If you’re looking for an extraordinary adventure while traveling in the Baltic countries, let me introduce you to Rummu quarry! A former limestone quarry and a Soviet prison, turned into a drowned quarry and an amusement park.
There are some super interesting places here in Estonia due to its violent, Soviet history. One such place is called Rummu karjäär and it very much resembles Atlantis, the drowned city, except its history is much more gruesome. It’s a brilliant place to discover on a hot Summer’s day. Here’s why!
Rummu – Drowned Quarry in Estonia
I love a good ghost-story so when I came across this place on the internet while I still lived in Estonia, I had to get there. Rummu karjäär is the name of the big lake and its surrounding area. It’s located about 50 km South from the capital, Tallinn.
It’s not really a city, just a big area in the middle of nowhere built for the sole purpose of incarcerating Soviet-era wrong-doers (aka the ones who didn’t speak Russian). Before I tell you how to get there, let’s have a recap of this place’s history.
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The History of Rummu
Estonia was under the Soviet rule from the 1940’s til 1991. During this time the Soviets oppressed Estonian to submission. One of its favourite ways was to do so was to imprison people in inhumane conditions. Rummu Estonia was one such place.
The Soviets set up camp in an area where they could mine for limestone. Political prisoners were used as miners, and a prison was quickly built next to the quarry to “inhabit” them. The limestone was used as building material. The Rotermann qvartal in Tallinn is a good example of this material’s beautiful use in infrastructure.
The inhabitants of this now abandoned prison were forced to work in the mine. The prison quickly evolved into a basic labor camp, as was customary: the Rummu vangla. Oh the stories that those prison and quarry ruins hold, how I would like to hear every single one of them!
- It’s quite difficult to find any information of the actual people who ended up in this particular labor camp.
- What we do know, though, is that the quarry was dug so deep that they reached the water table.
- This meant that water started spilling into the quarry uncontrollably from underground.
So, they had to pump water off the mine ceaselessly. After the Soviet Union fell in the early 1990’s the Rummu prison and its surrounding areas were abandoned almost overnight.
And when there was nobody pumping water off the premises, it rose at an amazing speed covering the whole quarry, trees and all, forming this spooky Atlantis of the North.
The water rose just enough to leave half of some of the buildings sticking out of the water with their bare windows looking over the lake like empty eyes.
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Rummu quarry today
Nowadays the Rummu quarry serves as a beach and the lake water is probably the clearest you can find anywhere in Northern Europe. It feels like arriving somewhere in Croatia, that’s how clear blue the water really is. But because it’s water that comes from underneath the ground it’s bloody cold!
It is the most beautiful, the most intriguing and at the same time the spookiest beach I have ever been to. The history of the place is very visible and present especially when you swim to the ruins and climb on its empty windows.
Looming over everything is the Rummu prison, which is nowadays private property and out of access. But the rusty guard towers serve as reminders of what went on there only 30 years ago.
- Like many historical places in Estonia, also the this area is currently being transported into a Summer festival area.
- So, if you want to see it as history knows it, this may be your last opportunity.
It’s understandable that Estonia is destroying all traces of its history, considering how traumatic it all still is. But from a history nerd’s point of view, it’s a massive shame that the future generations will never know or learn from what this place originally was. If we forget history, we will keep on repeating it…
There’s much more to this beach than just swimming, though. You can rent diving equipment and go research the buildings that are completely under water. Or you could rent a canoe or a sub board and paddle around. But be careful of the ghostly trees just underneath the water’s surface.
How to get there?
This place is not easy to find. Maybe that was why the prison was built there in the first place. It’s surrounded by dense forests all around and the rocky roads leading there will destroy any car with low suspension. So, how do you get there?
- The easiest, fastest and the simplest way to get to the Rummu quarry and prison is by renting a car.
- You should first navigate to the town called Keila, where you can admire the Keila waterfalls before heading to Rummu quarry. Keila is about 30 minutes drive from Tallinn along a calm countryside road.
- From the Keila waterfalls it’s only about 10 minutes to Rummu Estonia. And yes, you do basically have to drive into a forest.
- The quarry was a Soviet labour camp, it was well hidden away from prying eyes.
If you prefer public transport, that is also an option, but a complicated one.
- You can catch a train to Keila from Tallinn.
- Then you have to walk to a bus stop about 200 meters away (Jaama) and take the bus number 148 towards Rummu.
- It’s about 30km distance, so not really walkable.
There’s a third option: taxi! Now, hear me out! If you’re not yet familiar with a taxi app called Bolt, it’s about time you get acquainted. The app was founded in Estonia and it’s a billion times better than Uber! Cheaper, more reliable and much more user-friendly.
Taking a taxi there is probably going to set you back 10-20 euros. For comparison, I once ordered Bolt to take me from the Vienna airport all the way to Bratislava, and that cost only about 100€. The trip from Tallinn to Rummu is a lot shorter!
Where to stay?
Before you find your way to this extraordinary place, you’re probably wondering where you can spend a night there. When I first visited the place in 2018 the accommodation options were very scarce: they were being built, but not quite ready yet.
These days thing are different and you have plenty of accommodation options in Rummu quarry. For example:
- AirBnB has apartments available in the area especially in the Summer time.
- There are also camping areas around the big lake, which used to be the quarry.
- The camp sites have spaceous wooden cabins and even these tiny barrell-like “bedrooms” that are floating on the lake. They look like they were built for some magical creatures in the area (photos below).
NOTE! Take enough food supplies with you when you stay the night there! When we last visited they were building a restaurant, but knowing Estonia it may never have been finished. Also, there were no shops anywhere near, but this may have changed as well in the many years that have passed.
Rummu Quarry Conclusion
Rummu Estonia is one of those places that you need to visit NOW before it’s too late. The leftovers of the quarry and the surrounding areas of the former Soviet prison are being transformed into a festival area. This will drown the history of this place along with the submerged quarry.
It’s a truly interesting place to visit, something you will never find anywhere else. So, if you’re into extraordinary travel like I am, mark this on your travel bucket list! ♥
