Dismantling of Ice Town Underway in Central Yekaterinburg

In the center of Yekaterinburg, the dismantling of the ice town continues. Work has been underway for the third day already. This season, the venue ended operations even earlier than the skating rink on 1905 Square. The main reason was the high cost of maintaining the attractions.

Now at the site of the town, a scene of destruction can be observed. Ice sculptures have been turned into rubble; only the lowest tier remains of the main Christmas tree. The unusual snowmen styled after rock musicians have lost their signature hats. Photographer Vladislav Lonshakov captured what Historical Square looks like these days.

In the past season, the town set a peculiar anti-record. For the first time, ice had to be brought in from another region – the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. Supplies were handled by the company «Ice-Project 2000», which regularly receives contracts from the city administration.

Although the weather favored extending the town«s operation, the authorities did not do so. The main argument was the lack of funding. Many residents expressed dissatisfaction that the facility, on which 26 million rubles (approximately $274,000 at current rates) were spent, operated for less than three weeks. The city hall had warned in advance that there would be no large-scale celebration this year.

Mayor Alexey Orlov reported that during the New Year holidays, Historical Square was visited by 150 thousand people. This figure is significantly lower than in 2023, when the ice town was last located on 1905 Square.