Town center relocated due to landslide risk A church rolls through the town in northern Sweden
The Kiruna church will be moved at a speed of half a kilometer per hour on a specially constructed cart with 224 wheels.
Image: Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency/AP/dpa
A supporting program accompanies the relocation of the church.
Image: Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency/AP/dpa
The building weighs 672 tons.
Image: Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency/AP/dpa
The Kiruna church will be moved at a speed of half a kilometer per hour on a specially constructed cart with 224 wheels.
Image: Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency/AP/dpa
A supporting program accompanies the relocation of the church.
Image: Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency/AP/dpa
The building weighs 672 tons.
Image: Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency/AP/dpa
In northern Sweden, a church weighing 672 tons rolls through the town. The town center of Kiruna has to be relocated due to mining. Now it's the church's turn - and thousands are watching.
19.08.2025, 21:27
dpa
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- In Kiruna in northern Sweden, the town center has to be relocated due to the risk of landslides.
- A church weighing 672 tons also has to be transported across the town.
- On Tuesday morning, the specially constructed transporter sets off with the building, which is around 40 meters wide and 40 meters long.
- Around 6000 residents are also being relocated, which corresponds to a good third of Kiruna's population.
It is shortly after 8 o'clock in the morning and there is more excitement than usual in Kiruna, Sweden's northernmost city. Thousands have gathered near the historic wooden church, numerous men in yellow high-visibility vests are walking around, Swedish television is broadcasting live from the small town.
Bishop Åsa Nyström has just blessed the church and now the work begins: the 672-ton church is to be relocated - in its entirety, several kilometers to the east. On Tuesday morning, the specially constructed transporter with the 40 meter wide and 40 meter long building will set off. TV station SVT can be seen all morning as the church is maneuvered through Kiruna at a snail's pace.
A whole town moves
The church is not the first building in Kiruna to have to move. The town began relocating the town center to the east years ago. The reason is that Kiruna is home to the largest underground iron ore mine in the world and the risk of landslides and the danger of buildings collapsing has increased over the years as a result of mining.
Around 6000 inhabitants will be relocated, which corresponds to a good third of Kiruna's population. Dozens of stores, public facilities such as schools and the hospital - and the church - will also be relocated. Kiruna's resettlement should be completed by 2035.
However, the relocation of the church is something very special for the northern city. Kiruna kyrka, as it is called in Swedish, was inaugurated in 1912 and is not only the largest building to be relocated, it is also a landmark of the city. In 2001, it was voted the most beautiful building in Sweden. It is built in the national romantic style and combines influences from Norwegian stave churches with those of the Sami Koten. Kiruna is located in the traditional settlement area of the indigenous Sami people.
Great spectacle accompanies the church procession
Even the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson commented on the relocation of the church. He told the TT news agency: "The move symbolizes both respect for our common cultural heritage and the importance of the Swedish mining industry, which has made our country rich and strong."
By midday, project manager Kjell Olovsson was satisfied with the "Great Church Move", as Swedish television calls the complicated operation: "Everything is running smoothly and the construction is behaving exactly as we expected."
The move should be completed on Wednesday. Until then, there is still a lot on the program in the northern Swedish city: a Sami choir is to perform on the stage set up especially for the big event - as well as the fun band KAJ, which competed for Sweden in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. And even King Carl XVI Gustaf doesn't want to miss out on the spectacle - he is expected in Kiruna on Wednesday.
