Ice crib (Graz)

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Ice crib on December 18, 2017

The ice crib is an ice sculpture exhibited annually during Advent in the courtyard of the Grazer Landhaus . The project of a Christmas crib from Klareis, conceived by Gert J. Hödl , has been a fixed point in Graz Advent since 1996 and has attracted international media interest ever since.

history

Ice Crib 2011 (detail)

The first Christmas crib made of ice was created in the run-up to Christmas in 1996 on behalf of the Graz Tourism Association. The renowned Villach ice artist Gert J. Hödl , who had already gained recognition in Canada , Russia , Norway and Japan, was hired as artistic director . After a two-year planning phase, Hödl and four employees carved the world's first ice crib from 156 blocks of ice with a total weight of almost 23 tons . The country house courtyard was chosen as the exhibition space for the eight meter wide and four meter high work of art with life-size figures .

In the years that followed, the tourism association stuck to the crib, which became the highlight of Advent in Graz and has been ceremoniously unveiled at the end of November and beginning of December. In the evening hours the ice crib and the arcades of the country house are illuminated in color. In 1998, live images were transmitted to the Internet for the first time .

In order to guarantee a longer shelf life for the crib, significantly larger blocks were processed for the first time in 2003, increasing the weight of the ice to 45 tons. In addition, the ice showed a greenish shimmer for the first time in the Capital of Culture year . In that year , Hödl added a bear , the heraldic animal of California , to the holy family as a tribute to the most famous Grazer and shortly before elected Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger . This has considerably increased international interest. As a further measure against the rapid melting, the ice crib was implemented for the first time in 2004 in a " monumental construction", which was intended to achieve a cold store effect. In addition, several sets of figures are available annually, which are stored in a cold store in the Graz area before they are used.

The Finn Kimmo Frosti has been responsible for the design of the ice crib since 2014 . With the support of a team of five, he needs about a week to carve with the aid of liquid nitrogen . The components are then assembled using a forklift , as has been the case for over 20 years . The crèche has attracted international attention since it was first set up. Up until 2016, pictures of the Graz Ice Crib could be seen on more than 200 international TV channels, newspapers and news agencies such as the Huffington Post or Reuters reported on the project.

Controversy

Collapsed crib in 2009

Despite its tourist attraction, discussions flare up every year about the usefulness of the ice crib. In mild temperatures, the construction does not always survive the entire Advent season. In 2002 the crib collapsed before it was published and had to be rescued by artist Hödl in a night shift. In 2006 and 2009 the ice crib did not withstand the warm weather either and collapsed before Christmas . Local politician Hermann Candussi from the Greens expressed himself cynically about the project:

“Due to global warming, Advent will become increasingly mild. The question arises whether the city of Graz should continue to invest more than € 40,000 in a pool of water. "

- Hermann Candussi

So far, the tourism association has been able to counteract the idea of ​​saving the project with the argument that the crib makes the Graz Advent, which is so important for retail and gastronomy, “unmistakable”. The Tiroler Tageszeitung reported with a wink of the annual bets by the people of Graz about the duration of the ice crib. A planned wooden roof to protect against rain was not implemented in 1999 due to the intervention of the Federal Monuments Office because it would disturb the ambience of the Renaissance building . In addition, in the same year there was a conflict of interest with a film event, the equipment of which was supposed to stand still and almost prevented the construction of the crib.

Artistic Director

Web links

Commons : Eiskrippe (Graz)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Christian Less: An ice crib made of 23 tons of ice for Graz . In: Kleine Zeitung , issue of October 29, 1996, pp. 24-25.
  2. ↑ Eiskrippe also on the Internet . In: Kleine Zeitung , issue of November 29, 1998, p. 1.
  3. ↑ The ice crib shimmers green this year . In: Kleine Zeitung , issue of November 23, 2003, p. 31.
  4. ↑ a b Bernd Hecke: The bear is loose at Nativity . In: Kleine Zeitung , issue of November 29, 2003, p. 25.
  5. ↑ Nativity scene with a cold store effect . In: Kleine Zeitung , issue of December 4, 2004, p. 21.
  6. ↑ Michael Saria: The secret behind the ice crib. Kleine Zeitung , December 8, 2014, accessed December 18, 2017 .
  7. ↑ a b Michael Saria: Mr. Frosti carves the Graz ice crib. Kleine Zeitung , November 26, 2016, accessed December 18, 2017 .
  8. ↑ a b Graz Ice Crib built from around 50 tons of ice. Tiroler Tageszeitung , November 28, 2014, accessed on March 9, 2020 .
  9. ^ Ice Sculpture of Nativity Scene Created in Graz, Austria By Gert J. Hoedl and Team. Huffington Post , November 28, 2011, accessed December 18, 2017 .
  10. ↑ The ice crib collapsed in the Landhaushof. ORF , December 12, 2009, accessed on December 18, 2017 .
  11. ↑ An ice crib with an expiration date . In: Kronen Zeitung , issue of December 23, 2006, p. 27.
  12. ↑ Graz Ice Crib "saved" . In: Kleine Zeitung , issue of December 2, 2005, p. 27.
  13. ↑ Bernd Hecke: The ice carver threatens to turn his back on Graz . In: Kleine Zeitung , issue of November 25, 1999, p. 25.

Coordinates: 47 ° 4 ′ 11.3 "  N , 15 ° 26 ′ 21.9"  E