First photos – Icehotel 30 years

Icehotel celebrates 30 years - new art revealed

Allow yourself to slumber in the art suite "A Night at the Theatre”, or to get warm and toasty in the roughly knitted and woolly universe of art suite "Warm up". Why not marry your loved one in the prospering “Ginkgo” Ceremony Hall or enjoy an ice-cold cocktail in the playful ice bar "Torneland". On December 13, the doors to Icehotel# 30, the winter-open part of Icehotel, were opened.

Thirty years ago, Icehotel founder Yngve Bergqvist started a journey that would lead to the world's first hotel of ice and snow in Jukkasjärvi in the north of Sweden. Today, the hotel has had over a million visitors from all continents of the world.

Icehotel #30 can be experienced from December 13th until April 14th, after which the winter open part of Icehotel returns to the Torne River again. The permanent part of the hotel remains to offer ice and snow experiences all year round. 
 

This year's anniversary hotel is really something special and we are happy to finally be able to welcome the guests into this glittering world.

 

– MALIN FRANCK, CEO OF ICEHOTEL

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Art and design - at one with nature 

33 artists from 16 countries around the world have spent two intense weeks in Jukkasjärvi,  to create the 30th reincarnation of Icehotel - an ephemeral art exhibition made entirely of snow and ice from the Torne River. Together with Icehotel's building team, ice production, creative support and lighting designers the artists have - apart from the 15 unique art suites - created a ceremony hall for weddings and other celebrations as well as the Main Hall with its iconic columns and chandeliers which has become synonymous with the hotel. In addition, an outdoor installation; a four-meter tall tower and two new ice suites were presented in the year-round part of Icehotel, as well as the ice bar “Torneland”, an icy amusement park, setting off the imagination. 

–We have planned Icehotel #30 since early spring when the Icehotel jury decided which art suites would become reality. Luckily the Arctic weather greeted us with perfect conditions for the construction period. There is something special creating art and design in collaboration with the river, the sky and the air, says Luca Roncoroni, Creative Director at Icehotel. 

There is solid work behind the building of a hotel that reappears in a new winter edition every year. In spring, 1 300 blocks of ice were harvested from the Torne River and kept cold until it was time for it to be used in order to create this year's art. It was also used to make glasses, plates and to deliver ice orders in the shape of sculptures, blocks or whole environments for ice events around the world.

 

 

Feeling inspired to submit a suite design?

Enter a submission before May 4th, 2020 – and you can be chosen to participate in Icehotel #31

Ice Ceremony Hall with Ginkgo leaves on an ice wall
Design Johan Kauppi & Nina Kauppi | Photo Asaf Kliger

News & figures - Icehotel #30 

AN OBSERVATION DECK – To celebrate this year's anniversary, an observation deck has been built where the guests can have a moment of serenity overlooking the origin of the hotel, Torne River. Here, guests can experience the pastel-hued Kaamos light during the day and be mesmerized by stars and dancing northern lights before it's time for a good night's sleep.  

AN OUTDOOR SCULPTURE – An outdoor sculpture created by Mats Nilsson and Jens Thoms Ivarsson is also as part of this year's celebration - a four-meter tall tower in which guests can enter. The design encounter ”Brutal Experience" which is a tribute to Brutalism, starts already outside the main entrance and then continues into the Main Hall of the winter hotel. 

A MAGNIFICENT MAIN HALL – This year, Icehotel also boasts of an extra grand 75-meter-long Main Hall with the Ceremony Hall "Ginkgo" adjacent to it, featuring 30 stars carved in the ceiling - one star for each Icehotel. 

LIFE ENRICHING MOMENTS – In addition to world-class art and a night spent amongst art made of ice and snow, guests can also try activities such as a Northern Lights Tour on a snowmobile, dog sledding, ice sculpting, the Jukkasjärvi sauna ritual, and wilderness suppers.  

AWARD-WINNING FOOD WITH NEW KITCHEN STAFF – Experience a remarkable dining experience in Icehotel Restaurant, this year led by Food and Beverage Manager Henrik Lööv and head chef Samuel Jahn together with a new international kitchen brigade. Along with chef Sebastian Olsson, they create magic on a plate. Sebastian is the chef at the Chef's table concept where a new twelve-course menu is presented, focusing on natural ingredients using the traditional Swedish flavor characteristics of salt, sweet and smoked. 

10 SECONDS – The total amount of ice used in order to create the hotel equals ten seconds of water flow of the Torne River. 

1000 ICE CRYSTALS – The iconic chandeliers contain 1,000 ice crystals sculpted by hand. 

110 MILLION ICE CREAMS – The main building material is "snice", a mix of snow and ice. 30,000 cubic meters - or the equivalent of 110 million ice creams - are used to create the floors, ceilings, and walls of the hotel. 

THERE ARE 55 COLD ROOMS in total across Icehotel #30 and Icehotel 365 (15 Art Suites and 20 Ice Suites in Icehotel #30 and 9 Deluxe Suites and 11 Art Suites in 365). In addition to cold rooms, Icehotel also offers warm accommodation, cabins, and hotel rooms. 

Ice suite called Crescents
Design Elin Julin & Ida Mangsbo | Photo Asaf Kliger
A gigantic iceberg on the runway for Chanel together with Karl Lagerfeldt
Photo Jan Jordan

An original that always renews itself 

What started out with a random overnight stay in an igloo is today the world's first ice hotel, making it one of Sweden's most famous tourist destination with around 70,000 visitors a year. Constantly renewing itself with new art and new innovations, the original Icehotel has many highlights to look back upon. For example: 

2018 – Icehotel was featured on TIME Magazine's list "World's Greatest Places 2018"  

2016 – The doors were opened to the world's first year-round open Icehotel, powered with the help of solar energy.  

2016 – Icehotel was the most googled destination when international travelers were googling Sweden. 

2010 – Constructed an Arctic iceberg at the catwalk for Chanel's runway show in Paris. 

1998 – Icehotel created an ice event in the Sahara, letting sub-zero temperatures meet the scorching sun and camels having a taste of the Torne River ice.  

Highlights in the history of Icehotel

The person starting Icehotel 30 years ago was the entrepreneur and visionary Yngve Bergqvist. Holding on to the motto “dig where you stand”, he created one of Sweden's largest reasons for traveling, located in a place which had previously been pretty much a blank spot on the map. 

–It's been a fantastic journey with a lot of pride and joy, and the reason for this are the employees throughout the years who’ve really made an effort to give the guests, coming from all over the world, life enriching moments during their stay.

– YNGVE BERGQVIST, FOUNDER OF ICEHOTEL
 

A reindeer and northern lights in the art suite of ice
Design Anna Öhlund & John Pettersson | Photo Asaf Kliger
Lions made of snow drinking water from crystal clear ice
Design AnnaSofia Mååg & Niklas Byman | Photo Asaf Kliger

AVAILABLE FOR FOUR MONTHS

Icehotel #30 can be experienced from December 13th until April 14th, after which the winter open part of Icehotel returns to the Torne River again. The permanent part of the hotel remains to offer ice and snow experiences all year round. 
 
Welcome to experience Icehotel 30 this winter! 

 

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Swedish Lapland presents ICEHOTEL #30

 

 

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