– The vulnerable area is under critical pressure. Therefore, we have completely stopped marketing Marmorslottet.
This is stated by the managing director of At Marmorslottet, large amounts of sand and mud have been dragged onto the marble by visitors with hiking boots. The gravel has caused the small stream bowl formations on the rock to wear down faster. Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK
However, nearly 10,000 annual visitors have caused significant wear and tear on the national park.
Neither the path through the protected area nor the actual Marmorslottet is equipped for the increased traffic that has arisen. This has led to significant wear and tear on the path, especially in steep sections where it has become up to ten meters wide.
At Marmorslottet itself, you can see signs of wear from, among other things, campfires and from people who have dragged gravel out onto the rock.
In 2021, extraordinary measures had to be introduced to preserve the marble.
Namely, to ask tourists and visitors to take off their shoes and walk barefoot or in socks to protect the marble.
But the measures and signs have not helped.
The unique sculpture landscape attracts thousands of tourists each summer.
Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK
Now the situation is worse than ever, according to cave researcher Stein-Erik Lauritzen.
– We are heading towards a situation similar to what we have at Trolltunga and Lofoten, says Lauritzen, who is an emeritus professor in Tagging in the marble at Marmorslottet. Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK
– The traffic causes noticeable wear on the surfaces. There have been some very good suggestions that people should go barefoot, but it would be better to have a proper prohibition sign with a boot crossed over, says Lauritzen about the information poster in the parking lot.
– It would be better with a proper prohibition sign with a boot crossed over, says Stein-Erik Lauritzen about the information poster in the parking lot.
Photo: Johannes Sæheim Pedersen / NRK
– Do not see the signs
The Swedish tourist Lucas Falk and his partner are spending their vacation in Norway. They have visited Marmorslottet but think there could be clearer signs indicating that one should take off their shoes.
And not least why.
– At first, I thought it was so you could feel the depressions under your feet. But then when we read a bit more closely, we understood that it was to prevent too much wear on the rock, says Falk.
Lucas Falk and his partner stayed overnight in the parking lot at Marmorslottet. They had made the trip up the night before.
Photo: Johannes Sæheim Pedersen / NRK
He understands well why people do not take off their shoes before stepping out onto the marble.
– When people are out in nature, they just go for it. They may not read the signs and then they step out onto the rock and do not see the signs until afterwards.
Kitt Grønningsæter:
Previously, Marmorslottet was actively used to market Rana by both the destination company Visit Helgeland and Rana municipality.
That is now over.
Both the County Governor, the tourism industry, and experts recommend taking off your shoes before stepping out onto the marble.
Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK
The County Governor adopted a management plan for the nature reserve where Marmorslottet is located in September 2023. The goal is to protect the vulnerable nature.
– Now we recommend people to find other places to go. Such as Svartisen or the caves in Helgeland, where you have guided tours, says managing director Kitt Grønningsæter from Visit Helgeland.
Tourists have etched their names into the marble at Marmorslottet.
Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK
The destination company is now collaborating with the County Governor on what measures are necessary to spare the area from further wear.
According to the plan, a new information poster about the nature reserve and a permanent themed poster about Marmorslottet will be set up.
Excerpt from the management plan
Additionally, smaller themed posters about vulnerable cave and karst formations are to be prepared, planned to be placed at cave entrances.
It is not desired to make visitors aware of these formations until they potentially come across them on their own.
Grønningsæter emphasizes that they are not the only ones involved in tourism in the area.
– When we see that someone is marketing it, we address a request to them not to do so, and remind them that work is ongoing. It is important that people are informed, but selling it as a nice place to walk, that should definitely wait, says Grønningsæter.
The Glomåga River has spent thousands of years shaping Marmorslottet. Fisktjønna Nature Reserve.
Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK
There are also several caves near Marmorslottet in Rana municipality.
Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK