The Ice Hotel
Tiny Jukkasjärvi is a more familiar spot on the map to a world of tourists
than to your average Swede. Its Ice Hotel is one of the premier attractions
in Sweden: a hotel that is rebuilt each autumn and melts down again four months
later! Like a phoenix, it rises again each year, bigger and better.
Created 16 years ago by entrepreneur Yngve Bergqvist, it accommodates 15,000
overnight guests each year, and more than 40,000 who come to see the exhibits,
visit the church, or enjoy an Absolut at the freezing ice bar. Inside temperatures
vary between 4 and 9° C, which is cozy compared to the outside temperature
of 30 to 40. Below.
The ice is mined in March from the crystal clear Torne Älv river. It is
stored in refrigerated rooms until autumn, and more is exported for events,
art exhibits, and gin and tonics throughout the world.
Originally, only an art exhibit hall existed, occupying just 60 square meters.
This year, the ever-changing walls will encompass 7,000 square meters, including
exhibit halls, a church, a bar, and over 60 rooms. Each October, construction
begins anew for the resident artists and builders, and each room will be a unique
creation, different from each other and from all previous years.
The church was expanded in 2005, and has grown into a cathedral with 10-meter-high
ice pillars. One hundred and fifty weddings will be performed there this winter.
Unfortunately, the Shakespearean Globe Theater will not reappear, as it was
too expensive, or too cold for the performers! There are still elk safaris,
snowmobile tours, and massages to be enjoyed. Don't miss the chance to sauna,
and then rush into the frozen river to cool down!
Jukkasjärvi is a small village outside Kiruna. You can take Flynordic,
SAS, or the Connex train to reach Kiruna,
which boasts the largest and deepest iron mines in Sweden, nearly 1000 meters
below the surface. From Kiruna, you can take a spectacular train ride to Narvik
in Norway, or you can cross country ski in the surrounding area. Jukkasjärvi
also holds a beautiful wooden church with famous paintings from the early 1900s.
The area is a winter sports haven. You can ride dog and reindeer-drawn sleds,
or ice fish. The snow is cold, but brightens the winter night. Under a full
moon, you can walk or ski even in the woods. You might just meet a bear or wolf
or two, and on darker nights, if you're very lucky, you may even catch a glimpse
of the northern lights! Nearby (perhaps an hour or two away, distances have
a slightly different meaning up here) you will find the Björkliden, Riksgränsen,
and Abisko ski resorts.
Accommodations at the hotel include sleeping bags, reindeer skins, and a wake
up call to hot lingonberry drinks, breakfast, and a morning sauna if you wish.
Prices start at 2900 SEK for a double room. Suites with ice art and sculpture
are available for 3900 SEK, and a family-sized room for four is 5700 SEK. Day
entrance for adults is 120 SEK, 60 SEK for children up to age 12, and 100 SEK
for seniors.
The city of Kiruna is dominated by the LKAB iron mines, which have expanded
over time and now raise ore from 1000 meters below ground. The railway station
roars with the sound of iron pallet trains endlessly departing on the rugged
journey to the ports of Narvik and Luleå.
The town's 23,356 residents have a different kind of rough road ahead - rescuing
their city center from the ever-expanding network of cracks caused by the mines.
Portions of the town have already been relocated, and now several historical
buildings are in the risk zone. Hopefully, they will be successfully moved,
but, just to be sure, you might consider a trip to see the beautiful wooden
buildings, Hjalmar Lundbohmgården and Bolagshotellet, the town hall and
its bell tower, or the beloved church with its wooden exterior and famous paintings.
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