Overview

• The 1912 Kiruna Kyrka was lifted onto custom trailers with 224 wheels after engineers excavated more than 3,200 cubic meters beneath the building and installed steel beams.
• The church is traveling roughly 5 kilometers at around 0.5 km/h, with completion expected Wednesday afternoon.
• Thousands turned out as Bishop Åsa Nyström offered a blessing, King Carl XVI Gustaf attended, and public broadcaster SVT aired the move live.
• State miner LKAB is leading and funding the wider town relocation toward a 2035 timeline, and the church transfer is reported to cost about 500 million SEK.
• The church has been closed for a year for preparations and is slated to reopen at the new site in late 2026, while Sami herders warn mine expansion threatens reindeer migration routes.