruskeala quarries was highly appreciated by such outstanding architects of the 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 ones being Green and White, named after the color of the marble that is extracted 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, and it was used to decorate the windows of the Winter Palace. Green Mountain marble was useful in the construction of the Kazan Cathedral and other objects in St. Petersburg, Gatchina and Tsarskoe Selo. Nowadays, Ruskeala marble has been used for cladding the underground halls of St. Petersburg metro stations. Marble was mined at different levels, called horizons, which are even located underground. The original horizons have not reached our time; they were replaced by later ones. I will not write about how marble mining took place, 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, while others continue to be used for industrial stone mining. The combination of the nature of Karelia and human activity gave these quarries a surprisingly picturesque appearance, which attracts travel lovers not only from Karelia, but also from St. Petersburg, Moscow and other places. One of the quarries, now called “Ruskeala Mountain Park,” is equipped for tourists to visit - there are cleared and fenced footpaths around it, a parking lot is equipped, right in the quarry, you can rent a boat and enjoy the view from the water of the marble walls, which are more than twenty meters high . It has been developed since 1765, today its length from north to south is four hundred and sixty meters, its width is up to one hundred meters. The distance from the highest point of the canyon side to its bottom is over fifty meters. Water transparency 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 stalls and an administration building where tickets are sold. There is also an observation deck at the largest quarry of Ruskeala. The mountain park occupies a small area and exploring it will not take much time. If you rent a boat, you can swim from the water into the marble grotto and admire the intricate play of light reflected from the water on the slightly transparent marble arches. Sheer cliffs also leave a lasting impression. 
In the evenings, the quarry turns on colored lighting. There are several other quarries around the park. An interesting fact is that the quarries differ from each other in the color of the 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 no coincidence: the shade of the water is directly related to the color of the marble mined here. In addition to flooded adits, there are also non-flooded ones. But it is impossible to get into them on your own without accompaniment.
The quarry is filled with crystal clear water with an emerald tint and is framed by patterned shores - 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. Climbing on them is prohibited, as indicated by appropriate signs. When the boats are handed out, they are warned not to swim up to the rock, fenced off on the water with buoys, as stones sometimes fall from above there. 
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 attractions of this place is the brick kilns of the 19th century, for firing marble chips (19th century), the chimneys of the kilns are somewhat similar to towers or minarets. You can come close to them and even look inside. You can take a look at the ancient administrative building, made entirely of Ruskeala marble. 
A separate topic is diving. The flooded quarries of Ruskeala, connected by adits, are a real paradise for divers. Labyrinths of tunnels, at least three underground horizons of marble mining and remote unexplored underwater caves attract diving enthusiasts here in large numbers. At the bottom of the main canyon, the equipment once used for marble extraction remains forever. Combined with amazingly clear water, these techno-artifacts only increase the attractiveness of the place. By the way, the transparency of the water is due to its low temperature: the water in the quarry is key and is constantly renewed. 
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 go to the destroyed Finnish power plant, located on the same Tohmajoki River, just downstream. To do this, you need to go back a little along the highway - less than a kilometer and turn right, walking about five hundred meters along the forest road. The waterfall is artificial, but beautiful.
A small amount of money is charged for walking through the park. Boat rental, of course, is also paid. However, the price for people who have spent money on travel from St. Petersburg or another large city will not seem high. A diving pier is provided especially for divers. In winter, there is an ice skating rink and you can rent skates.
How to get to the Ruskeala marble canyon
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 you can get to it by train or by regular bus. From Sortavala to the village of Ruskeala, you can get there by bus (runs 2 times a day to Vyartsilya via Ruskeala) or by taxi. Alternatively, you can get to Matkaselka station by train St. Petersburg - Kostomuksha, and walk about eight kilometers along the road to the park. The train arrival times are very inconvenient: 1:00 and 4:00, although, on the other hand, you will be the first visitors. Getting there by personal car is much easier. From St. Petersburg you need to get to the city of Sortavala along the A-129 St. Petersburg - Sortavala highway. Then drive north along the A-130 highway to Vyartsilya to the village of Ruskeala. There will be a sign to the Mountain Park. You can leave your car in the complex's parking lot (parking is free) or on the side of nearby roads. The path is not close. From St. Petersburg to the Mountain Park is about three hundred and thirty kilometers.
What else to see in Karelia.
The Ruskeala Mountain Park has been operating for almost ten years. It was opened for public visits in 2005. Its creation was sponsored by the travel company Kolmas Karelia. "Ruskeala" is very popular today. This place has become so famous for a reason. Tens of thousands of tourists visit it every year.
General information
The monument is called "Marble Breaks of Ruskeala in the 17th - early 20th centuries." Currently, the creation of such a complex is a positive and rare phenomenon in Russia. This example clearly demonstrates how a cultural heritage site can be revived using private funds. The place itself is unique. Here it was possible to recreate a rare symbiosis of the work of past centuries and the natural attractions for which Karelia is famous. "Ruskeala" is a truly unique ensemble. Its natural beauty can be admired at any time of the year.
Special atmosphere
Three quarries were formed here as a result of marble mining. They are located next to the left bank of the Tokhmajoki River. The quarries are interconnected by adits. Soon the stone mining work stopped. The quarries were abandoned. On the site of ancient quarries, picturesque ones arose. They are white marble thickets filled with clear bluish-green water. Currently, inactive adits and mines resemble mysterious grottoes and caves.
Local Attractions
The Ruskeala marble quarry is the main attraction of the complex. This place is a monument of industrial culture of the 18th-20th centuries. Ruskeala Park is officially included in the list of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. This monument is unique. There is no other complex like this anywhere in Europe. This is a kind of man-made “bowl” made of solid marble. It is penetrated by systems of drifts, adits and mines. Facing blocks for many architectural structures in the city of St. Petersburg were mined here. The majestic St. Isaac's Cathedral is also no exception. A variety of buildings were decorated with Ruskeala marble. It has a stunning color: white with greenish flecks. Some metro stations are still decorated with this marble.
Marble quarry "Ruskeala"
Its length is about four hundred and fifty meters. It's pretty deep. The quarry is currently flooded. Water rises to the upper underground horizon. The Finns did this before the war began in the 40s. Most of the adits, which were formed in the first half of the last century, are under water. Only one of them is located above this level. This adit was formed in the depths of the mountain ranges in the 30s. A path was built inside it along which trolleys with marble moved. It is connected to shaft No. 2. It was along it that the workers moved. The mine goes deep into the mountain at a distance of about two hundred meters. The embankment of the railway along which the trolleys moved is still preserved.
Scenic Views
Externally, the Ruskeala marble quarry makes a colossal impression. Gray-white rocks descend down to its banks, which are heavily indented. The rocks go deep into the vast distance. Excursions to Ruskeala are held regularly. The canyon has its own pier. Here guests can use the rental service and rent a boat. While traveling on it you can look at the canyon from the water. A certain part of the blocks hangs over this space at a negative angle. Travelers can also admire the views of the grottoes. They were formed in sheer cliffs. The play of light on the marble ceiling attracts the gaze of tourists for a long time. The grottoes really look very picturesque. White arches are reflected in the calm water surface.
Precautionary measures
There are also dry adits here. However, tourists are strictly prohibited from visiting them. To do this, you need the assistance of a geologist. The heat outside means that the marble adit is cold. You can feel the dankness as you go deeper into the layer. It's hard to imagine what it was like for workers here. Career Management provided some data from that time. During periods of peak load, mining was carried out year-round. The drilling process did not stop day or night.
Fundamental differences
There is the main, most famous and visited quarry "Ruskeala". There were several more abandoned ones around it. Currently, activities are underway to develop them. Most quarries are different from each other. This applies not only to types of shores. This also applies to the color of the water. For example, in one quarry it may be gray, and in another it may be blue. The main one is a little different from the others. The water in this quarry is bluish-green in color. Over time, the walls here have darkened and become weathered. This happened during the time when mining was not carried out in the quarries. However, this will not prevent tourists from seeing their true color. It can be observed on freshly chipped marble pieces. They are quite common. The old "block" quarry is special in this regard. Here you can see the most striking manifestations of the picturesque stone. It was in this quarry that marble was extracted in large blocks.
Underground exploration
The speleological commission of St. Petersburg was developing a multi-year expedition project. It's called "Underground Karelia". Speleologists studied it in 2010. The Ruskeala Mountain Park and the Marble Failure became the main objects of research. The latter is located very close to the place where the main excursion route through the complex runs.
Features of the complex
In winter, the Ruskeala marble quarry looks no less attractive. At this time of year the ice freezes the lake. Therefore, it is very easy to get to the mysterious grottoes and adits. One of these places is called musical for its unusual acoustic properties. In winter, the “Ruskeala failure” amazes with its splendor.
It becomes like an ice castle, the columns of which have the most bizarre shapes. There is artistic lighting here. It helps the majestic canyon light up with bright colors after dark. Marble Quarry (Karelia) (a map of the area is given in the article) is a favorite place where divers love to conduct their training. As a rule, they do this in the most remote corners of the quarry, so they do not disturb the majority of visitors at all. Several quarries here are flooded. The adits connecting them also ended up in the water. The Ruskeala Canyon (the map clearly demonstrates this) included only three functioning underground horizons that were used for mining. Scuba diving enthusiasts will find this place a paradise. Tempting labyrinths will not leave anyone indifferent. At the very bottom of the canyon, some equipment is still preserved. For example, motorcycles, cars and even a crane. All this attracts those who engage in techno-diving. The water here is clear. There is practically no turbidity. Aquatic vegetation is also absent. In the fall, however, the leaves that fall from the birch trees may fly in.
Local staff keep the Ruskeala marble quarry clean. Workers periodically make forays into the lake and clean it of debris. Traces of people's presence remain everywhere: pieces of paper, plastic bottles and the like. However, visitors litter quite a bit. The visitors must be mesmerized by the majestic beauty of the flooded quarry. My conscience does not allow me to pollute a picturesque mountain lake. Not only ancient objects have been preserved on the territory of the mountain park. There are also other historical objects. For example, an old administrative building. It is made in the style of classicism. The structure consists entirely of Ruskeala marble. On the territory of the complex there are monuments of industrial architecture of the 19th century. They are kilns that were designed for burning lime. Their brick pipes are conical in shape. The active quarry will also be of interest to tourists. You can watch the process of mining large marble blocks. Currently, these objects are not included in the mountain park. For this reason, they are poorly suited for tourist excursions.
"Ruskeala" (recreation center). General information
A lot of positive emotions await guests here. The complex is located in the Sortavala region. This is the southern part of Karelia. From St. Petersburg to this place is about three hundred kilometers. The Ruskeala complex, a photo of which is presented in the article, can receive guests all year round. The base is equipped with everything necessary for their comfortable stay. The rooms can accommodate from two to eight people. There are special rooms for newlyweds and families with children. Even an infant child can be accommodated here with their parents.
Entertainment
Guests can organize a picnic on site. Barbecue available. Guests can bake fish and cook kebabs. A wood-burning sauna is available for rent. It is located on the shore of the lake. A fairly extensive program for vacationers has been developed at Ruskeala. For example, you can calmly go fishing, visit Lake Valaam or see waterfalls and the camp site has friendly and polite staff. Even if guests are not prepared for fishing, they can receive bait, tackle and even professional fishing advice.
Where is the attraction located?
The features of the Ruskeala marble quarry are described above. How to get to this place? You can go through Priozersk from St. Petersburg by car. The route will run through Sortavala along the A-129 highway. In the city itself, you should take the main road towards Petrozavodsk. From Sortavala at the 10th km there will be a turn onto the A-130 highway. After Priozersk a rather winding road begins. The total time you will have to spend on the entire journey is 4-5 hours.
A mountain park, a marble quarry and canyon, a recreation center, a system of underground caves and adits - all this and much more is located in the village of Ruskeala, Sortavala region of the Republic of Karelia.
Ruskeala is one of the most spectacular and beautiful sights of Karelia. Here you can visit mysterious grottoes, admire the colorful tints of marble walls, and enjoy views of nature from observation platforms.
The main attraction of the park is the marble canyon. It was flooded long 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 through the marble canyon gives an unforgettable and pleasant feeling of calm, harmony and aesthetic pleasure. I want to stop time to admire and marvel at this miracle of nature.
History of the Ruskeala marble quarry.
Even before the start of the Northern War, Ruskel marble was mined by the Swedes for personal needs. In 1766, a certain Samuel Alopeus drew the attention of the Russian authorities to local marble. And now, since 1768, in Ruskeala, by decree of Catherine II, active mining of marble stone began for the construction of palaces and cathedrals in St. Petersburg. Ruskeala marble was used in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, for cladding the Marble Palace and the Hermitage, and 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 burned into lime and broken into crushed stone; beautiful marble that was not used for decorative purposes was simply destroyed.
Since 1898, the marble deposit was leased by the Finns, but they also used marble in the form of crushed stone.
During the war with Finland, the marble quarries were flooded. According to some sources, this was done by the Finns themselves; according to others, the rock was damaged by prolonged blasting operations and, after Soviet air raids, could not withstand 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 used to line the Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya stations of the St. Petersburg metro, and was also turned into lime and crushed stone at a plant located nearby.
Since 2002, the fate of the flooded marble quarry has changed dramatically - it has turned into 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 a variety of services and entertainment. The park has a large guarded parking lot, many souvenir shops in the form of traditional Russian huts, and even a small amusement park. There is also a cafe with a charcoal kitchen, where every hungry tourist will be happy to have a tasty meal.
Having bought a ticket and passing through a beautiful carved arch, you will find well-groomed paths around the canyon lined with Ruskeala marble, many benches from which you can enjoy a stunning view of the canyon itself. Following further along the marble paths, you find yourself in an old marble adit, which goes deeper into the rocks for more than 200 meters. There is a cool atmosphere all year round, and there is ice in the depths.
Continuing further, you will notice a path going off to the right. It leads to the Ruskeala failure. This is a wonderful place, located underground, where ice lies all year round, regardless of the temperature outside. 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. At the moment, plans for the development of the Ruskeala Mountain Park include an item 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 along the marble canyon. However, on weekends, when there are the greatest number of visitors to the canyon, in order to rent 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, the park offers several breathtaking attractions:
- Cliff Jump. You are given the opportunity to jump with a safety net from the cliff of a 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, there are three ropes: you have to walk along one, and hold on to the other two. In real mountaineering, only two ropes are used, but here you don’t need to have special skills or experience to get through. Everyone can test their strength and get a sea of unforgettable emotions.
- Trolls. A cable is stretched across the entire canyon from one of the highest points of the marble quarry to one of the lowest. Splashes of water, 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 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 creates a magnificent, bewitching and admiring view.
Opening hours of the Ruskeala mountain park, services and prices.
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 10 pm.
Prices:
- Admission is 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, group from 4 to 25 people) – 250 rubles for adults, 80 rubles for school and 150 rubles for students. Children under 7 years old are free.
- Excursion (long route, group from 4 to 25 people) – 350 rubles for adults, 80 rubles for school and 150 rubles for students. Children under 7 years old are free.
- Translator services are provided for foreign citizens - 100 rubles per person.
- Cliff jump – 350 rubles.
- Walking across the rope bridge costs 350 rubles.
- Trolley ride – 600 rubles
*prices are based on data from June 2013.
Every year the popularity of this place is growing more and more. Excursions and tours from all over Karelia, Leningrad region and Finland are organized here. Karelia, the marble canyon, picturesque mountains and forests, architectural monuments - these places seem to have been created so that everyone can appreciate the splendor of northern nature. The bizarre shapes, mysterious caves and dungeons will take your breath away. And the impressions received remain in the memory for a long time and are difficult to describe in words, because it is not enough to talk about this, it is worth seeing.
How to get to the marble quarry:
The Ruskeala quarry is located 25 km from the Karelian city of Sortavala. From the Sortavala – Pryazha highway, after passing the village of Helyulya, you need to turn left following the sign for Vyartsel. After driving and visiting the wonderful waterfalls on the Tohmajoki River, after 400 meters turn left into the second turn.
Read a detailed plan of how and what you can use to get to the marble quarry with photographs and a mark on the map.
I continue the story about our weekend trip to Karelia by car. The main goal of the trip was the Ruskeala Marble Canyon.
I was eager to visit Karelia because I really wanted to see northern landscapes, rivers and lakes instead of the rather boring views of Thai palm trees and beaches.
Sounds strange, right? I think many people dream of just the opposite - to soak up the warm sand away from the hustle and bustle and swim in the sea, but when the weather and landscapes outside the window hardly change for five months, they begin to want something else. Like most people, I like variety.
From time to time, guys write questions on social networks about whether I regret coming to Russia and whether I miss Asia. Where is it? Russia has gorgeous nature, summer is coming soon, so it’s time to continue exploring this vast country, especially since the Ruskeala marble quarry, which opened to my eyes in Karelia, is perhaps one of the most striking natural attractions that I visited this year. Russia conceals many more such treasures.
Hotels and apartments in Sortavala
You can read about the start of the trip and organizational issues, prices in Karelia and our hotel in the post:
If you plan to spend the night in the canyon area, you should keep in mind that the closest place where you can rent a hotel, apartment or hotel is the city of Sortavala, 30 km from Ruskeala.
It is better to book accommodation in advance, especially on weekends or in the summer high season. We went on the May holidays, most of the hotels in Sortavala were occupied.
You can study prices on several search engines or at least write down the addresses of the hotels you like so that you know where exactly to go. Links to hotels in Sortavala:
So, having checked into a pre-booked Seurakhuone hotel in the city of Sortavala, Marina, Kostya and Max and I went to the Ruskeala Canyon, which is located near the village of the same name, 30 km from Sortavala. Approximately the same number of kilometers separate the marble deposits from the Finnish border.
History of the Ruskeala Mountain Park
The Ruskeala Mountain Park became a tourist attraction only in 2005. Interestingly, it was created with private funds from several entrepreneurs from the Northern Ladoga region. It took about two years and about 600 thousand rubles to develop the surroundings of the canyon and create tourist infrastructure.
Until the second half of the 18th century, the territories near Ruskeala belonged to the Swedes, who actively extracted marble from the bowels of the earth. After the Northern War, the lands went to Russia, and the quarries were forgotten.
The Russians remembered the marble deposits in those parts under Catherine II, with whose light hand development was resumed, and four different types of marble began to be extracted from the quarries: white with gray veins, ash-gray, white-gray-blue and gray-green.
The construction of St. Petersburg required significant amounts of materials. Blocks were taken from the Ruskeala marble quarries for the cladding of St. Isaac's Cathedral, the finishing of the Mikhailovsky Castle and many other buildings in St. Petersburg, Gatchina and Len. region, he also laid out the floors of the Kazan Cathedral and decorated the memorial of the Brest Fortress in Belarus.
With the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish War in 1939, production at the quarry completely ceased. After the Second World War, weak attempts were made to resume marble mining, but the aquifer was already damaged, and the water in the quarry was rising so quickly that marble miners in a hurry abandoned tractors, cranes and other special equipment.
In 1973, marble mining resumed in new workings created near Ruskeala. Currently, work is being carried out in limited quantities due to the danger of the quarry collapsing.
Parking within the park is free, but entrance to the park itself is paid. Tickets are sold in this wooden house:
On the right are ticket offices, on the left is the entrance to the territory of the Mountain Park Souvenirs (magnets, mugs and wooden items) are sold on site. There is also a cafe.
What to see in Ruskeala Mountain Park:
— Marble Canyon Ruskeala
Perhaps one of the most interesting attractions of the Mountain Park can be safely called the man-made Marble Canyon. This is a giant bowl, hollowed out by human hands in a mountain layer and filled with groundwater over the years of its existence.
There is a picturesque path along the canyon, which offers breathtaking views of grottoes, caves, and an incomparable expanse of water. The walls of the former quarry are pierced by adits, drifts and shafts in which marble was previously mined. Now most of the workings are flooded with water. The length of the canyon is about 450 m, width – 60-100 m, depth – 30-50 m.
Marble Canyon Ruskeala 
Trail around the canyon 
Scenic walking path 
Toads bask in the sun :) There are many observation platforms along the perimeter:
@Photo by Marina Samorosenko 
The main thing is not to go beyond special fences, because in some places the walls of the canna are destroyed It is prohibited to enter this site, as it is gradually being destroyed. Relatively recently, 20 tons of earth and rocks fell into the water. Unknowingly, we spent about half an hour on this site, until a guide passing by told us about the possible danger.
Under the water on the left you can see collapsed layers In addition to the improved quarry, there are several other abandoned or developed quarries on the lands near Ruskeala, but we did not look for them.
— Adits at the Ruskeala quarry
There is only one adit left on the territory of the mountain park, which can be visited without a guide, and which was not flooded by the Finns before the Soviet-Finnish war. To be honest, this is the first adit I have visited in my life.
Before going to the quarries, I didn’t even know such a word. By the way, in St. Petersburg I also became acquainted with the concept of “lahta”. In general, sometimes it is useful to travel and change your place of residence to enrich your vocabulary. :)
View of the adit from above 
An adit is a horizontal or inclined mine opening that has access to the earth's surface. Marble was once mined in the adits.
Entrance to the adit. It's very cold inside, water is dripping from the ceiling 
Adit from the inside 
There is still snow at the very bottom
— Ruskeala failure
The Ruskeala failure arose in the 60s of the 20th century as a result of explosions in neighboring quarries. If you go down into this hole using a special rope (the descent will cost 1000 rubles) and walk through the tunnel, you can get to the center of marble production. Interestingly, the ice in the corridors does not melt even in summer. Previously, it was possible to get to the main quarry through the Ruskeala gap, but now all the passages are blocked.
In winter, the thickness of the ice is about 25 cm. Brave climbers who are not afraid of the cold descend into the Ruskeala chasm, spend the night there and carve figures out of ice, so that tourists invited to the cave can then admire the ice sculptures. You can also go ice skating in the hole in winter.
Ruskeala failure in mid-May We chatted with the guy who is responsible for lowering tourists into the Ruskeala chasm along a rope. He told us a story about how, on the day of our visit, one thrifty citizen decided to climb into the cave for free through the mine, without informing the Ruskeala Park workers.
He went on an adventure not alone, but with a friend. Being a smart man, our citizen gave his friend the opportunity to go first. As a result, his comrade fell through the ice without taking even a few steps.
Fortunately, our adventurer lent a helping hand in time and pulled his companion by the scruff of the neck. In general, if you are not an experienced speleologist or a novice suicide, then it is better to go down into the cave under the supervision of the mountain park staff. The guys claim that they have undergone special training and in case of danger they can save everyone.
The Ruskeala failure is still covered with ice
— Italian quarry
After examining the Ruskeala failure, you can follow the path to the Italian quarry to see the cross-section of marble. Relatively recently, the Italians began to develop this part of the quarry, but the quality of the marble at the exit turned out to be so low that pasta lovers abandoned their idea and left the development. The fact is that the quality of marble depends on the depth of its location, and on the surface marble is too fragile.
Italian quarry 
What to do in Ruskeala Mountain Park:
— Diving in the Ruskeala Marble Quarry
The marble quarry is very famous and popular among Russian divers (especially among cave divers and technical divers). People from clubs in St. Petersburg and Moscow come to Ruskeala to dive because it is the only deep body of water in northwestern Russia with underwater caves and excellent transparency. In the quarry visibility reaches 12 meters, in adits it reaches 17 meters. Inspection of underwater mines is only available to experienced divers.
The equipment remained at the bottom of the quarry. The crane, cars and motorcycles were sunk by the Finns before the start of the 1939-40 war. and now rest peacefully in the depths. Several underwater routes of varying degrees of difficulty have been developed.
You can see pieces of a collapsed mountain underwater 
Official descent to the banks of the canyon
— Abseiling and bungee jumping on Ruskeala
1. Rappelling. Between the opposite banks of the Marble Canyon there are ropes along which you can go down on a zip line. The entertainment is popular; with us, someone was always “flying” on a rope with a grinding sound, but without screaming. The length of the rope is approximately 400 meters, the flight altitude above the water is somewhere from 10 to 30 meters. Cost of pleasure - 1000 rubles
2. Bungee. In Ruskeala Park you can bungee jump. Price - 600 rub.
A desperate volunteer “swims” on a tightrope. Speed is meager 
— Boat trips through the canyon
From May 18 to September 30, the park offers boat rentals to paddle along the canyon walls. Unfortunately, we went on vacation in Karelia on May 10-11, and boats were not available for rent yet. You can go to the grottoes by boat. You will have to row on your own, so to visit the canyon, do not forget to take a man with strong hands with you. Boat rental cost - 400 rub/1 hour. The boat fits 4 people.
Grottoes you can go to by boat
— Walk on Siberian Huskies
Dog sledding tours are available on Saturdays and Sundays. The length of the route is 2.4 km. Ticket price: 1000 rub- adults. 800 rub- children. In the spring, huskies simply lie at the entrance to the canyon.
Huskies snore peacefully near the canyon
Address and opening hours of Ruskeala Park
Address mountain park: Republic of Karelia, Sortavala city, Ruskeala park
