Icehotel (Jukkasjärvi)
Encyclopedia
The Icehotel in the village of Jukkasjärvi
, about 17 km from Kiruna
, Sweden
, was the world's first ice hotel
. After its first opening in 1990, the hotel has been erected each year from December to April.
artist Jannot Derid held an exhibition in a cylinder-shaped igloo
in the same area. One night there were no rooms available in the town, so some of the visitors asked for permission to spend the night in the exhibition hall. They slept in sleeping bag
s on top of reindeer
skin, and were the first guests of the "hotel".
The entire hotel is made out of snow and ice blocks taken from the Torne River
, even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. Each spring, around March, Icehotel harvests tons of ice from the frozen Torne River and stores it in a nearby production hall with room for over 10,000 ton
s of ice and 30,000 tons of snow. The ice is used for creating Icebar designs and ice glasses, which are used for ice sculpting classes, events and product launches all over the world while the snow is used for building a strong structure for the building. About 1,000 tons of what is left is used in the construction of the next Icehotel.
When the temperature drops and the snow guns start humming on the Torne River shore, usually in mid-November, the building process begins. The snow is sprayed on huge inverted catenary shaped steel forms and allowed to freeze. After a couple of days, the forms are removed, leaving a maze of free-standing corridors of snow. In the corridors, dividing walls are built in order to create rooms and suites. Ice blocks are then transported into the hotel where selected artists start creating the art and design of the perishable material. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi opens in phases, the first phase opens in the beginning of December and for each week, another section of the hotel opens up for visitors and guests until the beginning of January, at this time the entire construction is completed.
When completed; the hotel features a bar, church, main hall, reception area, plus rooms and suites for over 100 guests, the furniture is sculpted blocks of ice in the form of chairs and beds. There is also warm accommodation available next to the hotel. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi is known to be the biggest hotel of ice and snow in the world, spanning over some 6,000 m². Each suite is unique and the architecture of the hotel is changed each year, as it is rebuilt from scratch. Each year artists submit their ideas for suites and a jury selects about 50 artists to create the church, Absolut Icebar, reception, main hall and suites. When spring comes, everything melts away and returns to the Torne River. The Icehotel only exists between December and April, and has been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden.
Documentaries that focus on this hotel can be seen from time to time on Discovery Channel
and National Geographic. The Icehotel has guests from many countries and there are many charter flights to the nearby Kiruna Airport
directly from London.
as the first sponsor. The first Absolut Icebar opened in Icehotel in 1994, and today the concept is used in three cities: London
, Stockholm
and Jukkasjärvi
.
Several high-profile events around the Icehotel has since been initiated by Absolut Vodka. In 1994, the extension was an advertising shoot for Absolut Vodka to Jukkasjärvi with photographer Herb Ritts
. Models, Kate Moss
, Naomi Campbell
, Mark Findlay and Marcus Schenkenberg
were photographed surrounded by ice wearing creations designed by fashion designer Gianni Versace
.
Guests are served vodka in glasses made of ice from the Torne River
, often described as a drink "in the rocks". Ice glasses at the bars are brought from the production hall in Jukkasjärvi to the Icehotel. This is also the case with the interior creations, because every six months they are replaced on site by staff from the ice production and artists. This is done to ensure quality and safety.
Icebar by Icehotel is a franchise concept for ice bar. The concept was launched in spring 2009, with the opening of the Ice Bar CPH by Icehotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. The bar was followed in June of that year by the Ice Bar Tokyo by Icehotel in Tokyo, Japan, and shortly after – Icebar Oslo by Icehotel in Oslo, tim buck two.
Jukkasjärvi
Jukkasjärvi is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 519 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated at 321 meters elevation....
, about 17 km from Kiruna
Kiruna
Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, was the world's first ice hotel
Ice hotel
An ice hotel is a temporary hotel made up of snow, sculpted blocks of ice, and some steel framing. They are promoted by their sponsors and have special features for travelers who are interested in novelties and unusual environments, and thus are in the class of destination hotels...
. After its first opening in 1990, the hotel has been erected each year from December to April.
History
In 1989, Japanese ice artists visited the area and created an exhibition of ice art. In Spring 1990, FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
artist Jannot Derid held an exhibition in a cylinder-shaped igloo
Igloo
An igloo or snowhouse is a type of shelter built of snow, originally built by the Inuit....
in the same area. One night there were no rooms available in the town, so some of the visitors asked for permission to spend the night in the exhibition hall. They slept in sleeping bag
Sleeping bag
A sleeping bag is a protective "bag" for a person to sleep in, essentially a blanket that can be closed with a zipper or similar means, and functions as a bed in situations where a bed is unavailable . Its primary purpose is to provide warmth and thermal insulation...
s on top of reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
skin, and were the first guests of the "hotel".
The entire hotel is made out of snow and ice blocks taken from the Torne River
Torne River
The Torne River , is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. Approximately half of the river's length is a part of the border between these two countries. It rises at Lake Torne near the border with Norway and flows generally southeast for a distance of into the Gulf of Bothnia...
, even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. Each spring, around March, Icehotel harvests tons of ice from the frozen Torne River and stores it in a nearby production hall with room for over 10,000 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s of ice and 30,000 tons of snow. The ice is used for creating Icebar designs and ice glasses, which are used for ice sculpting classes, events and product launches all over the world while the snow is used for building a strong structure for the building. About 1,000 tons of what is left is used in the construction of the next Icehotel.
When the temperature drops and the snow guns start humming on the Torne River shore, usually in mid-November, the building process begins. The snow is sprayed on huge inverted catenary shaped steel forms and allowed to freeze. After a couple of days, the forms are removed, leaving a maze of free-standing corridors of snow. In the corridors, dividing walls are built in order to create rooms and suites. Ice blocks are then transported into the hotel where selected artists start creating the art and design of the perishable material. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi opens in phases, the first phase opens in the beginning of December and for each week, another section of the hotel opens up for visitors and guests until the beginning of January, at this time the entire construction is completed.
When completed; the hotel features a bar, church, main hall, reception area, plus rooms and suites for over 100 guests, the furniture is sculpted blocks of ice in the form of chairs and beds. There is also warm accommodation available next to the hotel. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi is known to be the biggest hotel of ice and snow in the world, spanning over some 6,000 m². Each suite is unique and the architecture of the hotel is changed each year, as it is rebuilt from scratch. Each year artists submit their ideas for suites and a jury selects about 50 artists to create the church, Absolut Icebar, reception, main hall and suites. When spring comes, everything melts away and returns to the Torne River. The Icehotel only exists between December and April, and has been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden.
Documentaries that focus on this hotel can be seen from time to time on Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
and National Geographic. The Icehotel has guests from many countries and there are many charter flights to the nearby Kiruna Airport
Kiruna Airport
Kiruna Airport is the northernmost airport in Sweden. The airport lies around ten kilometres from the town centre of Kiruna. In 2010 the airport served 199,708 passengers.-Future:Kiruna Airport is the chosen destination for the Spaceport Sweden project...
directly from London.
The Icebars
Icehotel AB searched for business partners during the early and mid 90's, and the founder Yngve Bergqvist, decided upon Absolut VodkaAbsolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....
as the first sponsor. The first Absolut Icebar opened in Icehotel in 1994, and today the concept is used in three cities: London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Jukkasjärvi
Jukkasjärvi
Jukkasjärvi is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 519 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated at 321 meters elevation....
.
Several high-profile events around the Icehotel has since been initiated by Absolut Vodka. In 1994, the extension was an advertising shoot for Absolut Vodka to Jukkasjärvi with photographer Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts
Herbert "Herb" Ritts was an American fashion photographer who concentrated on black-and-white photography and portraits, often in the style of classical Greek sculpture.-Early life and career:...
. Models, Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
, Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
, Mark Findlay and Marcus Schenkenberg
Marcus Schenkenberg
Marcus Lodewijk Schenkenberg van Mierop better known as Marcus Schenkenberg, , is a Swedish model of Dutch and Indonesian descent. He was born in Solna and has dual citizenship of both Sweden and the Netherlands...
were photographed surrounded by ice wearing creations designed by fashion designer Gianni Versace
Gianni Versace
Gianni Versace was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Gianni Versace S.p.A., an international fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the theatre and films, and was a friend of Madonna, Elton John,...
.
Guests are served vodka in glasses made of ice from the Torne River
Torne River
The Torne River , is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. Approximately half of the river's length is a part of the border between these two countries. It rises at Lake Torne near the border with Norway and flows generally southeast for a distance of into the Gulf of Bothnia...
, often described as a drink "in the rocks". Ice glasses at the bars are brought from the production hall in Jukkasjärvi to the Icehotel. This is also the case with the interior creations, because every six months they are replaced on site by staff from the ice production and artists. This is done to ensure quality and safety.
Icebar by Icehotel is a franchise concept for ice bar. The concept was launched in spring 2009, with the opening of the Ice Bar CPH by Icehotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. The bar was followed in June of that year by the Ice Bar Tokyo by Icehotel in Tokyo, Japan, and shortly after – Icebar Oslo by Icehotel in Oslo, tim buck two.