Creation of the underground excursion route in the Ruskeala mountain park

Abstract

The article is devoted to creation of underground excursion routes on the example of Ruskeala Mountain Park (Republic of Karelia). In 2010 Karelian geologist and local historian I.V Borisov showed the «Ruskeala Pit» to the author, which was impressed greatly and had got an impetus to its investigation. In 2011 the comprehensive survey of the Ruskeala Mountain Park was conducted. A large group of speleologists from the Russian Geographic Society took part in the studies. The received data were presented to the project owner, «Kolmas Karelia» company, in the form of a detailed report. In 2012, under the agreement with «Kolmas Karelia», a project of developing the infrastructure for excursions in the underground space was designed by Yu. S. Lyakhnitskyi and Yu.P. Korennoy. The project was based on results of the survey and involved equipment of two galleries and a large half-flooded hall mined out during the extraction of marble, for educational excursions. Later several important amendments to the project were made, because new features were revealed in the course of clearing the debris. In addition, the control of work progress and methodological support in its realization were provided. In late 2016, the arrangement of the route was completed and in 2017 it began to operate. Now, the underground route of Ruskeala Mountain Park is one of the best in Europe due to its aesthetic, educational, historic-cultural features.