The ice museum will be launched in just a few days. Opening during İstanbul’s year as a 2010 European Capital of Culture, this project, located at the Forum İstanbul shopping mall, is an innovative, distinctive new museum for the city. While offering visitors a brief glimpse into Eskimo life, the actual goal of the museum is to introduce visitors to a very different type of ice dweller: the Scandinavian pirates and merchant peoples of old, the Vikings.Vikings, which many have seen depicted in cartoons, will greet visitors as ice sculptures at the museum. Known as Magic Ice, the museum tells the story of how Vikings departed from Norway and reached Turkey. Norwegian businessman Terje Evensen chose Turkey as the location for this ice museum, which will be among the first in a clement country. He wants the museum to demonstrate that Turkish-Norwegian relations stretch back to the time of the Vikings, and he hopes this will serve as a tool for cultural engagement in the present day. In a cold nation like Norway, it’s not difficult to maintain ice sculptures, but in a temperate place like Turkey, it’s not an easy task.
In fact it is this point -- keeping the museum displays from melting -- that took the most time and energy in the planning and preparation process for this museum. “When we set out on this project, success was impossible,” Evensen says, recalling the three-month technical planning process that was the project’s first phase, accomplished through collaboration and brainstorming with several Turkish firms. When the museum opens its doors later this month, even if the weather is warm outside, visitors will receive a cold welcome. But this doesn’t mean visitors should bundle up before heading to Magic Ice -- all of these factors were part of the careful planning period that preceded the museum’s completion.
‘Norwegian tourists will also visit the museum’
The first thing awaiting visitors after they’ve entered the museum is clothing that most of us recall from films featuring Eskimos. The clothing, available in a range of sizes, has been specially prepared for guests. After becoming an Eskimo, it’s time to walk around the museum. Different themes await guests here: an ice room displaying ice formations from Norway, a cinema space showing themed films, the story of the Vikings who traveled from Norway to İstanbul through Bursa, an ice map showing the path the Vikings took and an eight-meter Viking ship made of ice. At the end of the adventure, visitors can drink fruit juice in glasses made of ice, another unique experience. The sculptures in the museum were created by world-renowned artists at Sweden’s ICEHOTEL. The museum plans to undergo a change in concept every three or six months. Evensen, noting that this is the largest ice museum in the world, says tourists to Turkey -- including those from Norway -- won’t leave the country without first seeing this museum.
‘Turkey is a secure nation for investment’
Evensen, who has been in İstanbul a total of seven times, says he believes Turkey is a great spot for investment. Turkey is growing at an incredible pace, he noted, stating that this inspires confidence in investors. Following the museum, Evensen’s firm is planning to make investments in Turkey in the fields of electronics, real estate, food and health.
