Since today (at least on the Internet) is “Throwback Thursday” it seems fitting to draw attention to Sweden’s iconic Icehotel, which blows out 25 candles this winter season.
The world’s first hotel made of ice has been built and rebuilt each year since 1990 in Jukkasjärvi, a small village in the north of Sweden, and has since drawn thousands of visitors from around the world. After its first opening, the hotel has reopened every year from December to April, boasting an all-new main structure, chairs and beds - all constructed from snow and ice from the nearby Torne River.
An array of artists have been invited to implement their own designs and decorations over the years, all of which get made from ice and compacted snow. Couples have even flocked to get married at the ice chapel despite the guarentee of getting cold feet - the whole venue is maintained at -5 degrees C (23 F). There's also the famous Ice Bar, which you can see being constructed here.
The hotel had humble beginnings as a simple igloo, measuring just 45 square meters, but today the hotel covers an area nearly the size of a professional football field. That requires around 1,000 tons of natural ice for the structure alone, let alone the ice chandeliers.
To mark the hotel’s 25th anniversary there's a “grand birthday giveaway” that allows Icehotel fans around the world to submit a digital ice wall carving. Once a visitor has submitted an entry on the Icelebrate page, they’re automatically placed in a draw for various prizes that include the following:
Icehotel's partnership with MINI also extends to a driving package, descriptively entitled Extreme winter driving by MINI. Icehotel guests can test their driving abilities with a MINi Countryman Cooper that’s kitted out to handle the private ice circuit.
The hotel provides a specially trained instructor that coaches drivers how to deal with icy or slippery roads, before presenting a number of practical tasks and challenges. The driving challenge is on offer until March 31.
To mark the 25th anniversary, Icehotel has also revealed an image gallery that depicts some of the variations of the main hall and ever-changing art suites over the years; including some inspired by the movie Tron, Russian art noveau and Frankenstein’s science lab.
“Every year, we think ‘this has to be the best hotel we’ve ever made'", said creative director Arne Bergh, ahead of this winter season. "I’m sure this year will be no different – we’re really excited about the ideas that were submitted for the 25th hotel.”
Aside from new design and art work, this year's hotel also features a new event hall, bar area and workshop for the ice sculpting classes that guests can take part in. The theatre, Aurora Hall, has been created using a new building technique that casts ice onto a giant balloon. That means the inner walls will be solid ice and the outer walls will be covered in soft white snow, allowing for natural light and different acoustics from other areas of the hotel.