Mr NordicMaybe you can’t even imagine it, but it is really possible: spend the night in a hotel completely made out of ice. That will be ice cold, everyone wonders, but that is not so bad. However, the average temperature in the hotel is below freezing point, at around -5 ° C. What is special about an ice hotel is that it is only a temporary hotel, and that makes an overnight stay so unique. The hotel is completely made up of blocks of ice and snow. Beautiful sculptures of ice have been made in the hotel lobby and even the food and drinks are adapted to the circumstances. You can spend the night in this hotel from mid December to April.
History of the Ice Hotel
The history of the creation of the ice hotel starts in the winter of 1989-1990. Artists from Japan held an exhibition of their ice sculptures in Jukkasjärvi. Some visitors who were inspired by this decided to spend the night in a home-made igloo. They slept on warm reindeer skins and found this to be such an intense experience that this created the concept for an ice hotel. Since then, the ice hotel has become bigger and bigger over the years. Today the ice hotel is one of the most famous hotels in the world.
The ice hotel is therefore not the same for any year. With large blocks of ice, weighing almost 2 tons each, the Swedes make the frame of the ice hotel. They call these blocks of ice ‘snice’. This is a mix of snow and ice from the nearby river. The ice blocks are made with molds and stored temporarily. When the skeleton of the ice hotel is up, the artists themselves can start creating their ice room. After about six weeks, all rooms are ready and tourists can come.
There have been no fewer than 28 different ‘editions’ of the Icehotel in Lapland.
The ice hotel in Lapland is located in the Swedish part about 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. This hotel is located near the village of Jukkasjärvi, east of Kiruna, and therefore has the name Ice Hotel Jukkasjärvi. The ice hotel is easily accessible from the airports in Kiruna (Sweden) or Ivalo (Finland). Visitors can reach the hotel by rental car, taxi or snowmobile. But do you want to make a visit to the already unique ice hotel even more unique? Then a trip from the airport to the ice hotel by dog sled is an absolute must!
The interior of the Ice Hotel
In the ice hotel almost everything is made from ice. Not only the rooms, but also the beds, tables and chairs. Shelves are laid on the tables, so that the tables do not melt because of the warm plates. Because the temperature in the hotel is constantly below freezing, all guests receive special thermal clothing on loan. The beds are covered with reindeer skins, so it does not feel cold. The toilets and showers are the only areas in the hotel that are heated.
Activities and excursions
From the ice hotel there are various excursions and activities that you can undertake as a visitor. One is even more spectacular than the other. For example, you can visit the Espace Center, the only public space center in Europe. It is planned that private space flights can be made here from spring 2012.
If you have little space travel, then maybe a snowmobile safari is for you. With a snowmobile you make a trip through the beautiful nature in the surroundings of the ice hotel. And with a bit of luck you can even see the beautiful spectacle of the northern lights. If you find a trip with the snowmobile too extreme then you can also take a safari with a dog sled or a walk led by an experienced guide.
Last Updated on September 23, 2019
