The big church move: Sweden rolls historic kiruna kyrka 5km

Tuesday 19 August 2025 - 11:55

By: Sahili Aya

The big church move: Sweden rolls historic kiruna kyrka 5km

After eight years of planning and an estimated cost of 500 million kronor (£39m), the Kiruna Kyrka, a Swedish Lutheran church inaugurated in 1912, began its slow 5km journey on Tuesday to make way for the expansion of Europe’s largest underground iron ore mine.

The 672-tonne red wooden church will be moved at a pace of half a kilometre per hour, accompanied by an early morning blessing. The town of Kiruna itself is being gradually relocated as the mine operated by state-owned LKAB undermines the ground, threatening to swallow the Arctic town.

More than 10,000 people, including King Carl XVI Gustaf, are expected to witness the event. Streets have been widened specifically to accommodate the building, and dozens of cameras have been set up for Sweden’s “slow TV” coverage, called Den stora kyrkflytten (the big church move).

Designed by Gustaf Wickman, the church’s architecture resembles a lávvu, a traditional Sámi hut. Cultural artifacts, including a pastel landscape by Prince Eugen and a 2,000-pipe organ, have been carefully protected for the journey.

The relocation of Kiruna Kyrka is part of a multi-decade project moving 23 cultural buildings. The church is expected to reopen at its new site by the end of next year, while the full town relocation will continue until 2035.

The expansion project has faced criticism from Sámi communities, concerned that land fragmentation will disrupt reindeer herding. LKAB offered residents compensation or the option to rebuild homes and structures.

Project manager Stefan Holmblad Johansson explained: “When it came to the church, we decided it was best to move it in one piece. This is not just any building, it’s a church.”