How did it all start? … It’s 1989. There’s an ice and snow sculpture art course on in the village of Jukkasjärvi – pronounced ‘you-kas-yayr-vi’ (try saying that with a reindeer salami in your mouth).
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A snow house has been built as the art course venue. But there’s a sudden shortage of accommodation.
What to do? Easy. Stick them in the snow house with the frozen art, of course: give them sleeping bags; survivalist advice; tips on toilet trip management on ice; and a sauna in the morning to burn off the frostbite … And the ICEHOTEL was born.
Now, every winter, ice is cut from the frozen Torne River in Jukkasjärvi. Builders and artists get to work with mammoth sized ice blocks and at the end of frenzied months of chopping, cutting, sculpting and probably a lot of schnapps drinking, you get one ICEHOTEL and an ICEBAR.
And a lot of tendonitis injuries. Then to add insult to injury, it melts every spring! But that is the joy of the ICEHOTEL. You get a new hotel and art installation every year.
In town after the ICEHOTEL has melted? Worry not. There is an ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL in the Art Center at Jukkasjärvi if you want to take a break from the summer’s 100 days of Midnight Sun.
Tips?
Get married here. Take guided Northern Lights tours, try ice sculpting, ice fishing, husky sleighing, moose watching or a snowmobile safari. Or even check out the nearby Esrange spacecenter in Kiruna. And be sure to book your stay at the ICEHOTEL up to a year in advance.
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The ICEHOTEL is full year-in, year-out and not the type of place to turn up outside the door looking for a room. There is an excellent hostel close to the hotel. ABSOLUT ICEBAR fans can also visit replica icebars in London and Stockholm.
The 26th icehotel opened on December 11, 2015 and will remain open until mid-April. Around 50,000 people are expected to visit the hotel this year, up from 35,000 last year. Rooms start from SEK 2,500 (US$295) per night based on two people sharing.
