Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
about 4 hours ago
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
1 day ago
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
3 days ago
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Finland Ruokolahti Kummakivi Balancing Rock

Kummakivi Balancing Rock

Legend has this precariously placed rock was placed by giants. Science has another explanation.

Ruokolahti, Finland

Added By
Sam
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  retkipaikka.fi
  retkipaikka.fi
  retkipaikka.fi
  retkipaikka.fi
  retkipaikka.fi
  retkipaikka.fi
  retkipaikka.fi
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Kummakivi (Finnish for "strange rock") can be found balanced upon another rock in the middle of the forest.

This strange sight perplexed visitors since its discovery, and spawned stories of giants having balanced the rock in its position, but geologists have a more realistic explanation: glaciers. This isn't the first balancing rock to be discovered, and scientists believe that glaciers - capable of carrying such a heavy rock with them - left it behind as they receded to the North over 8,000 years ago. The power of glaciers trumps even giants.

Related Tags

Rocks Geology

Community Contributors

Added By

SamM

Edited By

SailorAlphaC

  • SailorAlphaC

Published

May 25, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://retkipaikka.fi/vapaa/ruokolahden-kummakivi/
  • http://unusualplaces.org/kummakivi/
Kummakivi Balancing Rock
Ruokolahti, 56310
Finland
61.4935, 28.429371

Nearby Places

Imatrankoski

Imatra, Finland

miles away

Astuvansalmi Rock Paintings

Jääkäri, Finland

miles away

Olavinlinna

Savonlinna, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Finland

Finland

Europe

Places 87
Stories 11

Nearby Places

Imatrankoski

Imatra, Finland

miles away

Astuvansalmi Rock Paintings

Jääkäri, Finland

miles away

Olavinlinna

Savonlinna, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Finland

Finland

Europe

Places 87
Stories 11

Related Stories and Lists

13 Places to Celebrate Erratic Behavior

List

By Gemma Tarlach

Why Scientists Fall for Precariously Balanced Rocks

science

By Sabrina Imbler

Related Places

  • Pungo Andongo, Angola

    Black Rocks of Pungo Andongo

    These giant volcanic rocks towering above the Angolan savannah once served as a natural fortification.

  • Lake Forest, California

    Red Rock Canyon

    A striking geological formation in Southern California.

  • North side of Monster Rock.

    Ephrata, Washington

    Monster Rock

    An enormous boulder deposited by the Scabland floods lies in the Quincy Basin among a host of smaller boulders.

  • Cape Town, South Africa

    Scratch Patch

    An artificial cave littered with semi-precious stones waiting to be picked up.

  • Window arch in the City of Rocks.

    Almo, Idaho

    City of Rocks

    This U.S. natural reserve is an ancient spiritual place and rock climber’s paradise.

  • Colorful sandstone cliff just west of the Colorock Quarry.

    Moapa Valley, Nevada

    Buffington Pockets

    The rocks exposed at Valley of Fire State Park also occur in a much less known but equally spectacular area a few miles to the southwest.

  • The Dragon Mark

    Hanö, Sweden

    Drakmärket (Dragon Mark)

    According to local lore, a flying dragon was blinded by a lighthouse and crashed, leaving a permanent mark on this island rock.

  • Fluorescent Andersonite from Utah.

    Tempe, Arizona

    Miners Rock Shop

    A family-owned store specializing in minerals, geodes, gemstones, and more.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.