Every year, when the Tornae River turns to ice, a new Icehotel is created in the small wv, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.
When Yngve Bergqvist introduced the idea of Icehotel in 1989 the reaction he got was ice cold. How could Jukkasjärvi, a tiny speck on the map, in the middle of the northernmost part of Sweden even attract locals? Today, Icehotel is one of Sweden’s most important tourism destinations with around 50,000 visitors from all over the world – year-round.
Cycling, river rafting, ice sculpting and fishing are offered while the sun shines through day and night for 50 consecutive days during summer. In winter, a unique Icehotel opens and skiing, husky sledding, northern light tours and ice sculpting are on the agenda.
There are two ways of spending the night, in hotel rooms made of ice and snow or in warm cabins. Most people stay one night in ‘cold’ accommodation and the other nights in the warm. The cold rooms never drop below -5C but an Icehotel guide holds a ‘survival course’ in the evening. This includes informing guests on how to dress appropriately and use the Arctic sleeping bags. Every morning, staff wakes guests with hot lingonberry juice. When checking out or moving into warm accommodation, guests are given a diploma stating the date and temperature inside and outside Icehotel on the night they stayed there.
When the hotel melts each year in spring, what’s left are the 20 suites made of ice and snow inside Icehotel 365, which can be experienced all year round. This permanent construction accommodates nine Deluxe Suites with private sauna and bathroom, 11 Art Suites, an ice gallery and Icebar – all hand carved by select artists from around the globe.
