Copy linkEmailFacebookWhatsAppXLinkedInBlueskyThreadsImpact Link
SaveSaved
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider
subscribers. Become an Insider
and start reading now.Have an account? .
The Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival in Mainz, Germany, uses 200 pounds of ice and 200 pounds of snow.
Artists spend four months creating enormous, intricate sculptures.
Here are photos from last year's event, since this year's is canceled.
2017-11-01
Germany's Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival begins with blocks of ice weighing a total of 200 pounds, as well as 200 pounds of snow. For four months, artists work in a freezing warehouse to turn these slabs of raw materials into wintery works of art.
Here are the stunning results.
The Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival is held in Mainz, Germany.
Mainz is a German city on the Rhine River.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
Last year, it was housed in a large warehouse that used to be a post office.
The city contains many old buildings.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
This year's festival is canceled because they couldn't secure the same big venue.
Here's to hoping for next year.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
You can't just plop 200 tons of snow and 200 tons of ice anywhere, after all.
That's a lot of frozen water.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
The room was kept at 15 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent it all from melting.
It's cold.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
Artists stayed bundled up with coats, hats, and thick gloves.
An artist works on a sculpture.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
They started with ice blocks in different sizes.
They have big plans for big blocks of ice.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
They used power tools like chainsaws to make initial cuts.
Carpentry skills come in handy.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
And then added details with small blades.
Sealing the deal.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
Attention was paid to the tiniest features.
So cute.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
Sculptors spent four months working on their pieces.
An artist sculpts a piece of ice.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
They chiseled out an entire city.
Snow blocks became bricks.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
And a harbor, complete with a pirate ship and captain.
Ready to set sail.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
Watch out for icebergs.
An artist puts the finishing touches on a pirate ship.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
There was also an icy spin on Santa Claus.
Santa Claus on ice.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
As well as religious iconography.
Baby Jesus on ice.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
Lights illuminated the designs.
Lit up.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
The finished products are extremely fragile.
Snow and ice are delicate materials to work with.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
One wrong move and the delicate structures can topple and shatter.
So fragile.Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
That's part of what makes them so mesmerizing.
A sculptor shaves away ice from his design.Francois Lenoir/Reuters
You're currently following this author!
Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
Talia Lakritz is a Life correspondent at Business Insider covering politics and power through a visual storytelling lens. She has reported from the White House as well as military installations, mansions, and museums across the country, bringing readers inside fascinating places through immersive features.Previously, she wrote for The New York Jewish Week and SciShow Space.Talia holds a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Barnard College of Columbia University and ordination as an interfaith minister from One Spirit Learning Alliance. She hopes to one day visit all 50 states and all 14 public presidential libraries.Politics and power:
