Icehotel is the world’s first hotel made of ice and snow. Founded in 1989, it is reborn in a new guise every winter, in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi – 200 km north of the Arctic Circle.
This winter season there is, alongside the classic Icehotel experience. ICEHOTEL 365. This hotel was built to be a permanent structure that includes luxury suites, each with private relax and bathroom, and art suites, all sculptured by selected artists. There is a large ice bar that serves champagne, and an ice gallery. This ice experience can be visited year-round and is cooled by solar panels during the summer months.
Let us first go inside the ordinary hotel and enjoy its cold beauty – 5 degrees C below zero.
As we walk down the aisle there are corridors on our left, all leading into rooms – the hotel has got 55 rooms and suites. I admire the grand chandeliers, all handmade in ice…
We approach the ice chapel, and the light is amazing. I have to walk slowly to take it all in.
The ice benches are all covered in reindeer skins, and we sit rather comfortably here. Artists made the altar and the decorations, as well as the baptismal font to the left.
The very white material making up the chapel is called snis – probably a merge of snow and ice, as that is what it really is.
The Torne river stretches 520 kilometers, and is the largest of Sweden’s four national rivers -in fact also one of the last untouched rivers in Europe.
It’s the Torne River that provides Icehotel with its ice in winter – and in the summer when the hotel melts, the water returns to its source. Natural ice requires a lot of work – before it is harvested in March, when it has grown its thickest. Months are devoted to maintaining the “ice field” and keeping it clear of snow for the ice to have the best possible conditions to grow.
Each harvested block weighs about two tons. The picture shows one of them standing.
In next post we will enter the new hotel and the cool bar…with drinks served in ice glasses. I will walk you through some of the spectacular art suites as well. I wonder if you would like to check in…? Hope to see you then!
Beautiful, A-C!!! Do you know that the chandelier is the same as they had when they built their first hotel. The only piece that they save year after year. Thanks for taking me there.
Ett magiskt ställe, tänk att de gör detta varje år, snacka om kalla eldsjälar 😀
Magiskt är det!
Wow! That’s all I can say, Ann-Christine. Wow!
;-D
Kristall kronorna är fantastiska.
Visst är de!
I was just reading about the Ice Hotel 365. What a happy coincidence! Great shots, Ann-Christine. I’m looking forward to your next post.
Ok!
How cool…hee, hee. 🙂 I think I’d prefer to just visit and not stay overnight.
janet
We did not stay either…but they are always fully booked😁
wooooow!!!
and that chandelier… it’s like crystals…
It is…ice crystals!
Vad häftigt! Snyggt fotat.
Tack! Svårare blev det inuti sviterna…mörkt och trångt och avspärrat. Men jag försökte så gott det gick – lär ju inte komma dit fler gånger!
Kul att få se det igen och så bra beskrivet av dig. Verkar på frågorna som du får nämna sovsäckarna, renfällarna och overallerna också :). Jag var där 2006 senast så jag ser fram emot din påfyllning av det nya hotellet 🙂
OK! Sov du över då 2006?
Nej, jag bodde på vandrarhem i Kiruna eftersom jah var på jobbuppdrag där först. Kanske lika bra? Ingen jag pratade medlade sovit bra. Men jag skulle gärna prova, nu är jag ju mer Friluftsperson än då. Sov ni över?
Nej – vi körde vidare söderöver till dottern i Umeå.
Beautiful but so brrrrr! Did you stay or just tour?
No, I did not stay…But when you are there, you feel like you should, really…
I can’t take me eyes off the ice chandelier, what a beautiful piece of art! The Four of us would love to check in. We love winter, ice and snow. Does it cost a fortune?
Glad you like it! I had some difficulties in finding out the exact price, but 1000 SEK – 3000 SEK. Not that expensive!
Thank you, Ann-Christine!
Oh how wonderful. Love the chandelier. Your post reminds me of the song sung by Stacey Kent. ”Let’s you and me go away to the Ice Hotel.” 😃
I do not know that one! I will have to find out…
It’s on her album. ‘Breakfast on the Morning Tram’. She’s one of my favourite female singers. 😃
Thank you for telling me – I will try to find it!
You write, it’s a hotel. So you can sleep there as well. In tempterature of 5 degrees below zero?
Yes! But you get a sleeping bag that can stand a much colder night, and you get reindeer skins as well!
I see. I hope, I would survive ;D
O you would😁
🙂 Dear Leya,
this is indeed ”cool” – yes, pun intended 😀
Reminds me of the old James Bond movie.
Have a very HAPPY weekend 🙂
Bond – yes, I remember. Have a great weekend you too!
What a fascinating place! But it would be too cold for me….I like a cold bedroom, but -5C is rather too low!
I did not stay the night…
Aha!
This is so cool! (haha no pun intended!) I am not sure I would like to be that cold, but I am very happy to see it!
I did not want to stay the night either…but a wonderful place to visit!