Iset': Quarries, Railway and Granite Rocks

Iset' is a place where quarry and railway history meet a geologically shaped landscape. Local points of interest include early quarries, the passing station with its preserved water tower, and a monument to residents who fell in the war. The granite formations are nearby. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between these aspects: the history of Iset' itself and rock formations in the surrounding area.

Stone and Railway: History in Iset'

The first quarries in Iset opened in 1802. Convicts extracted rubble stone there to meet the needs of Yekaterinburg. The Perm Quarry opened in Iset in 1873 and is now the quarry operated by the Iset Gravel Plant. This puts two distinct chapters of local quarrying side by side: the early quarries and the later opening of the Perm Quarry.

The railway's history can also be traced through specific dates. Iset passing station was built in 1875; low-powered locomotives ran there. A water tower built to refuel the locomotives is still preserved today. The timeline places the Perm Quarry and the station's construction close together: two years separate the quarry's opening in 1873 and the station's construction in 1875. The details about the locomotives and water tower also give the railway's history a technical focus.

Granite Rocks Nearby

The Iset deposit lies on the Verkh-Iset granite massif in the settlement of Iset', a suburb of Verkhnyaya Pyshma. Nearby, Iset Megalith Park comprises about 49 granite rock formations, around 300 million years old. Their approximate number and great age describe a group of numerous geological formations, not just a single rock.

Other rocks are also identified by name and location: Malye Cherti extend in a ridge along the mountain beside Chertovo Gorodishche. The Petrogrom (Petra Gronskogo) rocks lie north of Iset station. From the railway station, it takes 15 minutes to walk to the entrance to Iset Megalith Park; the actual walking time may vary. You can therefore account for the walk to the park entrance as a separate part of your day's itinerary.

A Place of Remembrance

In Iset stands a monument, erected in 1970, to the residents of the settlement who fell on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. It is listed in a municipal register of historical and cultural sites approved in 2025. The monument adds another perspective to the stories of quarrying and railways: it commemorates people from Iset and the losses of war.

Plan Your Journey and Holiday Apartment

Iset station can be reached from Yekaterinburg by commuter train; the journey takes 40 minutes. Check the current timetable before travelling, as train connections and times may change. Timetables and tickets are available through the “RZD Passazhiram” app, the operator's website and suburban railway ticket offices. These ticket channels may also change, so check the latest passenger information.

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Iset', take your planned arrival and the activities you are interested in into account when making your choice. The train connection is a useful reference for rail travellers; the walk from the station to the park entrance offers another point of reference for planning your day. If you are particularly interested in the rock formations, consider their location nearby when planning. By contrast, quarry history, the railway and the monument are all directly connected with Iset' itself.

Discover more destinations: Tygish, Sennaya, Krasnoglinnyy, Verkhnyaya Salda, Revda, Verkhnyaya Sinyachikha, Resch, Tavda.

Return to the regional travel overview: Sverdlovsk Oblast.