Construction is complete of an ice village consisting of an Ice Vernissage and Ice Bar on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa. The work was carried out by the Ice Studio art centre, using builders and sculptors from Veliky Ustiug in the Vologda region — the hometown of Father Frost.
The vernissage covers a total area of 40 square meters and features ice compositions that will fascinate visitors not only from an artistic point of view, but for their demonstration of contemporary achievements in the ice industry. Forty tons of ice were used in the construction.
Beside the vernissage is the Grand Hotel Europe’s Ice Bar, which has become something of a St Petersburg tradition. The bar will be open daily from December 16 to March 15, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Guests will be able to choose from a wide assortment of vodka and champagne, as well as mulled wine.
A vodka-based house cocktail named Icicles has also been created especially for the bar. On New Year’s Eve, live music will be played here, and the bar will stay open until 2 a.m.
Inside the bar, all the pieces of furniture are made of ice: the bar itself, the tables, and a large display cabinet for the vodka. The ice for the construction was prepared last winter from one of the Shuvalovsky lakes at Ozerki. The bar’s design reflects decorative elements in the hotel’s façade. All the construction details — the balusters, tabletops and perfectly level surfaces will be made using special equipment created by the sculptors themselves, based on the principles of a woodwork cutting lathe.
In view of the changeable nature of St Petersburg’s weather, the condition of the bar will be monitored daily. Ice structures can withstand air temperature increases of up to +5° C, but for no longer than 24 hours. After that, the blocks of ice have to be replaced. However, the Grand Hotel Europe is prepared for any weather conditions.
The bar looks particularly breathtaking at dusk, when the illumination provided by a non-heat emitting photodiode light creates an effect similar to that of the Northern Lights against the background of the St Petersburg cityscape.
