There is a marble quarry in Ruskeala, Karelia, which has been now a lake with marble lakeside. This lake is known as Marble Lake now. It’s all depending on the light’s direction, the water could be almost black, with good contrast to white marble rocks, or clear with an interesting greenish hue. Moreover, through the water, you can see some marble stones; in fact, they are located on the deepness by several meters. The most attractive Ruskeala marble quarries, filled with vibrant emerald green subterranean waters, are distinctive natural monuments and an object of mining culture.
An international tourist route; Blue Highway (Norway/Sweden/Finland/Russia) goes through Ruskeala. The quarry site has been designed to become Ruskeala Park, a regional park. A series of small cascade waterfalls on the Tokhmayoki River is another popular tourist attraction located near the settlement. History tells, that in 1766 a marble deposit was revealed near the Village of Ruskeala. In the subsequent years à marble quarry was opened, which could deal with four brands of marble, ash-grey, grey-green, white with gray streaks, and white-grey-blue.
The marble was used for buildings in St. Petersburg in the second half of the 17th to the middle of the 20th century and in Sortavala and Valamo in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. There has also been à lime production based on the marble in Ruskeala.
The marble was quarried in open cuts and in adits. By now, three cuts have been opened along the left bank of the river Tohmajoki. The cuts are somewhat flooded, and the water is encircled by sheer marble rocks. The cuts are linked with each other by adits. Some other objects of interest have been preserved, for example, an old administration building made of the Ruskeala marble in the Classic style.
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