Sweden’s landmark Kiruna Church will begin a two-day trip to a new home on Tuesday – to save it from ground subsidence and the expansion of the world’s largest underground iron ore mine. They have jacked up the over 600-ton, 113-year-old church from its foundations and hefted it onto a specially built trailer. It is one of Sweden’s largest wooden buildings. In 2001, Kiruna Church was voted the most popular pre-1950 building in Sweden.
KIRUNA AUGUST 19: Sweden’s landmark Kiruna Church will begin a two-day trip to a new home on Tuesday, inching down an Arctic road to save its wooden walls from ground subsidence and the expansion of the world’s largest underground iron ore mine.
Workers have already jacked up the 600-ton, 113-year-old church from its foundations and hefted it onto a specially built trailer – part of a 30-year project to relocate thousands of people and buildings from the Lapland city.
In order to make this as memorable an experience as possible, special places along the moving route have been designated where visitors can follow the church’s movement live.
Kiruna Church is a church building in Kiruna, Sweden, and is one of Sweden’s largest wooden buildings. The church was built between 1909 and 1912, designed by the architect Gustaf Wickman. The church’s design has been significantly influenced by Sami huts and Norwegian stave churches. The church exterior is built in a Gothic Revival style, while the altar is in Art Nouveau.
In 2001, Kiruna Church was voted the most popular pre-1950 building in Sweden, in a country-wide poll conducted by the Swedish Travelling Exhibitions, a government agency connected to the Ministry of Culture. It is considered to be “the Shrine of the Nomadic people”.
The church is being moved to a location adjacent to the cemetery a distance of about 5 kilometres. The 670 ton church will be moved to its new location by two 28-axle SPMTs over two days, 19-20 August 2025
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Featured Image: Maj-Britt Mattsson
