The SnowCastle of Kemi ( fi, Kemin lumilinna) is the biggest
snow fort
A snow fort or snow castle is a usually open-topped temporary structure made of snow walls that is usually used for recreational purposes. Snow forts are generally built by children as a playground game or winter pastime and are used as defensiv ...
in the world.
It is rebuilt every winter with a different architecture in
Kemi
Kemi (; sme, Giepma ; smn, Kiemâ; sms, Ǩeeʹmm; Swedish (historically): ''Kiemi'') is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio and the Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is to the south and to Rovani ...
,
Finland.
In 1996 the first snow castle drew 300,000 visitors. For several years the snowcastle was located in the Kemi city harbor. in 2017 the location was moved into a nearby park. Current address is Mansikkanokankatu 15.
The area covered by the castle has varied from 13,000 to over 20,000 square metres. The highest towers have been over 20 metres high and longest walls over 1,000 metres long, and the castle has had up to three stories. Despite its varying configurations, the snow castle has a few recurring elements: a
chapel, a
restaurant
A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
and a
hotel.
* The SnowRestaurant
has ice tables and seats covered with
reindeer fur, as well as
ice sculptures.
* The
ecumenical
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
SnowChapel
with 50–100 seats has seen numerous weddings of couples from as far away as
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Hong Kong.
* The SnowHotel
offers a choice of double rooms and a
honeymoon
A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...
suite, all of which are decorated by local artists using local materials.
The SnowCastle of Kemi also hosts such things as an adventure land for children, a theatre and ice art exhibitions with lights and sound effects. Many
opera singers and
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
rs have performed in the SnowCastle of Kemi.
See also
*
Ice hotel
An ice hotel is a temporary hotel made up of snow and sculpted blocks of ice. Ice hotels, dependent on sub-freezing temperatures, are constructed from ice and snow and typically have to be rebuilt every year. Ice hotels exist in several countri ...
*
Ice palace
References
External links
Kemi SnowCastle- The world's biggest snowcastle
SnowCastle Image Gallery- Zipped photo collection
Webcam pointed to the maingate of the SnowCastle
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Tourist attractions in Finland
Buildings and structures made of snow or ice
Kemi
Buildings and structures in Lapland (Finland)
Tourist attractions in Lapland (Finland)