‘The big church move': Sweden puts entire historic building on trailers and slowly rolls it 5km
The 672-tonne Kiruna Kyrka, a Swedish Lutheran church inaugurated in 1912, is to be slowly rolled to its new home over two days, at a pace of 500 metres an hour.
In a huge multi-decade operation, the whole of the Arctic town is being moved as an iron-ore mine operated by the state-owned mining company LKAB weakens the ground, threatening to swallow the town.
More than 10,000 people, including the Swedish king, Carl XVI Gustaf, are expected to line the streets – which have been widened especially to accommodate the church – to see the move of the red wooden building.
READ MORE
The operation was tested successfully on a 30-metre stretch over the weekend.
In the latest version of 'slow TV', dozens of cameras have been set up along the route to enable people across Sweden and the world to watch what is being billed by the broadcaster SVT as 'Den stora kyrkflytten' ('The big church move').
The church, designed by Gustaf Wickman, is one of Sweden's most-loved older buildings. It is known for its architecture that resembles a lávvu (a Sámi hut).
On Wednesday, a church service and coffee event will be held in an attempt to break a world record for church coffee. There will also be musical entertainment, including a concert with the singer Carola.
The church is expected to reopen at its new location at the end of next year, but the city's entire relocation is not expected to be completed until 2035.
The church is one of 23 cultural buildings being relocated in what LKAB has described as 'a unique event in world history'. The mine's operator gave residents the option to either financially compensate those affected by the town's relocation or rebuild homes or buildings.
The expansion has attracted criticism, including from some Sámi people who fear that fragmentation of the land will make reindeer herding more difficult.
'When it came to the church, we decided it was best to move it in one piece. We saw the value in that,' the LKAB project manager, Stefan Holmblad Johansson, told the AFP news agency. 'It is with great reverence we have undertaken this project. This is not just any building; it's a church.'
The altarpiece, a pastel landscape by the late Swedish Prince Eugen, and the pipe organ, which has more than 2,000 pipes, have been carefully wrapped for the journey, and the ground around the church's former location dug out so that beams could be placed underneath.
'The church is sitting on a beam system, then two rows of trailers were brought in,' Mr Holmblad Johansson said. These were slid underneath the beams.
The bell tower, which is a separate structure, will be moved next week. – The Guardian
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The Journal
20 hours ago
- The Journal
A century-old Swedish church has arrived at its new home - three miles down the road
A LANDMARK SWEDISH church arrived today at its new home after a two-day move across the Arctic town of Kiruna, in a move to allow Europe's largest underground mine to expand. The red wooden Kiruna Kyrka, which dates from 1912 and weighs 672 tonnes, completed its five-kilometre journey around 2:30pm local time. A musical fanfare celebrated its arrival after a meticulously choreographed relocation that began yesterday on two remote-controlled flatbed trailers inching forward at a pace of half a kilometre an hour. Kiruna's entire town centre is being relocated because of the giant LKAB iron ore mine, whose ever deeper burrowing over the years has weakened the ground. A stone's throw from where the structure was inching into place next to the town's cemetery, Lutheran vicar Lena Tjarnberg held a church service for dignitaries in a tent resembling a 'laavu', the traditional tent of the region's Indigenous Sami people. 'Our beloved, beloved church began its journey yesterday from its unbelievably beloved location. Now it is on its way home,' she said. The journey went smoothly for the 1,200-tonne convoy, despite some tricky narrow passages and 90 degree turns, officials said. The relocation has generated widespread interest, with large crowds thronging the streets of the town of 18,000 people. Sweden's King Carl Gustaf attends the relocation of Kiruna Church to its new site in the town centre of Kiruna. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Lisa Weber, a 26-year-old real estate agent, had travelled from her home in Germany to Kiruna to be able to witness what she called a 'historical' event. 'It's something that you do once in your life, or see once in your life, and it's such a long distance from the old place to the new place,' Weber told news agency AFP, adding it was 'very interesting' to see the elaborate process. LKAB said the new location had been 'chosen with great care to preserve its character and connection to the surroundings.' 'The building has been rotated 180 degrees, meaning that the altar now faces west -– a symbolic choice that opens the church towards the city and its residents,' the state-owned company said in a statement. LKAB added it was attempting to create a 'cohesive whole' with other cultural buildings set to be moved. King Carl XVI Gustaf took part in Wednesday's festivities, exchanging a few words with driver Sebastian Druker, an Argentinian, who controlled the trailers remotely with a joystick. The 79-year-old king was also expected to take part in an attempt to break the world record for the number of people attending a 'kyrkkaffe', a coffee break in conjunction with a church service. Advertisement The town's relocation process began almost two decades ago and is expected to continue for years to come. The new town centre was inaugurated in September 2022. The company offered to financially compensate those affected by the town's relocation, or rebuild their homes or buildings. A total of 23 historic buildings have already been moved before the church, according to LKAB. Yet many Kiruna residents are unhappy. Alex Johansson and Magnus Fredriksson, who host a podcast on local Kiruna news, were critical of the mining company. 'LKAB maybe didn't read the room so well when they destroyed the whole town and then they stage this huge street party for the people,' Fredriksson told broadcaster SVT, watching as the church rolled slowly down the road. 'It's like they said 'Here's some storage space for you, Kiruna. Now we're going to continue raking in the billions from here',' Johansson added. They were happy the church had at least been saved, and hadn't ended up 'as woodchips like the rest of Kiruna'. LKAB, which is extracting iron ore at a depth of 1,365 metres, announced in 2023 that it had discovered Europe's largest known deposit of rare earth elements right next to the Kiruna mine. Rare earths are essential for the green transition, used in the manufacturing of electric vehicles. LKAB chief executive Jan Mostrom told AFP the deposit was 'very important for Europe', as the continent seeks to reduce its dependence on imports from China. Activists argue the mining operations destroy the area's pristine forests and lakes and disturb traditional Sami reindeer herding in the area. The relocation of the church alone was expected to cost LKAB some 500 million kronor ($52 million). Designed by Swedish architect Gustaf Wickman, the church, which measures 40 metres (131 feet) tall, is a mix of influences and includes designs inspired by the region's Indigenous Sami people on the pews. The neo-Gothic exterior features slanting roofs and windows on each side, while its dark interior has elements of national romanticism as well as an Art Nouveau altarpiece and an organ with more than 2,000 pipes. The church's handblown glass windows were removed ahead of the move, replaced with painted plywood. The belltower, which stood separately next to the church, will be moved next week. © Agence France-Presse
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Historic Swedish church arrives at new home after two-day journey
A landmark Swedish church in the Arctic has arrived at its new home after a two-day move across the town of Kiruna to allow Europe's biggest underground mine to expand. The red wooden Kiruna Kyrka, which dates from 1912 and weighs 672 tonnes, completed its five-kilometre journey around 2.30 pm (1.30pm Irish time). A musical fanfare celebrated its arrival after a complex, meticulously choreographed relocation that began yesterday on two remote-controlled flatbed trailers inching forward at a pace of half a kilometre an hour. Kiruna's entire town centre is being relocated because of the giant LKAB iron ore mine, whose ever deeper burrowing over the years has weakened the ground. A stone's throw from where the structure was inching into place next to the town's cemetery, Lutheran vicar Lena Tjarnberg held a church service for dignitaries in a tent resembling a "laavu", the traditional tent of the region's Indigenous Sami people. "Our beloved, beloved church began its journey yesterday from its unbelievably beloved location. Now it is on its way home," she said. The journey went smoothly for the 1,200-tonne convoy, despite some tricky narrow passages and 90 degree turns, officials said. "Everything has gone so incredibly well," project manager Roy Griph told Swedish television SVT, which broadcast the entire move live. The relocation has generated widespread interest, with large crowds thronging the streets of the town of 18,000 people. The country's King Carl XVI Gustaf took part in festivities, exchanging a few words with driver Sebastian Druker of Argentina who controlled the trailers remotely with a joystick. The 79-year-old king was also expected to take part in an attempt to break the world record for the number of people attending a "kyrkkaffe", a church coffee break. The town's relocation process began almost two decades ago and is expected to continue for years to come. The new town centre was inaugurated in September 2022. Criticism The company offered to financially compensate those affected by the town's relocation, or rebuild their homes or buildings. A total of 23 historic buildings, including the church, were moved. Yet many Kiruna residents are unhappy. Alex Johansson and Magnus Fredriksson, who host a podcast on local Kiruna news, were critical of the mining company. "LKAB maybe didn't read the room so well when they destroyed the whole town and then they stage this huge street party for the people," Mr Fredriksson told television broadcaster SVT, watching as the church rolled slowly down the road. "It's like they said 'Here's some storage space for you, Kiruna. Now we're going to continue raking in the billions from here'," Mr Johansson added. They were happy the church had at least been saved. "It's good that it didn't end up as woodchips like the rest of Kiruna," Mr Fredriksson said. Iron ore, rare earths LKAB, which is extracting iron ore at a depth of 1,365 metres, announced in 2023 that it had discovered Europe's largest known deposit of rare earth elements right next to the Kiruna mine. Rare earths are essential for the green transition, used in the manufacturing of electric vehicles. LKAB chief executive Jan Mostrom said the deposit was "very important for Europe", as the continent seeks to reduce its dependence on imports from China. "We are quite focused to see how we will continue to expand our operations in Kiruna," he said. Activists argue the mining operations destroy the area's pristine forests and lakes and disturb traditional Sami reindeer herding in the area. The relocation of the church alone was expected to cost LKAB some 500 million kronor (over €44 million). Designed by Swedish architect Gustaf Wickman, the church, which measures 40m tall, is a mix of influences and includes designs inspired by the region's Indigenous Sami people on the pews. The neo-Gothic exterior features slanting roofs and windows on each side, while its dark interior has elements of national romanticism as well as an Art Nouveau altarpiece and an organ with more than 2,000 pipes. The church's handblown glass windows were removed ahead of the move, replaced with painted plywood. The belltower, which stood separately next to the church, will be moved next week.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
‘The big church move': Sweden puts entire historic building on trailers and slowly rolls it 5km
After eight years of planning, an estimated cost of €42 million and an early-morning blessing, a church in northern Sweden began a slow-motion 5km journey on Tuesday to make way for the expansion of Europe's biggest underground mine. The 672-tonne Kiruna Kyrka, a Swedish Lutheran church inaugurated in 1912, is to be slowly rolled to its new home over two days, at a pace of 500 metres an hour. In a huge multi-decade operation, the whole of the Arctic town is being moved as an iron-ore mine operated by the state-owned mining company LKAB weakens the ground, threatening to swallow the town. More than 10,000 people, including the Swedish king, Carl XVI Gustaf, are expected to line the streets – which have been widened especially to accommodate the church – to see the move of the red wooden building. READ MORE The operation was tested successfully on a 30-metre stretch over the weekend. In the latest version of 'slow TV', dozens of cameras have been set up along the route to enable people across Sweden and the world to watch what is being billed by the broadcaster SVT as 'Den stora kyrkflytten' ('The big church move'). The church, designed by Gustaf Wickman, is one of Sweden's most-loved older buildings. It is known for its architecture that resembles a lávvu (a Sámi hut). On Wednesday, a church service and coffee event will be held in an attempt to break a world record for church coffee. There will also be musical entertainment, including a concert with the singer Carola. The church is expected to reopen at its new location at the end of next year, but the city's entire relocation is not expected to be completed until 2035. The church is one of 23 cultural buildings being relocated in what LKAB has described as 'a unique event in world history'. The mine's operator gave residents the option to either financially compensate those affected by the town's relocation or rebuild homes or buildings. The expansion has attracted criticism, including from some Sámi people who fear that fragmentation of the land will make reindeer herding more difficult. 'When it came to the church, we decided it was best to move it in one piece. We saw the value in that,' the LKAB project manager, Stefan Holmblad Johansson, told the AFP news agency. 'It is with great reverence we have undertaken this project. This is not just any building; it's a church.' The altarpiece, a pastel landscape by the late Swedish Prince Eugen, and the pipe organ, which has more than 2,000 pipes, have been carefully wrapped for the journey, and the ground around the church's former location dug out so that beams could be placed underneath. 'The church is sitting on a beam system, then two rows of trailers were brought in,' Mr Holmblad Johansson said. These were slid underneath the beams. The bell tower, which is a separate structure, will be moved next week. – The Guardian
