In 1740 the first monumental ice sculpture was created and what an ice sculpture it was! Commissioned by the Empress Anna in Russia and designed by Piotr Eropkin it was an entire ice palace which featured ice cannons that fired ice cannon balls and an ice elephant that sprayed water out of its trunk! Chefs in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries discovered that having ice sculptures around their food kept the food fresh while at the same time entertained guests.

Nowadays ice sculptures are trendy icons. They can be found at fancy bar mitzvahs and weddings as centerpieces instead of flowers or as centerpieces to hold flowers! There are ice hotels and ice bars. Any shape can be carved out of ice and the bigger or more intricate it is the more fascinated people are. When you see one you have to stop and stare and wonder “How do they MAKE that!?”

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