Finland:SnowCastle in Kemi

From the Finland city of Kemi to the Arctic circle there is no distance – only 120 kilometers. In winter days which are short and cloudy here, the dawn almost imperceptibly passes into a sunset. Snow falls in the end of October in places prior to the beginning of May. People have quite adapted to such winter: all year long go by bicycles, only change summer rubber on winter, and even do without the skis, one ski sticks. Here walking is considered much more usefully for health.

And in Kemi there rise buildings from ice and snow. It can be both small huts, and castles. Managing director Tommi Hinno is aware of all details of this grande ice building. He tells to all interested people with readiness what there will be here in the near future. Tommi Hinno, operating the snow castle: “Now we have only the hotel and one wing of restaurant yet. Now we complete the second and have already begun constructing a palace with an ice tower. In it there will be a chapel, two rooms for reception of the big tourist groups and ” lux “. Except a palace in our castlethere will be two snow labyrinths, children’s hills, a sauna – too from ice, a small house with a fireplace and hot pool without a roof”.
The unusual hotel carries the name “Mammoth”. The died out giant really associates with cold and ice, after all perfectly remained hulks of mammoths periodically are found in a permafrost. The ice sculpture of this cheerfully dancing animal decorates the building hall, almost entirely occupying it. Those who want to leave cozy, warm hotel for one night to spend it in the ice house,this is more than enough. Whatever the weather in the street is, the temperature of -5 is naturally supported inside it.
On two floors of the hotel there are about twenty differently issued rooms from within reminding dwelling combined from snow blocks of Eskimos. The design of interiors was developed by art students of university of the city of Rovaniemi – that which is considered in Finland the native land of Santa Claus. Hotel rooms differ not only by registration, but also by names reflecting the ideas of the authour of the interior. Especially inquisitive can even read what the artist meant, choosing this or that decor.

Night lodgers spend in the sleeping bags calculated on a thirty-degree frost. For all that at the parlourmaid here cares less, than in usual hotel: ” People come to us without anything, they don’t eat, don’t drink, it is forbidden to smoke in general, therefore to clean up is almost not necessary “. Doors of the rooms are supplied by the windows slightly reminding prison eyes. Hotel attendants periodically look in them, checking, whether all lodgers have got into bags. Conveniences in numbers of ice hotel, unfortunately are absent. They are only in wooden witness marks, standing at the entrance of the territory of the snow Castle.

Visitors of ice hotel can have dinner can at the restaurant also made of snow and ice. The wing which is already ready, is called a bit unexpectedly – “the Summer hall”, another where for the present there is an internal furnish, – accordingly “Winter”. Work never stops there . Pupils of Art school of the city of Kemi work on ice patterns. And in “a summer hall” visitors meet the misted over pile of the Finland vodka and set for ice tables. The menu – traditionally lappish: mushrooms, a venison, a salmon in the most different combinations. At this restaurant it is necessary to eat fast, otherwise you will have to swallow cold pieces. Thick overalls are not the most convenient clothes for a feast but nobody tries to remove them…

Bluish ice which goes on manufacturing of tables, bar counters, and also decor elements – lake. In January ice on lakes of Lapland is still too thin – centimeters twenty, no more, therefore it is necessary to use last year’s. It have reserved for the future in the spring when it has reached the greatest thickness, and stored in the refrigerator. The worker saws it on blocks of different size – the sizes were set by the sculptor who then will process these blocks.

Snow, as well as ice, in Finland is enough. However, not to depend on weather whims, for castle building they use artificial snow which, covers ski lines while lack of snow. It possesses also the advantage of more slowly thawing on the sun. Snow in front of the building have prepared the whole mountain – twenty thousand cubic meter. From it children go for a drive with pleasure.

All arches and, accordingly, external walls of the snow castle are of one, hyperbolic form. It is caused not by game of architectural imagination, and the unique technology of building developed by Jouni Hejkilem. Its essence is that under the big pressure force snow between two vaulted sections. When such timbering is filled entirely, sections move also and the whole process is repeated.

From these days on tourists started to gather from every corner of the globe to see the marvel of the snow castle.