Slumber at the theatre in the art suite “A Night at the Theatre”, get warm and toasty in the roughly knitted and woolly universe in the art suite “Warm up” and why not marry your loved one in the prospering “Ginkgo Ceremony Hall”? On December 13 the original Icehotel in Swedish Lapland opened the winter hotel and it’s a celebration of magnificent art.
Thirty years ago, Icehotel founder Yngve Bergqvist started a journey that would lead to the world’s first hotel of ice and snow in Jukkasjärvi in the north of Sweden. Today, the hotel has had over a million visitors from all continents of the world.
“This year Icehotel is celebrating 30 years and the hotel is really something special. We are happy to finally be able to welcome the guests into this glittering world”, says the CEO of Icehotel, Malin Franck.
See all the artwork and the art descriptions here.
Art and design – at one with nature
33 artists from 16 countries around the world have spent two weeks in Jukkasjärvi, to create the 30th reincarnation of Icehotel – an ephemeral art exhibition made entirely of snow and ice from the Torne River. Together with Icehotel’s building team, ice production, creative support and lighting designers the artists have – apart from the 15 unique art suites – created a ceremony hall for weddings and other celebrations as well as the Main Hall with its iconic columns and chandeliers which has become synonymous with the hotel. In addition, an outdoor installation; a four-meter tall tower and two new ice suites were presented in the year-round part of Icehotel, as well as the ice bar “Torneland”, an icy amusement park, setting off the imagination.
“We have planned Icehotel #30 since early spring when the Icehotel jury decided which art suites would become reality. Luckily the Arctic weather greeted us with perfect conditions for the construction period. There is something special creating art and design in collaboration with the river, the sky, and the air”, says Luca Roncoroni, Creative Director at Icehotel.
There is solid work behind the building of a hotel that reappears in a new winter edition every year. In spring, 1 300 blocks of ice were harvested from the Torne River and kept cold until it was time for it to be used in order to create this year’s art. It was also used to make glasses, plates and to deliver ice orders in the shape of sculptures, blocks or whole environments for ice events around the world.
Feeling inspired to submit a suite design? Enter a submission before May 4th, 2020 – and you can be chosen to participate in Icehotel #31.
News & figures – Icehotel #30
An observation deck. To celebrate this year’s anniversary, an observation deck has been built where the guests can have a moment of serenity overlooking the origin of the hotel, Torne River. Here, guests can experience the pastel-hued Kaamos light during the day and be mesmerized by stars and dancing northern lights before it’s time for a good night’s sleep.
An outdoor sculpture. An outdoor sculpture created by Mats Nilsson and Jens Thoms Ivarsson is also as part of this year’s celebration – a four-meter tall tower in which guests can enter. The design encounter ”Brutal Experience” which is a tribute to Brutalism, starts already outside the main entrance and then continues into the Main Hall of the winter hotel.
A magnificent Main Hall. This year, Icehotel also boasts of an extra grand 75-meter-long Main Hall with the Ceremony Hall “Ginkgo” adjacent to it, featuring 30 stars carved in the ceiling – one star for each Icehotel.
Life enriching moments. In addition to world-class art and a night spent amongst art made of ice and snow, guests can also try activities such as a Northern lights Tour on a snowmobile, dog sledding, ice sculpting, the Jukkasjärvi sauna ritual, and wilderness suppers.
Award-winning food with new kitchen brigade. Experience a remarkable dining experience in Icehote Restaurant, this year led by Food and Beverage Manager Henrik Lööv and head chef Samuel Jahn together with a new international kitchen brigade. Along with chef Sebastian Olsson, they create magic on a plate. Sebastian is the chef at the Chef’s table concept where a new twelve-course menu is presented, focusing on natural ingredients using the traditional Swedish flavor characteristics of salt, sweet and smoked.
10 seconds. The total amount of ice used in order to create the hotel, equals ten seconds of water flow of the Torne River.
1000 ice crystals. The iconic chandeliers contain 1,000 ice crystals sculpted by hand.
110 million ice creams. The main building material is “snice”, a mix of snow and ice. 30,000 cubic meters – or the equivalent of 110 million ice creams – are used to create the floors, ceilings, and walls of the hotel.
There are 55 cold rooms in total across Icehotel #30 and Icehotel 365 (15 Art Suites and 20 Ice Suites in Icehotel #30 and 9 Deluxe Suites and 11 Art Suites in 365). In addition to cold rooms, Icehotel also offers warm accommodation, cabins, and hotel rooms.
ICEHOTEL #30 can be experienced from December 13th until April 14th, after which the winter open part of Icehotel returns to the Torne River again. The permanent part of the hotel, Icehotel 365, remains to offer ice and snow experiences all year round.
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