Ice Hotel turns 30 and the suites become art

Ice Hotel in Sweden turns 30 and transforms its suites into ice works of art

The first Ice Hotel in the world opened in Sweden in 1990: this winter it turned 30 and for the occasion it transformed its suites into real works of art carved in ice.

The Story

In 1989 in Jukkasjärvi, near Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden, the first exhibition dedicated to ice sculptures made by the French artist Jannot Derid took place.

For a series of events, some visitors had to stop overnight to sleep on reindeer skins in the large igloo that housed the exhibition.

Hence the idea of ​​a real hotel carved out of ice: the Swedish entrepreneur Yngve Bergqvist, in 90 created the first hotel entirely made of ice, the Ice Hotel, which is rebuilt from scratch every year for the winter season.

The Hotel

To celebrate the hotel’s first thirty years, the most important and renowned ice artists were invited to create exclusive suites.

There are 15 rooms, all different, with sculptures, chandeliers that look like crystal, engravings that look like bas-reliefs. In short, real works of art that will last until April, when the ice season will come to an end and will melt to merge with the Torne River.

“The pandemic has forced us to think differently, but the result is an extraordinary homage to Sweden. The 35 artists have created concepts that will mesmerize our guests, offering them a much-needed escape from reality this year,” the creative director of Icehotel, Luca Roncoroni, said.

More info www.icehotel.com