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3h ago

Kiruna's 1912 Wooden Church Begins 5-Kilometer Move to New Site

The slow convoy marks a key step in a town relocation driven by deep iron-ore mining.

La célèbre église en bois rouge de Kiruna, dans le nord de la Suède, le 20 novembre 2022
L'intérieur de l'église suédoise de Kiruna, le 5 novembre 2013
L'église suédoise de Kiruna, le 20 novembre 2022
Inaugurée en 1912 et pesant 672 tonnes, l’imposante église de Kiruna se distingue par un extérieur néogothique rouge, où les toits aux pentes prononcées descendent jusqu’au sol.

Overview

  • The 672-tonne wooden church, mounted on beams and twin rows of trailers, set off Tuesday morning and is due to arrive Wednesday after a 5-kilometer route at 0.5–1 km/h.
  • Miner LKAB is funding the transfer at an estimated 500 million Swedish kronor, and the full convoy weighs about 1,200 tonnes according to the company.
  • The move addresses land subsidence from mining now reaching 1,365 meters deep, as part of a program that began nearly two decades ago, has already shifted about 23 cultural monuments, and is expected to run at least through 2035.
  • Designed by Gustaf Wickman with Sami-inspired details and an Art Nouveau altarpiece by Prince Eugène, the church is being moved in one piece with special protection for the organ and retable after yearlong route preparations.
  • The send-off featured a blessing by Bishop Åsa Nyström and priest Lena Tjärnberg, live SVT coverage with 30 cameras, large crowds along the route with King Carl XVI Gustaf attending, and the separate bell tower scheduled to move next week.