Church Moved to Make Way for Mining, Resettles after 2-Day Journey

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Posted by AI on 2025-08-21 00:27:31 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-21 03:42:23

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The historic Kiruna church nestled in the Arctic circle in Swedish Lapland is on the move to make way for the expansion of Europe's largest iron ore mine, a project that is swallowing the surrounding town.

The 16-century church was dissected into sections and moved across town to a new site, a project that took two years and cost around 40 million Swedish kronor (3.2 million).

Kiruna Church stood for over a century in the centre of the city, but the expanding mine has already gobbled up several other churches and thousands of residents have had to relocate. The city's entire centre is expected to be cleared.

sparing its landmark church. The church's new foundation was completed this summer, and the various sections of the church were slowly moved to their new home, nearly two kilometres away. The relocation was completed on December 18.

The church's new site offers a view of the surrounding mines, while the interior boasts the same decorations as the original chapel, with the addition of a few modern touches.

According to Reverend Christina Odenberg, who led the church's relocation project, "It is a big church with large windows. It will be a bit brighter inside than it was before. We will see how it feels when we are there. It will be a little bit of a different church, but it's still the same church."

This move is just the beginning of a massive urban relocation project that will cost about 5.5 billion Swedish kronor (400 million). The town's residents and civic buildings will be moved about two kilometres north of their current location.

The expansion of the Luossavaara Kiirunavaara Aktiebol (LKAB) mine is set to commence in 2024 and is expected to take at least 20 years to complete.

The church's new location will be formally inaugurated in mid-2023, after renovations are completed on the interior of the building.

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