The ICEHOTEL - Sweden, Artic Circle
If it is possible to build a hotel of ice in a small village 200km inside the Arctic Circle, which strikes the whole world with amazement, then anything is possible. The story of ICEHOTEL is indeed a fairy tale come true.
    The free flowing Torne River is the origin and artery of ICEHOTEL. From the river, the ice of ICEHOTEL is borrowed each year. And it is here, on the river shores in the village of Jukkasjärvi that our story begins.

The company Jukkas (present day ICEHOTEL) has been a tourist operator in the region since the 1970s. For many years the company focus was on the summer season and the magnificent outdoor experiences offered by the land of the midnight sun. During the dark winter the river was frozen and the people of the small village of Jukkasjärvi went into hibernation.
    By the end of the 1980s it was decided to turn things around. Instead of viewing the dark and cold winter as a disadvantage, the unique elements of the arctic were to be regarded an asset. Inspired by the work of visiting Japanese ice artists, in 1990 the French artist Jannot Derit was invited to have the opening of his exhibition in a specially built igloo on the frozen Torne River. The 60 square metre building named Artic Hall attracted many curious visitors to the area.
    One night a group of foreign guests, equipped with reindeer hides and sleeping bags, decided it would be a good idea to use the cylindrical shaped igloo as accommodation. The following morning the brave group raved about the unique sensation of sleeping in an igloo. Hence, the concept of ICEHOTEL was born.
    A lot has happened since. Today ICEHOTEL is world famous for its unique concept, its fantastic works of art and its extraordinary experiences. The fairy tale nature of ICEHOTEL brings out the child in guests of all ages.

 

Ice Hotel Quebec - Canada
The Ice Hotel Québec-Canada gets more spectacular every year. They offer a visit, an event, and even a night stay in this cathedral-like hotel made from the purest of all natural resources, namely water, guarantee the most surreal experiences. Its immense halls adorned with beautiful artwork emerging from its walls of snow will amaze you. You will see exquisite furniture created from sheer ice and unique ice candelabras hanging from its 18 foot ceilings. The Ice Hotel opens its crystalline halls for its guests and visitors yearly in early January only to be fated to disappear in early April as it slowly melts away under the warm spring sun. 
    The inspiration for this unique tourist attraction comes from the small Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi where an Ice Hotel has been welcoming guests every winter for more than ten years. Each year, thousands of visitors from around the world travel to admire this architectural achievement. Its beauty, size, and the quality of its design and artwork, carved out of snow and ice, are simply astonishing. Now North America can experience its own dazzling version of this winter tourist complex right. The incomparable Ice Hotel is well on its way to becoming the subject of Quebec’s, Canada’s, and North America’s most outstanding winter postcard. With each passing year it has assumed the role of an exceptional tourism product for international markets, attracting an increasing number of tourists for the region, province, and the country.
    Since its conception, this project has benefited from constant high-level support from the Government of Quebec. The Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq) has wholeheartedly supported the project by contributing the wonderful site know as the Station écotouristique Duchesnay. Local support, through the efforts of the Tourism and Convention Bureau of the Quebec, was also instrumental in helping the dream become reality. After five years of dedication, partners Jacques Desbois and Yvon Guérard are geared to launch operations for upcoming season.

THE GREATEST SNOW CASTLE IN THE WORLD - Kemi, Finland
The world's largest snow castle can probably be found in the town of Kemi in northern Finland. The castle was 17 metres high and its walls was 1100 metres long. The snow castle, together with a courtyard surrounded by four metre high walls, covers 1,460 square metres. The castle has restaurants, an art gallery, a hotel and even a chapel. The art gallery in the snowcastle is filled with statues all made of ice. How beautiful they are! What a pity, they melt away when spring comes!
    The first snow castle in Kemi was built in 1996. It has got a great attention right from the start and nowadays Kemi is world-wide known because of this building. Every year the castle has to be built from scratch. What a hard (and chilly) work it must be!