A Frozen Wonder

Ever wanted to taste the essence of paradise when you’re still alive? Ever imagined what a real spiritual experience would be like? Then the place you’re looking for is the ice hotel in the village Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Yes, a hotel totally made of ‘ICE’…. The only thing you get there unlimited. You think it’s a fantasy? Then stop thinking… for it does exist. And if you’re unsure of why it’s even more special is that it is constructed each year…but very different like chalk and cheese.

The ice hotel was first constructed in the late 1980’s. Every winter, the work begins at the start of November and terminates by the end of December. The work cannot fire up until the temperature has dropped down up to -10 to -5 degrees and the time between November to December is the most ideal one. Once its time the effort begins. To build any elfin structure, a support is a must and thus the constructors erect arched frames and then the concrete has to be used….concrete? Yes, concrete with the blend of water as air. Confused? This is how it is made. Hundreds of liters of water is pumped and then is fired under high pressure, and when the water is mixed with air this concrete which looks like snow is formed… they call this snice. Subsequently the snice is left to settle and take shape of the frame.

With light less than 5 hours a day, the constructors have no choice but continue the work before the deadline if not all their efforts would go wasted. Thus with no time to waste the work continues. After all the hard work luck too matters a lot. If the weather turns warm then the construction is wrecked. Once the snice is settled the frames have to be removed and that is the most tricky part. If the snice is not set enough then the structure will collapse. The builder’s team should also be sure that the snice is not even weakened. Here the experience of the builders counts. The frames are removed one at a time.

Once the Arch is completed, ice blocks are made to erect columns. And the secret ingredient to join beach block is….any guesses? Its ‘water’! Ice walls are made to separate the atrium and each room. Every year a mystical chapel is also constructed. Any plans of getting married in a place that you want to cherish all your life? Don’t give a second thought…this is where you belong.

The moment the exterior is done… the work on the interior begins. The ice artists begin to create their master pieces. Each room is decorated in a very different way. Everything is unique and different every year, except for one – the chandelier on the atrium, which epitomizes the ice hotel. The whole hotel tends to be a large living piece of art. A piece of art that is born, breathes for a while and then its gone…. It gives a spiritual experience, an experience where you can feel the existence of yourself and nature and then…..it goes back to nature. It lives and perishes every year giving a hope for a new incarnation… the next year.