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Ice Hotel, Jukkasjarvi, Lapland, Sweden

Let all the winters around the world come and stay here, in Lapland! My heart does not yearn for spring anymore, because native winter, standing proudly on the top of its elegance, looks like a magic fairy-tale here.

A number of talented architects-sculptors put their creative efforts to build this Ice miracle. This work is not easy to do, especially when realizing that it's a temporary hotel and for the next year they need a new one and maybe with more dazzling ideas.

Every winter you can visit Swedish village Jukkasjarvi, Lapland, because, there is surely something to wonder and admire. Since 1990 Jukkasjarvi has been attracted ice carving artists from around the world. The first organizer of ice carving exhibition in Jukkasjarvi was a French artist Jannot Derid.

The basic building materials for this hotel are snow and ice, and the main source of taking them is the nearby Torne River. Hence they scrape "building material of the most natural whiteness" (about 40,000 tons). The main structure of the hotel is made of steel columns: by spraying snow on them they become very strong and huge ice columns. Therefore don’t worry or doubt about the strength of the building. The construction works lasted no less than a month, after which each of us has an opportunity to enjoy its “icy holiday” in one of the 60 rooms of this unique hotel. If you need a “spiritual food”, there is also ice church in service. You can also visit the ice bar and other interesting "ice attractions". A hotel charge is quite high and night stay starts from about $460.

By Lilit Khalatyan, www.building.am