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Step Inside This Frozen Hotel!

A town in northern Sweden has a hotel made of ice!

February 2023
By Mara Grunbaum

Ice Hotel

Only about 800 people live in Jukkasjärvi (YOO-kus-yar-vee), Sweden, north of the Arctic Circle. But thousands visit the frosty village every winter. Their destination? A hotel with rooms constructed almost entirely of snow and ice!

About 800 people live in Jukkasjärvi (YOO-kus-yar-vee), Sweden. This town is located north of the Arctic Circle. But thousands of people visit Jukkasjärvi every winter. Their destination? A hotel built from snow and ice!

Cavan Images/Alamy Stock Photo (Lobby); JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images (Chandelier)

From left to right: check in at an ice desk; ice chandeliers hang from the ceiling

The Icehotel was founded in 1989. Dozens of artists, designers, and ice sculptors come together to build it every year. Before they begin, workers harvest 2,500 two-ton blocks of ice from the frozen Torne River. The team uses the ice to build everything—from the floors, walls, and ceilings to the furniture inside. In the winter of 2022, the Icehotel team created 36  frozen suites.

The Icehotel was founded in 1989. Artists rebuild the hotel every year. It takes dozens of designers and ice sculptors to create the rooms. First, workers cut blocks of ice from the frozen Torne River. The team uses about 2,500 ice blocks to build the hotel. Each block weighs 2 tons! Almost everything in the hotel is made of ice and snow. That includes the floors, walls, and ceilings. Even the furniture inside is mostly carved ice and snow. In the winter of 2022, the Icehotel team created 36 frozen rooms.

Arctic-Images/Getty Images (Bed); Kestutis Musteikis & Vytautas Musteikis/Ice Hotel (Sculpture); Shutterstock.com

From left to right: Sleep on a bed made of ice; check out stunning ice sculptures

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

For their safety, Icehotel guests learn how to dress warmly and prepare their beds with special sleeping bags. They receive a certificate celebrating their stay.

In warmer months, the rooms melt into the river. The hotel’s temporary nature is part of its beauty, says creative director Luca Roncoroni.

“Knowing that you can try out a new idea next year is very freeing,” he says.

Icehotel guests learn how to stay overnight safely. They dress warmly and use special sleeping bags. They take home a certificate celebrating their stay.

The rooms melt into the river during the warmer months. Part of the hotel’s beauty is the fact that it’s temporary, says creative director Luca Roncoroni.

“Knowing that you can try out a new idea next year is very freeing,” he says.   

Math Talk

Imagine you’re planning next year’s Icehotel. What other data about the climate in Jukkasjärvi might be helpful to you?

Math Talk

Imagine you’re planning next year’s Icehotel. What other data about the climate in Jukkasjärvi might be helpful to you?

Temperature

What to Do

A thermometer is a tool for measuring temperature. One type of thermometer contains a liquid. The level of the liquid changes with the temperature. Read this type of thermometer as you would a ruler. The lower the degree reading, the colder the temperature. In the United States, temperature is often measured in degrees Fahrenheit (°F).

Example

What temperature does this thermometer show in °F?

  • The top of the colored section represents the temperature. The scale along the side shows °F. Each mark represents 2 degrees.
  • Identify the last number that you passed closest to the top of the colored section: 40
  • Skip count by 2 degrees until you reach the hash mark that aligns with the top: 40, 42, 44
  • Label your measurement with the proper unit. In this case, degrees Fahrenheit, or °F.

So the temperature on the thermometer reads 44°F.

Temperature

What to Do

A thermometer is a tool for measuring temperature. One type of thermometer contains a liquid. The level of the liquid changes with the temperature. Read this type of thermometer as you would a ruler. The lower the degree reading, the colder the temperature. In the United States, temperature is often measured in degrees Fahrenheit (°F).

Example

What temperature does this thermometer show in °F?

  • The top of the colored section represents the temperature. The scale along the side shows °F. Each mark represents 2 degrees.
  • Identify the last number that you passed closest to the top of the colored section: 40
  • Skip count by 2 degrees until you reach the hash mark that aligns with the top: 40, 42, 44
  • Label your measurement with the proper unit. In this case, degrees Fahrenheit, or °F.

So the temperature on the thermometer reads 44°F.

Now You Try It

 Answer the questions about temperature below.

 Answer the questions about temperature below.

1A. The thermometer below shows the freezing point of water. At or below this temperature, water freezes solid into ice. Above it, ice melts into a liquid. What is water’s freezing point?

1A. The thermometer below shows the freezing point of water. At or below this temperature, water freezes solid into ice. Above it, ice melts into a liquid. What is water’s freezing point?

1B. The thermometer below shows the typical temperature inside the Icehotel. What is this temperature?

1B. The thermometer below shows the typical temperature inside the Icehotel. What is this temperature?

1C. Write an equation to show the difference in °F between the freezing point of water and the temperature of the Icehotel.

1C. Write an equation to show the difference in °F between the freezing point of water and the temperature of the Icehotel.

In March, the average temperature in Jukkasjärvi is 18°F. Mark and fill in this temperature on the thermometer below.

In March, the average temperature in Jukkasjärvi is 18°F. Mark and fill in this temperature on the thermometer below.

3A. In May, the average temperature in Jukkasjärvi is 21°F higher than 18°F. Determine this temperature and mark it on the thermometer below. 

3B. Will the Icehotel stay frozen in May? Explain how you know.

3A. In May, the average temperature in Jukkasjärvi is 21°F higher than 18°F. Determine this temperature and mark it on the thermometer below. 

3B. Will the Icehotel stay frozen in May? Explain how you know.

Continue Your Learning

  • Play the game “Thermometer Challenge” (above) to practice reading a thermometer.
  • Rewatch the video “Ice Hotel” (above). Then imagine you are visiting the Icehotel. Write a short story about your stay, including which friends or family members are staying in the same room with you, what sculptures are in your room, and the temperature it is outside and inside the hotel.
  • Roll 2 dice and record the number you rolled as a temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Draw a thermometer that shows the temperature you rolled. Then draw something that you would do if it was that temperature outside. For example, if you rolled 85°F, you might draw yourself at the beach.

Continue Your Learning

  • Play the game “Thermometer Challenge” (above) to practice reading a thermometer.
  • Rewatch the video “Ice Hotel” (above). Then imagine you are visiting the Icehotel. Write a short story about your stay, including which friends or family members are staying in the same room with you, what sculptures are in your room, and the temperature it is outside and inside the hotel.
  • Roll 2 dice and record the number you rolled as a temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Draw a thermometer that shows the temperature you rolled. Then draw something that you would do if it was that temperature outside. For example, if you rolled 85°F, you might draw yourself at the beach.
Measurement & Data
Fahrenheit

A temperature scale, used mostly in the U.S. customary system, to tell how hot or cold something is. Water freezes at 32°F and boils at 212°F.
thermometer

A tool used to measure temperature
degrees

Units that temperature is measured in, represented by the symbol °
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