Kiruna’s Historic Church Relocated 5km to Clear Path for Expanding Mine

In northern Sweden, the city of Kiruna reached a landmark moment in its century-long relocation plan. The 113-year-old Kiruna Church was carefully moved 5km east of its original site. The two-day journey, carried out on 19 and 20 August 2025, drew thousands of onlookers. This included the King of Sweden, who joined residents in witnessing what became known as “The Great Church Walk.”

A City on the Move

Kiruna, home to around 17,000 people, is perched above the world’s largest underground iron ore mine. As state-owned company LKAB continues to expand operations, parts of the ground beneath the city have become unstable. To safeguard its future, Kiruna has been undergoing a gradual shift since 2014. This follows a 100-year masterplan designed by White Arkitekter.

Protecting a National Treasure

Completed in 1912, Kiruna Church stands as one of Sweden’s largest wooden buildings. It was once voted the country’s most beautiful building. Preserving it became a central demand from the community as the city’s relocation took shape.

The task of moving the 713-tonne landmark fell to civil engineering firm Veidekke and LKAB. They partnered with Dutch heavy-lifting specialist Mammoet. Rather than dismantling the structure, the team chose the extraordinary challenge of relocating it intact.

Engineering a Safe Journey

The operation began by elevating the church 1.3 metres and placing it on a framework of steel beams. Two convoys of self-propelled modular transporters, each with 28 axle lines, carried the building along a carefully prepared route.

Engineers dedicated more than 1,000 hours to modelling the stresses and testing the resilience of the wooden structure. They also ran trial moves with counterweights. Roads along the 5km path had to be widened and reinforced to support the massive load.

Throughout the move, a monitoring system ensured the church never tilted more than 75 millimetres. Work was carried out in daylight hours only, with residents lining the route to watch the slow but steady procession.

Next Steps

Upon arrival, the church was lowered onto its new concrete foundations. In the coming days, Mammoet will also relocate the church’s 90-tonne belfry, using a different transporter configuration.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The article documents the relocation of Kiruna’s historic church. This is part of an urban shift driven by iron ore mining. The images highlight a massive wooden structure with dark tones elevated on precise steel frameworks. This produces a striking dialogue between natural materiality and industrial technique. Yet, while the engineering process is clearly explained, the architectural dimension feels underexplored. Particularly in relation to cultural identity and spatial continuity within the city. Still, the record remains valuable as a rare case where heritage preservation relies on bold engineering strategies, offering potential lessons for future urban transformations.

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