Although the Marble Canyon is the main attraction of Ruskeala, many picturesque rocks and rocks can be found nearby. Mountain park and marble canyon Ruskeala in Karelia: photos, how to get there, map, where to stay in the Sortavala hotel
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The Ruskeala Marble Canyon is one of the most beautiful and interesting places in Russia, where you can not only relax, but also get acquainted with the history of mining by visiting the ruins of an old marble factory.
The marble canyon is located in the Republic of Karelia, in the village of Ruskeala.
Part of the quarry is still quarried for marble, and the second part is reserved for public visiting, and is called “Ruakeala Mountain Park”. The park is the pride and highlight of our country, the most unique object in Europe, with a pearl - the marble canyon. Its shores rise above the emerald waters, along which you can take a rowing boat into mysterious adits and grottoes. More secluded corners are also available for divers - underwater labyrinths.
Ruskeala Mountain Park
The Ruskeala Mountain Park was opened in 2005, and was created by the travel company Kolmas Karelia. It is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every year. After stone mining stopped, abandoned quarries turned into beautiful lakes - white marble bowls with bluish-green water.
The mountain park is a cultural heritage site, a unique natural ensemble, beautiful at any time of the year. In winter, the marble lake is covered with people, and along it you can easily reach adits and grottoes. "Ruskeala failure" turns into a fairytale ice castle with fancy columns"
At night, the canyon is illuminated with artistic lighting, which makes it even more mysterious and impressive.
The Ruskeala Canyon is a favorite place for divers who swim into the most hidden corners of the quarry. The Tohmajoki River attracts rifting enthusiasts who descend the white waters. You can rent a boat and take a ride on the clearest waters. You will also enjoy fishing, picking mushrooms and berries.
Guests of tourist centers can visit the city of Sortavala, famous for its amazing Finnish architecture. The Museum of Northern Ladoga region has carved paintings by Russian artist Kronid Gogolev, which are also worth seeing for art lovers. You can visit the Valaam Monastery and other stunning places.
The cleanliness of the park is carefully maintained by its staff, who swim around the lake and collect plastic bottles, caps and other garbage. However, many visitors, touched by the beauty of this wonderful place, try not to litter here.
Many of the park's flora and fauna are listed in the Red Book. There are exotic mosses, lichens, orchid plants, rare species of reptiles and amphibians, as well as bats.
How to get to the Ruskeala marble canyon?
Marble Canyon is 300 km away. from St. Petersburg. You need to drive from St. Petersburg along the Priozerskoye Highway (Federal Highway A 129) to the city of Priozersk, and then to the city of Sortavala. Then move towards Petrozavodsk, and after 10 km. from Sortavala, turn to Vertsilya village (Route A 130). The total travel time will take you about 5 hours.
From St. Petersburg you can get to the marble canyon by the St. Petersburg-Kostomuksha train from Ladozhsky station. You need to get to Sortavala station, and then take a taxi to the Mountain Park.
There are minibuses and taxis running from Petrozavodsk to Sortavala, which you can also take to get there.
Prices, bases, where to stay
A visit to the park costs 150 rubles. Excursion for an adult - 200 rubles, for students - 150 rubles, for schoolchildren - 80 rubles, for children under 7 years old - free.
Renting a boat for 4 people will cost 250 rubles.
You can stay at the Ruskeala recreation center. A day in a double room will cost you from 2500 rubles.
Accommodation in a double room at the Black Stones recreation center will cost you from 2,500 per day.
Lovers of a Spartan holiday in the lap of nature can stay, for example, at the Elki farm. The price for placing a tent is from 150 rubles per day.
The Ruskeala Marble Canyon is an amazing place worth visiting. Those who have already been here received an unforgettable experience and dream of returning here again.
This June I was able to make a short trip around Karelia as part of an organized tour for 5 days (review of the tour). The program was designed in such a way as to show us the most recognizable and photographed places in Karelia that can be visited in such a short vacation. We spent the first part of the tour in the area of the Karelian city of Sortavala, near 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 little history
Ruskeala Mountain Park is an area where there are marble canyons with emerald water, adits, mines and paths with observation platforms, 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 they turned into whitewash with northern severity. Practical Swedes did not need pompous material to decorate buildings and pavements; they always loved brevity and practicality, so their hand did not waver when translating goodness. However, almost a century later, our country began to extract marble for its intended purpose. Few people know, but many famous buildings in St. Petersburg are 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.
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, as part of a selected group, will tell you everything in detail.
It’s worth saying about marble quarries that it’s a kind of unique park, because it was created with private investment. You must agree that this is not a common occurrence for Russia.
Walk around the Ruskeala quarry
Our excursion group arrived at the Ruskeala mountain park around 8 pm. In summer, entry is possible until 24-00. In June, the Russian north already has almost white nights, and in other seasons the lighting works in Ruskeala.
You can walk around Ruskeala on your own by purchasing an entrance ticket, or you can be part of an excursion group led around the park by a local guide. For some reason, our travel agency could not organize a tour for us earlier than 20-30, so by agreement with all the tour participants, we went to the territory ourselves. Why didn't you wait an extra half an hour? This was the first day of our trip, many got off the train at 6 in the morning, then we visited the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery in the Leningrad region, drove almost 5 hours to the recreation center in the Sortavala area. We had a choice - to sit for an extra hour at the base and then go, which meant coming back later, or to 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 stalls and an administration building where tickets are sold. There is also an observation deck at the largest quarry of Ruskeala.
Since we arrived in the evening, we didn’t really see the emerald blue water, because the sun apparently fell at the wrong angle. But all the same, the marble mountains, water, and floating boats looked very nice, I couldn’t wait to get into the park.
There is a walking route around the quarry, along which there are always observation platforms that allow you to approach the edge of the quarry without extreme sports. For the especially gifted, there are signs everywhere saying not to throw stones down, not to approach the edge and not to dive down...apparently, there were such people.
I noticed quite large grottoes on the opposite side of the mountain; for some reason they seemed familiar to me, although I had never been to Ruskeala.
And then Zhenya told me that this was the first 3D Russian film “The Dark World”, namely the scene with the lake witches, they filmed it 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 the boats that can be rented at a special station, I noticed divers in the quarry. As the guide said, they really like this place, and the park allows professionals to conduct training. It turns out that the water in the quarry is very clean, and at the bottom lies the equipment that was sunk by the Finns and used to extract marble. And since the Karelian lakes are not rich in strange seabeds or tales of sunken ships with treasures, exploring 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 sign to a tunnel into which you can freely go down without special permission. To put it in your own words, an adit is a depression in the ground, a kind of corridor, a quarry. We decided to go down into an adit that had been preserved for a long time, which goes 200 meters deep. It was created to deliver trolleys of marble from the mine via a narrow-gauge railway. When entering the adit you can see what an old trolley looks like.
To be honest, it was a little scary to go down, and I generally don’t like all kinds of caves and grottoes, but I decided to go into the adit because I had never seen anything like it.
We walked around the quarry and quietly envied the independent tourists who were sailing on boats and swimming up to the grottoes, as if in scenes from a movie.
We were told that research is now being carried out in the quarry to open a passage into the mountains for tourists. In a couple of years, they promise to organize excursions to grottoes, caves and other hidden wonders of nature.
Routes around Ruskeala
Routes around Ruskeala can be found at the entrance to the park - there is a large poster.
Download a map with routes
Route around the Marble Quarry
You can limit yourself to a walk around the Big Marble Quarry, like we did, or you can visit the factory and the neighboring lake. In general, if you are lovers of industrial tourism, then Ruskeala is simply an ideal object. In any case, this place is very unusual, so I recommend setting aside at least 3 hours for it, and then, as they say, as they say.
What else can you do in Ruskeala?
As you already understand, it is interesting, first of all, to walk around Ruskeala, depending on the degree of interest, take a look at the quarry with one eye or take a real journey into the industrial past of our country.
For entertainment, Rusleala offers boating. Immediately upon entering you will see a descent down to the 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, look into the clear water and just enjoy nature. In addition, you will be able to swim up to the grottoes, which we only saw from above. Boat rental is open from May 20 to September 30, costs 400 rubles per boat (no more than 4 people, we are not in China).
If you like to tickle your nerves, then you will definitely want to ride the torso on a bungee along a short path or cross the entire quarry. The bungee rope is located at the exit from the Marble Quarry.
I can’t say anything about reliability and safety, but it’s fixed something like this.
There is a trampoline at the exit for children, beer and barbecue for dads, and 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 year.
If you walk around Ruskeala on your own, an entrance ticket will cost 150 rubles. for adults, 100 for students, 50 rubles for schoolchildren, and children under 7 years old have free admission.
A tour of the park costs 250 rubles. for a short route lasting 1 hour and 350 rubles. for a walk of 1.5 hours.
And if you decide to get creative and celebrate your wedding not in Thailand, but in Karelia, then the mountain park will give you a boat trip... and let all the guests wait. ?
Get to Ruskeala by car It won't be difficult, here's her address. Free parking is available near the entrance.
On one's own, that is, by public transport, you can also get to the marble quarries.
From St. Petersburg you need to take train No. 350 St. Petersburg - Kostomuksha, buying a ticket to Kaalamo station. Next, take a taxi to the park (the ride is about 5 km).
From Petrozavodsk you can get 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) that 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 Vyartsilya, it stops near the park, although it runs very rarely. If you are in Sortavala, then the most convenient way is to take a taxi (about 450 rubles one way), and you can immediately arrange for them to wait for you and bring you back. This option will cost you about 1,000 rubles, but it all depends on the specific taxi driver, your skill in the trade and the time you want to spend in the park.
From Moscow to Ruskeala, as you may have guessed, 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 there is no point in going to Karelia specifically to Ruskeala. It is necessary to develop a route that includes the city of Sortavala and its surroundings, visiting Ruskeala, Ruskeala waterfalls, swimming to Valaam, fishing, walking in nature, and many things you can do in this area of Karelia.
Where to stay
In the area where Ruskeala is located, there are several recreation centers where you can stay comfortably. This will allow you to combine outdoor recreation with visiting attractions located nearby.
I lived at the Black Stones recreation center and can confidently recommend it. The base is located about 30 minutes drive to the mountain park.
Recreation center "Black Stones"
At approximately the same distance is the Gardarika Country Club, which can be booked on booking.com .
In close proximity to the marble quarries there is the Ruskeala recreation center. On the Ruskeala website you can read about the route to the base, private bus and transfer. A little further, on the lake, there is the Yanisjärvi base.
If you prefer a city break, I recommend it book one of the hotels in Sortavala. From here it will be extremely convenient for you to travel around this part of Karelia, perhaps you will even meet some taxi driver who will become your driver and pleasant interlocutor.
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Selection of hotels in Karelia
Flights to Karelia
Ruskeala– a stunningly beautiful place located in Karelia in the Sortavala region (Northern Ladoga region). Getting there on your own is relatively easy. Travel time by car is approximately 4 - 5 hours, if there are no major traffic jams, of course (see map). The Ruskeala Canyon is a former marble quarry, now filled with water. 
You can come here all year round - it is good in its own way at any time. In winter - in the snow, with mysterious illumination at dusk, which begins already at 3-4 o'clock in the afternoon. In summer - surrounded by greenery and warmth. At this time of year you can go boating here, visiting numerous grottoes. 
In spring and autumn - just good! 
In addition, in spring you can also admire numerous fast rivers with small waterfalls, full of water after winter. 
By the way, it was here at the Akhvenkoski waterfall that the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was filmed. 
Our visit to this mountain park took place in early spring - early May. There was still snow in some places in these places. 
It was a little cool near the quarry, but this did not stop us from admiring and admiring its beauty. 
After enjoying the Ruskeala Canyon, you can immediately go back home. If you are very tired or reluctant, hotels in Sortavala, located nearby, are suitable for overnight stay and relaxation. It is better to reserve your seats in advance. Or you can follow our example and spend the night in a tent, choosing a beautiful and deserted place, of which there are plenty. 
We stopped near a picturesque lake - we were just passing by and we immediately liked it. 
As it turned out, the lake is located a couple of kilometers from the Finnish border. But the place is quiet - only in the morning one fisherman appeared on the other shore - and that’s all! And we had a great rest and caught some fish, swam in the still cool water in the morning, even sunbathed a little and headed back to St. Petersburg. On the way back, you can stop in Losevo - have a snack, stretch your legs and admire the Losevo rapids, and maybe even take part in rides along them. And with new strength, we’re on the road again!
Where to stay in Ruskeala. Hotels
For those who plan to stay in these parts for several days, we can offer a selection of hotels directly next to Ruskeala.
And also a map of hotels in the northern Ladoga region. The map is interactive, for more detailed information, click.
There is a unique place in Karelia - the Marble Canyon (Ruskeala Mountain Park); in general, Karelia is interesting for its natural beauty. If you have never been to the Republic, then you should definitely go here.
The marble deposit in the Ruskeala area was discovered in 1765 and was used until 1939. Beautiful stone with numerous shades was used in the construction of St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals. Now the Ruskeala Mountain Park delights tourists with its marble steep banks, a well-groomed path around the canyon, and the opportunity to take a boat ride on the azure lake.
Address and opening hours of the Ruskeala mountain park
Navigator coordinates: 61.936192, 30.589610
Opening hours depend on the time of year:
- Winter (from November 1 to February 28): from 10.00 to 19.00
In winter, every Friday and Saturday there is artistic illumination of the entire Marble Canyon.
- Spring (from March 1 to April 30): from 10.00 to 21.00
- Summer (from May 1 to August 31): from 09.00 to 24.00
- Autumn (from September 1 to October 31): from 10.00 to 21.00
How to get to the Ruskeala Marble Canyon
By car
There are 2 options:
- through Priozersk on the A129 highway. Before turning to Kuznechnoye (behind the town of Priozersk) the road is excellent, then from the border of Karelia to Sortavala the surface is good, from Sortavala to Ruskeala the road is a little broken.
- along the E105 highway in the direction of Petrozavodsk (the road is gorgeous, but the ride takes much longer)
by train
The train “St. Petersburg - Kostomuksha” departs from Ladozhsky station. We need a Sortovala station
Where to stay in Ruskeala
We stayed at the Ruskeala recreation center, which is a five-minute walk from the Marble Canyon.
There is all the necessary barbecue equipment on site; you can rent a sauna near a small pond. It is advisable to book a time in advance by phone, since there are many people interested, and there is only one bathhouse.
You can also book a room in the nearest city - Sortavala. If you are planning a trip to Karelia during the high season, weekends or holidays, then it is better to look for a room in advance; after all, there are not many of them in the entire town. Links to hotels in Sortavala:
- Hotels in Sortavala on Hotellook.com
- Hotels in Sortavala on Booking.com
- Private house or apartment on Airbnb (using this link you will receive 21 euros as a gift for your first booking)
What to see in Ruskeala and the surrounding area
It is very beautiful here - the marble canyon will not leave anyone indifferent. We visited the park during the “golden” autumn. Gray marble, turquoise lake and golden trees around are a complete delight.
There is a trail around the canyon, where there are observation platforms with gorgeous views of the water surface, grottoes, caves and, of course, marble rocks. 
Be sure to take a boat and float around Marble Canyon Lake.
For lovers of extreme sports, a troll crossing across the lake has been created.
Adits at the Ruskeala quarry
An adit is a horizontal or inclined mine opening that has direct access to the earth's surface. In simple words, an adit is a mine where marble was mined.
There is only one adit left in Ruskeala, which is open to the public.
The Ruskeala failure was formed due to explosions in neighboring quarries, which were used to simplify the extraction of marble. The collapsed part of the rock revealed the interweaving of a large number of flooded adits.
In summer and winter, those who wish can go down a special rope and find themselves in the very center of marble mining.
The Ruskeala failure is carefully monitored: here you can find carved figures and interior items made of ice.
Italian quarry
The trail along Marmara Lake, which I mentioned earlier, will lead to the Italian Quarry. The Italian quarry is the last place in Ruskeala where marble was mined.
Now there is an exhibition “The path of a stone through time”. What's amazing is how smoothly the stone is cut. It feels like these are slices of cheese, not marble.
Do you know why the quarry was named “Italian”? It was precisely because of these very machines that could cut stone so perfectly, and they were made using Italian technology.
Marble-lime factory in Ruskeala
The entrance to the factory territory seems to be closed, as our guide told us (I advise you to take a tour, it’s inexpensive, but it’s really interesting to listen to). But we managed to walk near the plant and photograph it. 
The Finns built the plant in 1896. At first, lime was created here by firing calcite marble in a special kiln. Then they began to produce facing stone, white and gray marble chips.
The marble extracted from the quarry was transported to the factory using an overhead railway. The plant completely ceased operations in 1990.
Filming location for the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” - Ruskeala Waterfalls
“And the dawns here are quiet...” I remember how in a literature class in high school, they turned on this film for us. Everyone cried, and the boys were louder than the girls. It was very interesting for me to visit that very waterfall. Finding this place is very easy. There are a lot of tourists here, so there are corresponding signs on the road. From the Marble Quarry to the waterfalls it is approximately 2-3 km
We need Ruskeala waterfalls - Waterfall on the Tokhmajoki River 
Address: 86K-332, Ruskeala, Rep. Karelia, 186759
Ruskeala waterfalls coordinates for navigator:
61°54"58"N 30°37"38"E
Now there is paid equipped parking, gazebos, souvenir shops, cafes and much more.
What to do in Ruskeala Mountain Park
Diving in the Ruskeala Marble Quarry
Ruskeala is a very favorite entertainment spot among divers, because at the bottom of Marmara Lake you can see a lot of interesting things. For example, underwater caves and mines. A large number of different equipment sunk by the Finns before the war.
The organizers can offer you routes with varying degrees of difficulty.
Abseiling and bungee jumping at Ruskeala
For daredevils, they came up with the “Jump over the Canyon” attraction. There are no such queues as for the boat, but nevertheless this service is popular.
Boat trips through the canyon
The boat can be rented for 1 hour/400 rubles. Maximum 4 people per boat. Life jackets are provided for everyone. Boat rental runs from May 18 to September 30.
In high season, you may have to wait in a long line for a boat. However, it's worth it. After all, you can swim independently across the lake and swim into the grottoes, examining them from the inside.
Dog sledding
Walking Siberian Huskies is popular in winter. Cost is 1000 rubles/adults and 800 rubles/children.
Huskies are incredibly beautiful dogs with unforgettable blue eyes, you just want to take a photo with them
We were in Ruskeala in the fall, but I really want to go there in the winter, since our guide praised the artistic lighting, and I’ve never ridden a dog sled in my life.
It's good to get some air at any time of the year, and you don't have to take a vacation to do it. In the relative proximity of the city, there are plenty of places where you can spend a weekend: relax in nature, visit the local arboretum and go down into the adit of an old marble quarry, the stones of which are almost two billion years old. Or take a short trip by water to the island of Valaam, when weather permits. The Village continues the “Weekend Route” section - we choose one direction, the end point on it and interesting stops along the way.
The Ruskeala Nature Park seems to have been created for quiet relaxation and walks along steep stone slopes, although it appeared as a result of the production of valuable stone. St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals, the Hermitage and St. Michael's Castle are decorated with local marble. If you have plenty of time, visit Priozersk and Sortavala, small towns in the bays of Lake Ladoga. Very close is the Russian-Finnish border, from which you can continue your journey to the lake part of Suomi. In recent years, many of our compatriots have appeared here, adding Ruskeala to their trip to Valaam.
How to get there
By bus from the bus station to Sortavala
(they go twice a day, 500 rubles), by minibus - about a thousand rubles.
By train- from the Finland Station. From Sortavala, hitch a ride or taxi to Ruskeala (37 kilometers, about 20–30 minutes).
By car along Priozerskoye Highway (A129
to Priozersk, then Sortavala and up (A130)
to Ruskeala. The journey will take 4-5 hours.
Ruskeala Park and surroundings
1.
Saint Petersburg 2.
Priozersk 3.
Sortavala 4.
Ruskeala
5.
Balaam 6.
Finland
rubles- entrance to Ruskeala park
kilometers- length of Tohmajoki waterfall
rubles- cost of set lunch
at the local Lutheran parish
years-approximate age of Ruskeala stones
meters- length of the Ruskeala quarry
kilometers- distance from Ruskeala to the border
with Finland
Priozersk
A small settlement on Vuoksa and Lake Ladoga was first mentioned in chronicles in 1295. The city was called Kexholm for some time, and received its current name after World War II. If you are traveling by car, then look into the ruins of the Korela fortress, see the Lutheran church (it was built by the Finnish architect Armas Lindgren) and go to the Mowgli monument - this is the only monument to the character of Rudyard Kipling in Russia.
Sortavala
Immediately after Priozersk, the quality of the coverage deteriorates sharply. The route, running through the forest, winds and looks like a washboard. Motorists, get ready to drive at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour and remember the domestic road services with a kind word. By the way, the new St. Petersburg - Sortavala highway is being built and will be ready by 2016. The question of what will help her not turn into the same washboard remains open.
The city of Sortavala, like most border settlements, has a difficult fate. Rebuilt at the beginning of the century by leading Finnish architects (Uno Werner Ulberg, Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen, Johan Jacob Arenberg), the center of Sortavala has survived to this day, despite the bombings in 1939–1940. Then almost the entire indigenous Finnish population of the city left these regions, and after the war, the Soviet authorities decided to resettle evacuated people from the Vologda region here.
Clockwise: Sortavala embankment, Korela fortress, embankment in Priozersk
In addition to northern modern architecture, the city has the Museum of the Northern Ladoga Region, where thousands of household items of the indigenous population of Karelia are collected. Eight kilometers from the city there is a local arboretum and cottage community “Dacha Wintera”. Renting a six-bed house in the off-season costs from 5,900 to 10 thousand rubles.
It’s worth staying in Sortavala if you have enough time and there’s no rush. If hot dogs and chocolates at gas stations take up too many minutes of your trip, go straight to Ruskeala.
Ruskeala
The road from Sortavala to Ruskeala takes 15–30 minutes, you can get there by one of the inexpensive taxis (numbers are posted on trees and lamp posts). Or catch a car for 200–300 rubles. The bus to Ruskeala runs twice a day, its final stop is the town of Vyartsilya.
You should start your exploration from the waterfalls, which are located four kilometers from Ruskeala. At the Akhvenkoski waterfall, which can be seen from the highway even in the cold season, scenes from the movie “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” were filmed. It is now impossible to get to the dilapidated Finnish hydroelectric power station; it is being repaired, but walking through a snow-covered pine forest is always pleasant for a city dweller who opens Facebook and email 45 times a day.
Moving higher, on the left side of the road you will get to the center of the village of Ruskeala. The most popular recreation center of the same name is located here (2,500 rubles for two guests, 5,600 for eight). However, in Ruskeala you can rent housing even if not at a tourist center, as all surfaces in the city say.
One of the local attractions, the Lutheran church parish, looks very deplorable. The building was built in 1834, but it was allegedly burned down in 1940, and is now being restored with donations from Finns. The latter have long chosen these places for retro tourism; almost all prices are indicated in both euros and rubles. In Sortavala and Ruskeala there are many inscriptions and signs in Finnish; the majority of the local population is fluent in two languages.
Recreation center "Ruskeala"
2,500 rubles for two guests, 5,600 rubles for eight
Clockwise: Ruskeala quarry in winter, quarry illumination, quarry in autumn, exhibition “Marble through time”
Pilgrims stop when they arrive, but the rooms are quite cozy and laconic - except for two beds and a bedside table, there is nothing there. If you're lucky, you'll get a ten-inch three-channel TV. But guests can use the sauna, and the room price (one thousand rubles) includes breakfast. If you want to cook yourself, then use the barbecue in the backyard or the local kitchen, which is also open to guests. There is one thing - the place is intended for family vacations, so making noise after 10 pm is strictly prohibited.
Even if you don’t want to stay in the parish, anyone can have lunch or dinner in the fireplace room. For 100 rubles you get tea and coffee according to the free refill system, and an assortment of buns. And for 300 rubles they offer a real buffet. Includes soup, main course, snacks, fruit drinks, kvass and hot drinks. You can make arrangements in advance to stay at the Ruskeala Church by calling (814) 30–33–268 and 8 (921) 467–63–20.
After lunch, go see the marble quarry. This is an artificial lake surrounded by steep stone walls. Marble production began here under Catherine II. When the Finns left here for the last time, they cunningly connected the quarry with the Tohmajoki River, and its impressive area was flooded.
In winter, right at the entrance to the park you can ride a team of huskies for a thousand rubles, 2.5 kilometers to Lake Svetloe and back. Dogs are very sociable, and no one forbids petting them. In summer, you are allowed to swim in the lake itself and pitch a tent on the shore. So it's up to you - go down, rent a boat, look at the quarry from the water and swim into one of several caves. Also at the entrance to Ruskeala, souvenirs are sold, where from hundreds of magnets with brownies, Russian women and birch trees you can find a couple of cute ones. Entrance to the park formally costs 150 rubles, but no one checks this. But at the reception they give you a map showing two routes: a short one of 1.5 kilometers and a long one of 2.5 kilometers.
Lutheran Church Parish
1000 rubles per person. BBQ in the backyard and the ability to use the kitchen.
100 rubles- tea
and free refill coffee, assorted buns.
300 rubles- a real buffet.
There are about ten viewing platforms with benches along the quarry - this is a great place for a picnic, so stock up on food. By the way, from six o'clock in the evening on Saturdays and Sundays, Ruskeala employees turn on artificial lighting around the perimeter of the quarry, so it makes sense to hang out until the evening.
If you follow a long route, you will definitely come across a sinkhole cave, where in winter for the same thousand rubles you can go down and skate (they are available for rent on the spot). In the evening, the artificial grotto is illuminated with candles.
Finally, the last point on the long route along Ruskeala is the “Stone Through Time” exhibition, where blocks of marble stone over two billion years old are conveniently located for inspection.
