World’s First Icehotel in Sweden Rebuilds Each Year Using Ice and Snow

ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden reveals 2018 edition of their famous ice and snow sculptures for their luxury suites.

Founded in 1989, this is the 28th edition of ICEHOTEL situated on the riverbanks of Sweden and features 35 artistically designed deluxe suites, over 100 rooms and an ice chapel, ice bar and an ice gallery. Artists submit their applications to design the imaginative suites.

The hotel can only be experienced for a short period of time until all the ice melts away back into the torne river. The perfect representation of livable art and the transient nature of life pertaining to cycles of existence in correlation to the cycles of the seasons.

From all over the world, 36 artists come together to orchestrate the masterpiece. Aside from the masterfully designed suites, there is also an underground mine with elements of crystal clear ice where guests are surrounded by a jungle-like habitat filled with large, monstera-plants.

The hotel is built using 500 tons of crystal clear ice blocks harvested from the torner river – the same river the building returns to once it melts come late spring into fall.  In in the main hall, over 1,000 hand-polished ice crystals were made to decorate the chandeliers and 200 hand-sculpted flowers adorn the surfaces.

The snow is sprayed on a huge inverted arch shaped steel form and freezes overtime. Once frozen, the steel is removed and in their place are free-standing maze-like corridors of snow. Within the spaces, dividing walls are created which make the separated rooms and suites. The ice blocks are then transported into the hotel, where artisans can begin working on their designs.

The ICEHOTEL opens in phases. Sculptors, architects, designers and artists began piecing 2018’s ICEHOTEL together in March 2017. The ICEHOTEL stays opens year-around but the ice section of the hotel is only open from December into April.