KIRUNA: One of Sweden’s most admired wooden churches, the red-painted Kiruna Kyrka, resumed its careful journey across the Arctic town on Wednesday.
The 672-tonne structure is being transported to a new site to accommodate the expansion of Europe’s largest underground iron ore mine.
Kiruna’s entire town centre is being shifted because of the vast LKAB mine that dominates the region. Decades of deeper excavation have destabilised the ground, increasing the risk of collapse in some areas.
Built in 1912, the Lutheran church is regarded as a national treasure. It is being transferred five kilometres on remote-controlled flatbed trailers at a painstaking speed of 0.5 kilometres per hour.
The operation began on Tuesday and is expected to finish by Wednesday afternoon. Officials said the 1,200-tonne convoy has moved without major problems, though tighter bends and narrow passages were expected to slow progress on the second day.
The rare relocation has drawn national attention. Residents lined the streets of the town of 18,000, while Swedish broadcasters aired live coverage.
King Carl XVI Gustaf was scheduled to take part in ceremonies marking the move. Festivities also included an attempt at a world record for the largest “kyrkkaffe” — the traditional post-service coffee gathering.
Kiruna’s relocation has been under way for nearly 20 years and will continue for several more. The new town centre was officially opened in September 2022.
Moving the church alone is estimated to cost 500 million kronor, entirely funded by mining company LKAB.
The church was designed by Swedish architect Gustaf Wickman, standing 40 metres tall and blending several styles. Sami-inspired motifs decorate its pews, while its neo-Gothic exterior features steep roofs and symmetrical windows. Inside, national romanticism and Art Nouveau elements merge, with highlights including an ornate altarpiece and a 2,000-pipe organ.
Ahead of the move, workers carefully removed its handblown glass windows, replacing them temporarily with painted plywood panels.
The church’s separate belltower is scheduled for relocation next week. – AFP