Latest news with #GustafWickman
Int'l Business Times
18 hours ago
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Historic Swedish Church Inches Closer To New Home
A historic red wooden church considered one of Sweden's most beautiful buildings resumed its slow move across the Arctic town of Kiruna on Wednesday, inching toward its new home to allow Europe's biggest underground mine to expand. Kiruna's entire town centre is being relocated because of the giant LKAB iron ore mine that dominates the region, whose ever deeper burrowing over the years has weakened the ground, increasing the risk of collapse in some parts. Kiruna Kyrka, an imposing 672-tonne Swedish Lutheran church from 1912, is being moved five kilometres (three miles) on remote-controlled flatbed trailers, moving at a snail's pace of half a kilometre an hour to the new Kiruna town. The complex and costly logistical operation began on Tuesday and was scheduled to be completed on Wednesday around 2:00 or 3:00 pm (1200 or 1300 GMT). The journey has so far gone smoothly for the 1,200-tonne convoy, but was expected to proceed more slowly on Wednesday due to some tricky narrow passages and 90 degree turns, officials said. The move has generated widespread interest, with large crowds thronging the streets of the town of 18,000 people and Swedish television broadcasting the entire journey live. King Carl XVI Gustaf was due to take part in festivities in Kiruna, including 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 officially inaugurated in September 2022. The relocation of the church alone is expected to cost 500 million kronor ($52 million) and is being paid for by LKAB. 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 plywood painted to look like windows. The belltower, which stood separately next to the church, will be moved next week. The town's relocation process began almost two decades ago and is expected to continue for years to come AFP
New Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Historic Swedish church inches closer to new home
KIRUNA: A historic red wooden church considered one of Sweden's most beautiful buildings resumed its slow move across the Arctic town of Kiruna today, inching toward its new home to allow Europe's biggest underground mine to expand. Kiruna's entire town centre is being relocated because of the giant LKAB iron ore mine that dominates the region, whose ever deeper burrowing over the years has weakened the ground, increasing the risk of collapse in some parts. Kiruna Kyrka, an imposing 672-tonne Swedish Lutheran church from 1912, is being moved five kilometres (three miles) on remote-controlled flatbed trailers, moving at a snail's pace of half a kilometre an hour to the new Kiruna town. The complex and costly logistical operation began on Tuesday and was scheduled to be completed today. The journey has so far gone smoothly for the 1,200-tonne convoy, but was expected to proceed more slowly today due to some tricky narrow passages and 90 degree turns, officials said. The move has generated widespread interest, with large crowds thronging the streets of the town of 18,000 people and Swedish television broadcasting the entire journey live. King Carl XVI Gustaf was due to take part in festivities in Kiruna, including 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 officially inaugurated in September 2022. The relocation of the church alone is expected to cost US$52 million (RM220 million) and is being paid for by LKAB. 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 plywood painted to look like windows. The belltower, which stood separately next to the church, will be moved next week. - AFP
The Sun
20 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Historic Swedish church relocated to make way for expanding mine
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
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Historic Swedish church begins slow move to new location
A historic red wooden church, considered one of Sweden's most beautiful buildings, has begun its slow move from its longtime home in the Arctic town of Kiruna to allow the expansion of Europe's biggest underground mine. Kiruna Kyrka, a Swedish Lutheran church, dates from 1912, but the 672-tonne building is being moved 5km on remote-controlled flatbed trailers today and tomorrow, inching along at a pace of half-a-kilometre an hour to the new Kiruna town. The complex and costly logistical operation, which began after a blessing, has generated widespread interest, with more than 10,000 people expected to line the streets of the town of 18,000 people. King Carl XVI Gustaf will be among those in town following the move. Swedish television is broadcasting the entire journey live - a new iteration of the "slow TV" trend - with 30 cameras set up along the route, it said. Kiruna's entire town centre is being moved because of the giant LKAB iron ore mine that dominates the region, but whose ever deeper burrowing over the years has weakened the ground, increasing the risk of collapse in some parts. Unique event The town's relocation process began almost two decades ago and is expected to continue for years to come. The new town centre was officially inaugurated in September 2022. The relocation of the church alone is expected to cost 500 million kronor and is being paid for by LKAB. Designed by Swedish architect Gustaf Wickman, the imposing structure, which measures 40 metres 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. The church is one of 23 cultural buildings relocated in the Kiruna move. LKAB has called the relocation "a unique event in world history". Other larger, heavier objects have been moved before, but usually in ports or industrial areas - not through small towns. The roads on the route have been widened, from nine to 24 metres, and levelled to provide a smooth ride, a process that took a year, according to LKAB. The company offered to either financially compensate everyone affected by the town's relocation, or to rebuild their homes or buildings. "But when it came to the church, we decided it was best to move it in one piece. We saw the value in that," LKAB project manager Stefan Holmblad Johansson said. "It is with great reverence we have undertaken this project," he said. "This is not just any building, it's a church." The structure has been "thoroughly examined ahead of the move to protect its cultural assets in the best possible way, to ensure that the altarpiece and organ in particular are moved with care," the company said. Both the altarpiece - painted by Sweden's Prince Eugen (1865-1947), a pastel landscape inspired by his trips to Italy's Tuscany and western Sweden - and the large organ with its more than 2,000 pipes have been meticulously wrapped and protected for the journey. The ground around the church's current location has been dug out, allowing big beams to be placed underneath so it could be jacked up. "The church is sitting on a beam system, then two rows of trailers were brought in" and slid underneath the beams, Holmblad Johansson explained. When it pulls out on its journey, the entire load will weigh 1,200 tonnes, according to LKAB. The belltower, which stands separately next to the church, will be moved next week.
