Ice hotel in Sweden (Jukkasjari). Overview, Photos

Every year in October, a small miracle happens in the small Swedish town of Jukkasjari in Lapland. An ice hotel grows out of several thousand tons of pure snow and ice of the river Tourne-Elva. From the Arctic Circle the hotel is separated by 200 kilometers, but in spite of the fact that this place is one of the coldest in Sweden, in spring the hotel cannot withstand the warm temperatures and melts, so every year it is built anew. On the other hand, it provides the ice artists involved in the construction with an opportunity to express themselves in a new way every year - the interior design is never repeated.

The ice hotel was invented in 1990, when the French artist Jannot Derid organized his exhibition in an ice igloo - a traditional dwelling of the Nordic peoples - once the hotel was full and several guests of the exhibition had to sleep overnight right in the ice house on reindeer skins. So the idea was born to organize an ice hotel every year, but now it's a full-fledged hotel with a bar, a cinema, suites and a chapel. Even the dishes and furnishings here are made of ice.

The temperature inside the hotel is -5, -7 degrees on average, compared to the fact that it is -37 and lower outside at night, one can consider that it is quite possible to spend the night in the hotel rooms, considering the fact that all the beds are covered with reindeer skins and the guests are given sleeping bags. It is said that one can lie in bed and admire the shimmering northern lights. For those who just want to see the hotel, but do not dare to stay overnight, nearby, not so long ago, were built residential cottages.

Guests and guests of the hotel are offered a wide range of entertainment. During the day you can walk around the entire hotel and see its unique interiors, you can go sledding and snowmobiling, or visit winter fishing, take a master class from ice sculptors, and the most courageous can dip into the ice-hole on the river. The evening is traditionally held in the bar, where you can drink hot drinks from the ice glasses. More recently, the hotel has opened a theater called "The Ice Globe," similar to the theater where Shakespeare once served. The first production was Hamlet, performed by Swedish artists.

Recently, it has become very popular to hold wedding ceremonies in an ice hotel. There was even invented a special fun contest for the newlyweds, it is called "tie the knot". The temperature in the chapel is below zero, the hands gradually cease to obey, so to perform even simple actions need to make great efforts. The game invariably causes a lot of fun and laughter among the guests.

Due to the peculiarities of construction, the hotel has neither electricity nor facilities (they are in the building nearby). But these circumstances do not affect the popularity of the hotel. Each year the number of tourists only increases. It seems that the Swedes were the pioneers of the new trend, because such hotels have already started to appear in Canada, Alaska, Romania and other countries, where the nature and climate allow it.