Pirunpesä

Pirunpesänkivi Tafoni

Useful Information

Location:	Kaunistontie 299, 37180 Nokia. Kaunistontie, Sarkola, Nokia, 37180. From Helsinki Motorway 3 to tampere, then Highway 12 towards Huttinen, turn right on 2506 at Sarkola, then left on 2501, turn right on single lane road to the end. (61.4285, 23.2107)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Erosional Cave Frost Weathering Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Pirunpesä, Pirunpesänkivi Tafoni, Kaunistontie 299, 37180 Nokia, Tel: +358-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Pirunpesä (Devil’s Nest) is an extremely popular name in Finland, and so there are dozens. Most of them are rock formations or some kind of caves. This one is no exception it is a rock formation with a strange litte cave and many taffoni, which give the site a weird atmosphere, obviously the reason for the name.

All the rock formations are a result of the glaciers, which covered Scandinavia numerous times during the last 2.5 Million years, The last ended only 12,000 years ago. The rock was left behind by the melting glacier, and probably it was transported here from further in the north. It is composed of various crystalline rocks, but over time the softer ones were removed by erosion, and only the parts which were hard gneis remained. This rainwater erosion creates tafoni, quite characteristic hollows which are scallop-like but also form small caves with many cupolas. The rock is 5 m long and 3 m high and is Finland’s second largest tafoni specimen. Because it’s possible to enter the tafoni structures, we classified the site as a cave.

And what's strange, the rock with the holes looks like the head of a troll or some other grotesque being. It has a strange mouth at the bottom of the rock, and two eyes, higher up. The native Sami people worshiped the rock as a Sieidi, a sacrificial stone. After Christianization, it was thought to be the home of Saint Nicholas. We have no idea why the house of a saint is called the "devil's nest". The troll theory is a result of the internet. It's also known as Pirunpesänkivi Tafoni (Devil's Nest Stone Tafoni), which is even weirder.

The rock formation is located in the forest on the northern tip of a peninsula which protrudes into Kulovesi lake. The road ends 500 m before, and there is a trail to the site. Be aware that the whole area is a natural conservation area, so littering or fire are not allowed here.