SnowCastle of Kemi
Kemi, Finland
The SnowCastle of Kemi is raised each winter on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia and taken back by the sea in spring, which means no two editions are alike — the layout, the carvings and the size of the halls are redrawn every year around a new theme.
Sleeping accommodation comes in two kinds. Snow rooms hold a steady temperature a little below freezing and are furnished with ice beds, sleeping bags and reindeer hides; warm rooms nearby offer a conventional alternative for anyone who would rather visit the ice than sleep in it. A snow restaurant and a chapel occupy the same complex, and the whole structure is understood as temporary by design.