Christmas ice rink being created in Tartu Town Hall Square
Hard work is in progress at Tartu's Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats), to open a 1,000-square-meter ice rink in time for the first day of advent. Creating an ice rink on an uneven, cobbled surface is, however, somewhat complicated.
For the first time, the famous Kissing Students sculpture has been enveloped by a large sandbox, with 8,000 tons of sand, the start of the icerink planned to open in two weeks, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) reported Monday night.
The sandbox foundation is necessary to enable skaters an even surface when the rinks open.
"Here in the Town Hall Square the differences between heights are over a meter, so it has to be started from getting the surface even. This is why the concrete elements, a large sandbox, have been made. After that, another white covering will be applied, and on top of that will be a pipeline, which will carry the freezing agent," Ragnar Kekkonen, administrative manager of the rink told AK.
With a maximum temperature of 5C, the machinery can keep the rink in good condition, he said.
The rink will cost almost €350,000, two-thirds of which will be provided by the private investor Giga Investeeringud.
The rink will remain open until the second half of February.
Access is free, ice skates can be rented on the spot or skaters can bring their own, AK reported.
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Editor: Roberta Vaino
