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Bâlea Lac, Romania
Hotel of Ice at Bâlea Lac
Cut from a frozen lake each winter, reached by cable car, gone by spring.
Rebuilt every winter beside a glacial lake high in the Făgăraș Mountains, reached by cable car once the road above is closed by snow. Blocks are cut from the frozen lake itself and raised into a low vaulted structure, with a bar and a small dining room alongside the sleeping chambers.
Each season brings a new carving theme, so returning guests find a different interior from the one they left. Beds sit on ice plinths under insulated bedding and sleeping bags, and the interior holds a few degrees below freezing regardless of the weather outside. By late spring the whole thing has returned to the lake.
- Făgăraș Mountains
- Cable-car access
- Rebuilt each winter
- Ice-block construction