attract tourists to the area. The result was an 'igloo' gallery that housed artwork displays. One day, visitors requested to spend the night in the main exhibition area of the gallery in sleeping bags covered with reindeer skins. So satisfied were they with their experience that it inspired Bergqvist to build an actual hotel – which managed to open its doors for the first time during the 1989-1990 holiday season.

The hotel features both ‘cold’ (ice) and

'warm' (cabin) rooms, but for the ultimate experience, the most popular rooms are the one-of-a-kind art suites – remarkably creative rooms crafted with ice, by hand. Among this year’s se-le-ctions are creations from artists from Spain, Sweden, Japan and the UK.

Ironically, the ephemeral setting also invites inspiration of a different nature; every winter approximately 150 weddings are celebrated here. This quirky tradition

began during the Millennium year 2000, when the first ICEHOTEL wedding was televised. Since then, an ‘ice church’ is erected right next to the hotel for this purpose and the practice seems to be getting more popular with each passing year.

The main concern guests have during this unique ceremony seems to be the issue of what to wear. The temperature in the church is a consistently chilly -5 °C., but