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Ruskeala marble quarries are located 25 km north of the city of Sortavala, on the high bank of the rapids of the river Tohmayoki ("mad, bad"), near the ancient village of Ruskeala. The name of the village probably came from the local name of the Tohmayoki River - Ruskolka (from the Karelian ruskea - brown, red, red), in which the water is always brown, dark red due to the dissolved iron compounds in it. The local reddish-brown soils are also rich in iron. In ancient times, not far from Ruskeala, in the town of Hanki they even mined iron ore - ocher. Ruskeala village under this name is mentioned only from the beginning of the XVIII century, and until that time it was called differently - Ruysselka (Ruyssel).

In 2010, a significant part of the filming of the film “The Dark World” was held in Ruskeale.Since 2017, a summer music festival “Ruskeala Symphony” has been held in the mountain parkOn June 1, 2019 from the Sortavala station to the Ruskeala mountain park a tourist retro-train was launched on a locomotive traction, the interior of which was made in the style of the Nikolaev Express.

The climate of Sortavala is temperate, with a strong influence of cyclones from the Atlantic Ocean and the White Sea. Here, a long, snowy and rather dark winter characteristic of the northern latitudes. In November and December, the sun rises over the horizon for only a few hours. The average January temperature is -18 ..- 22 ° С, and under the influence of Atlantic cyclones it can drop to -30 ° С.In March-April, rivers and lakes open. In mid-May, navigation opens and the tourist season begins. Summer in Sortavala is short and not hot, it starts in June. The average temperature in July is about +18 .. + 22 ° С. The weather is unstable in summer, it often rains, the humidity in these parts is quite noticeable. Although the last five years in July-August, it is quite possible to warm up and sunbathe well.It is very important to remember the white nights, they are really white and prevent someone from sleeping, while someone, on the contrary, loves round-the-clock walks in the city.

On the territory of the Republic of Karelia, mobile communication is provided by the operators: OJSC MegaFon, OJSC MTS, OJSC Vympel Com (Bee Line), Tele-2.A network of payment terminals has been established in Sortavala; there are also points for receiving payments and connecting to the network.

• Before going on routes, check the serviceability of clothing, shoes, necessary equipment. It is not recommended to go on a route in uncomfortable and tight shoes with a sliding sole, in high heels. Clothing should be comfortable, not restricting movements.• Do not throw stones and various objects down when climbing, descending, and on top of rocks, you can injure people below.• When examining canyons and rocks, it is forbidden to stay in unshielded places, to approach the edge of the sides of the canyon closer than 2 meters.• Dogs are not allowed in the park.• Swimming in the Marble Canyon is prohibited.• Do not drink alcohol.• The administration of the park and its employees are not responsible for children and adult vacationers, tourists and visitors to the park if the accident occurred through no fault of the park employees.