Swedish church out of harm's way - 8th September 2025

Most of the old city of Kiruna, in Sweden's northernmost province of Lapland, is in transit, including the buildings and the residents. It forms part of an ambitious, 30-year project.

While Kiruna was founded when iron ore works sprang up over a century ago, the excavations of this resource have literally undermined the city, leaving many of its structures at the mercy of subsidence. In 2007, a verdict was reached to shift the historic quarter and soon after, planning and infrastructure projects got underway.

Sustainability will be one of the drivers behind the urban complex replacement, but Kiruna's iconic wooden church will once more be lodged at its heart. The 113-year-old place of worship is widely considered one of the country's grandest and most inspiring timber structures, and its resettlement has, not surprisingly, captured the imagination of both Kiruna residents and those further afield.

Stig Wiik: "We were walking ar, ar, beside the, the church, yes. And I think it's very special, special - spectular! It's very spectular to, to move a church with so much high - weight. 672 tonnes, I heard."

The distance covered was unremarkable, at only 5 kilometres, but with the edifice weighing a colossal 672 tonnes, it was a truly mammoth undertaking. Engineers were obliged to strip the roadway of lampposts and traffic lights, after which the structure was hoisted onto a bespoke trailer contraption comprising 224 wheels. The convoy journeyed at a snail's pace, no more than 500 metres an hour.

For project manager Stefan Holmblad Johansson, the relief was palpable when it finally ground to a halt.

Stefan Holmblad Johansson: "I'm, I'm so glad. It's feel fantastic that we had the church on its new spot. And it had gone so well - exactly how we have planned. So, I've been calm during those days, but now I feel so happy and relieved, anyway."

With the wooden church more or less in situ, concrete foundations will now be laid and the structure will be reverentially lowered into its new and permanent resting place.