In northern Sweden, the small town of Kiruna is currently witnessing a century-old church “relocation saga” – as the local renowned historical landmark and one of the “largest wooden structure buildings in Sweden”, the Kiruna Church, is being “shifted” from the city center to a new location 5 kilometers away. A large crowd of people gathered along the route, watching as this red-topped church slowly moves, creating a spectacular scene.
According to local media reports, in recent days, the town of Kiruna, with a resident population of only 23,000, has been bustling with activity as thousands of visitors have descended upon the area just to witness the grand church being safely relocated. At the same time, about 40 domestic and international media outlets have rushed to the scene to broadcast this grand event live.
The Kiruna Church, completed in 1912, was a gift from the Swedish mining company LKAB to the local community. The architectural style of the church is heavily influenced by the indigenous Sámi people’s tent-like structures, while also incorporating Gothic and Baroque elements. It was once acclaimed by the Swedes as the “best building completed before 1950” and remains a well-known tourist attraction to this day.
The “church relocation” project in Kiruna is considered a major undertaking, with the entire church standing at approximately 35 meters high and weighing a total of 672 tons. To ensure a smooth relocation process, authorities began preparations a year in advance, including widening roads and even dismantling a viaduct along the planned route. On the morning of August 19th, construction workers placed the entire church building on a specially designed massive pulley system and slowly moved it along the established route. Due to the slow pace of movement, this 5-kilometer migration journey is expected to continue until the afternoon of the 20th.
In fact, this is just a part of Kiruna’s 30-year large-scale relocation project, with related plans being introduced as early as 2004. With rich iron ore resources in Kiruna, the expanding mining operations in recent years have caused land subsidence in the surrounding area. Consequently, the municipal government initiated a city relocation plan to shift the entire Kiruna city eastward by 3 kilometers.
As of July this year, Kiruna has already successfully relocated 25 buildings using the same method, with hundreds of new residential buildings, shops, and a new city hall also completed. This means that the new city center of Kiruna is gradually taking shape.
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