This is how the perfect view of the starry sky looks: From the glass igloo of Kakslauttanen, about 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, the visitor looks out of his bed at shimmering northern lights. In the middle of the snowy, lonely wilderness of Lapland, the unusual ball huts look like warm cocoons.
"I got the idea because many of my guests camped in the sleeping bag in front of the wooden huts or snow igloos even at minus 30 degrees, so they will not miss the northern lights," says Jussi Eiramo, owner of the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort. "When I heard about the thermo glass, friends and I built the prototype." That was in 1999.
Although Eiramo knew how to make snow igloos, it took a while for the glass buildings to find the right shape for the fin. If he had built the hemisphere of five or six corners as in a football, it would have come to losses in the insulation - not so with the now selected three and four corners. The glass igloo is constructed from around 40 pieces. The hotel room offers about 15 square meters of space, two beds and a tiny toilet. The larger 33 square meter models are equipped with four beds, a toilet and a shower.
A night without fuel
That his hotel in Kakslauttanen, Eiramo owes a coincidence. The word literally means "two reindeer meat stores" - they were here more than a hundred years ago, but otherwise the place was uninhabited. But then Eiramo went on the way to the south of Finland exactly at this point, the gasoline. He camped and spent the night by the campfire. "The place felt right for me," he says. So he stayed.
First, he opened a cafe and served reindeer stew. The good food got around quickly. In addition to tourists in transit also reindeer herders and residents. Gradually Eiramo built the first wooden huts.
Today, 41 years later, he is something of a mayor of his own village, even divided into a "West Village" and an "East Village". In addition to numerous log cabins there are 65 glass igloos. If they are not booked, he likes to sleep in it himself. "I can think about life well there," he says. Although northern lights appear every year between the end of August and the end of April in the region, they still fascinate him.
Just like the peace of Lapland. Almost daily Eiramo walks in the sparse pine and birch forests. The snow and the bluish dusk provide light in the dark season. "The forest is the most important thing for me, you can not hear voices there, it's just surrounded by nature," says the Finn. "The big trees have their own soul."
Chinese, Japanese and Germans under the glass roof
The Sámi believe in that. The native population of Lapland, which has always been settled in the north, used to survive temperatures of up to minus 50 degrees Celsius. There are only 9,000 Sámi left in Finland, most of them now live in the south. Those who stayed live as reindeer herders, fishing or tourism. Local Sámi offer Eiramos guests reindeer sleigh rides and husky tours.
Meanwhile, tourists from all over the world come to the remote place. In the restaurant of the East Village sit at dinner Spaniards, Chinese, Japanese, Germans and Brazilians. Most attract the polar lights. And the rest. Nevertheless, Eiramo is surprised that many visitors constantly look at their smartphones. "The young people today can barely relax," he says, leaning back in a massive, hand-carved wooden chair.
The Finn has a long white beard and wears wool pullover. He always answers the question of his age in the following way: "I am Santa's youngest brother, he does not remember how old he is and neither am I." The busy hotelier continues to expand his hostel. Today it also has a restaurant with a glass-fronted bar, wooden carved bare-breasted ladies and a mini-river for live salmon.
Some of his buildings - like Santa's house - look kitschy. The Glasiglus themselves are kept simple, apart from the blanket in zebra skin pattern. Currently, Eiramos team builds on the next generation of igloos: In autumn 2015, the latest model - a combination of log cabin and Glasiglu opened.
Sleigh ride at minus 40 degrees
Eiramo reacts in the same way: he pulls out his old cell phone and smiles: "I had a good connection with Peter and called him earlier," he says. "Of course there will be northern lights today!" The shimmering aurora borealis, as the scientific term for the phenomenon, but are as unpredictable as the temperatures.
That night, the thermometer shows at 19 o'clock minus 40 degrees Celsius. For the evening sleigh ride, the tourists wear an extra suit over the already three layers of clothing. Professionals have got themselves small heat pads, which they put on the nose or hands. After the tour, we warm up in the sauna, then you drive your luggage with a small sledge in front of the igloo. The entrance is just for people in Hobbit size, but inside is enough space to stand. It is 20 degrees warm. The privacy protects a small curtain.
As ordered, the Northern Lights appear around 11 pm. Amazingly fast, the greenish-shimmering arcs flow over the starry sky, they constantly form new, elegant patterns. The Chinese believe the lights are healing broken hearts. And Japanese couples hope babies conceived under northern lights become especially strong and smart.
A night at the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is not cheap: The price in the small glass igloos single occupancy is 336 euros, for two it costs 406 euros.
Pictures (C) by spiegel