(source: TASR)
The ice cathedral at Hrebienok is now a part of the winter season in the High Tatras. It took several weeks for Slovak, Czech and Spanish sculptors to complete the structure.
“The dome, with a special cooling system, contains 190 tons of ice in 1,440 ice blocks. Adam Bakoš and his team were in charge of building the ice cathedral with the theme of Sagrada Familia Gaudí,” specified Veronika Littvová, head of the tourism organization for the Vysoké Tatry region, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
The original piece of ice art is supplemented by artistic panels of Achilleas Sdoukos, glassmaker and designer of Slovak-Greek origin. The entrance wall is inspired by Gaudí’s Park Güell in Barcelona.
The main altar is dedicated to this year’s topic – a tribute to family. Inside the cathedral stands a statue of a family 4.5 metres high. There are eight towers located at the sides of the cathedral with a height of 9.5 metres. The cathedral is larger than it has been in past years.
On the outside of the cathedral there are three Tatra peaks, with bears sculpted on the side of the entrance and chamois on the opposite side of the cathedral. On the façade, there are honeycombs motifs. Instead of saints, visitors will find motifs of Tatra animals and flowers.
On the side nave are rosettes like the ones in Sagrada Familia, carved from ice.
Admission to the ice cathedral is free. It is open everyday from 9:00 to 16:30, and opening hours will be prolonged during the holidays. There will be concerts every Sunday at 15:30.
