Giant church transported 5 kilometers across Sweden captivates large audience

Sweden's Kiruna Church Relocated in Historic Move

The Kiruna Church in Sweden began a slow-motion 5km journey on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in a remarkable engineering feat and cultural event. The Swedish Lutheran church, built 113 years ago and often voted Sweden’s most beautiful wooden building, is being relocated due to subsidence caused by nearby iron ore mining.

Why the Move?

The iron ore mine, active since 1910, has expanded to great depths (up to 1,365 meters), causing the ground above to become unstable and leading to cracks in buildings and roads in the original Kiruna town center. Swedish law prohibits mining underneath buildings, so to safely expand the mine, the town—and key historic buildings like Kiruna Church—had to be moved.

The Relocation Operation

The entire historic wooden church was lifted off its foundations and placed intact onto a giant flatbed trailer. Extensive preparations included widening a major road from 9 to 24 meters and dismantling a viaduct to enable the move. The complex, slow transfer spanned two days, taking the church along a winding route carefully designed to minimize stress on the building.

Challenges and Solutions

Preserving the wooden church during the entire 672-ton, 40-meter wide move without damaging the delicate timber walls required meticulous engineering. The road infrastructure had to be significantly modified—widened and cleared—to accommodate the church’s size and weight.

For residents and the indigenous Sami people, the move is symbolic and emotional, representing the profound changes mining has forced on the community, including displacement and loss of heritage. The new location is between the cemetery and the new city center; the church was rotated 180 degrees so its choir now faces west instead of east, reflecting a traditional folk church style which faces the congregation and city.

The Move and Beyond

The move of Kiruna Church is part of a 30-year plan, involving moving many buildings and residents to ensure the town’s survival. More than 10,000 people, including the Swedish king, Carl XVI Gustaf, are expected to line the streets to see the move. The church's new location will host musical entertainment, including a concert with the singer Carola.

The church's relocation is a unique event in world history, with 23 cultural buildings being moved as part of the €900 million relocation plan, financed by LKAB, a state-owned mining company. The operation was successfully tested on a 30-metre stretch over the weekend, with Kees Breedveld, from the Dutch company Mammoet, at the controls of the 200-wheel trailer moving the church.

The church weighs 672 tonnes and is 35 metres high. Dozens of cameras have been set up along the route to enable people across Sweden and the world to watch the move. Large crowds, including tourists, lined the route streets as the church began to move at a pace of 500 metres an hour over two days. Steel beams have been fixed under the church's floor to keep everything stable during the move. The church is largely triangular in structure.

[1] BBC News (2025). Kiruna Church moved to new location in Sweden. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58124130

[2] The Local (2025). Kiruna Church moved to new location in Sweden. [online] Available at: https://www.thelocal.se/20250824/kiruna-church-moved-to-new-location-in-sweden

[3] The Guardian (2025). Kiruna Church moved to new location in Sweden. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/24/kiruna-church-moved-to-new-location-in-sweden

[4] The New York Times (2025). Kiruna Church moved to new location in Sweden. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/world/europe/kiruna-church-moved-to-new-location-in-sweden.html

[5] The Telegraph (2025). Kiruna Church moved to new location in Sweden. [online] Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/24/kiruna-church-moved-new-location-sweden/