The tiny town of Mitterfirmiansreut in the Bavarian region of Germany builds a church of ice and snow in its entirety every year for the past 100 years. This year the Snow church was designed by Koeberl Doreinger Architekten Passau. The church rises from a snowy hilltop and has a frozen ice and snow steeple.
Visible from the village below, it opened pretty late because of the season’s mild winters. In spite of the season’s mild winters as a result of global warming, the town was able to build a snow church which stands tall for every person to see. There is a history behind the structure. According to the story, during the snowstorm of 1911 people were stranded and not able to attend to the Christmas festivities. They could not go the church on the day itself. Although they were captured in a large snow drift, with their hope still intact they build a church-cave for gathering and thereafter it is said to be followed in essence.
The Snow Church that was made in year 2011 was financially raised by the villagers. About 50,000 cubic feet of snow to create domed walls and interior of the structure was gathered by the architect Alfons Doeringer. The front steeple rises to a height of 62 feet in packed snow, while the entire building is 85 feet long and 36 feet wide. The church has a capacity of 200 people. To make it look like an actual church its ice bricks have been emulated to look like stained glass windows of a traditional church.
The only problem faced by the Snow Church is that of falling winters. Mild winters result in the interior portion being locked for visitors. Unless it is absolutely safe for the public to go inside they are not allowed an entry in the inside. A tour of the outside of the church is however allowed.
