Entire Swedish Town, Including Historic Kiruna Church, Gets Uprooted and Moved to New Place for this Reason

The expansion of Europe's biggest underground mine is set to shift an entire town. Recently, they began the movement of the 672-tonne Kiruna Kyrka, a Swedish Lutheran church, according to The Guardian. As per the agreed-upon plan, the church will be moved across three miles. The establishment will be rolled over to its new home in two days, covering 0.3 miles per hour.  The two-day event is set to be witnessed by prominent personalities, like the Swedish king, Carl XVI Gustaf, and around 10,000 civilians. Some people, such as individuals from the Sámi community, have protested against this move, claiming it is an attack on their livelihood as well as culture. 

Reason Behind the Big Move

Kiruna Kyrka has stood in Kiruna since 1912 and is popular amongst the community, according to the BBC. The 115-foot-long red timber establishment was voted as Sweden's most beautiful pre-1950 building. It is now being shifted to the new city center on trailers. Authorities have decided to take this step because the area where the church stands is in danger of ground fissures, facilitated by around a century of iron ore mining. The journey started on August 19, 2025, with the blessings of the church's vicar, Lena Tjärnberg, and Bishop Åsa Nyström of the Diocese of Luleå. After the blessing ceremony, the engine of the trailers started, and the whole setup began inching forward.

Large crowds gathered on the street to see the move, with many claiming that they felt so close to the structure that they could almost touch it. "It's a big crowd. People came not just from Kiruna and other parts of Sweden. I heard many different languages being spoken. It's like history taking place in front of our eyes," said Sofia Lagerlöf Mättää, a culture strategist. Project manager Stefan Holmblad Johansson also called the operation historic, but also labeled it as sensitive, since they don't have a margin of error. The whole move is being broadcast by Swedish television networks, which are labeling it as "slow TV."

Part of a Bigger Plan

The church is the most popular building that the team is transferring from the wide collection of establishments in Kiruna, which is around 90 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The iron ore mining project has been going on around the area for a long time. By the mid-2010s, many buildings in the location had already been demolished, shifted, or rebuilt, including ones in the Hjalmar Lundbohmsgården and the clock tower on the roof of the old city hall.

All these changes took place because, as per Swedish law, mining activities cannot happen underneath buildings. Experts claim that though the fissures will not cause any bodily harm, they do hurt infrastructure in place, such as sewage and water supply. Hence, establishments need to be shifted or rebuilt somewhere else before mining begins in the original spot. They are moving buildings, like the church, due to the cultural significance they carry for the country.

Kiruna city will soon host these expansions, and therefore, the wide-scale movement has been realized. The whole process is being financed by the operator of the iron ore mine, LKAB. In total, 23 cultural buildings, along with the church, will be shifted from Kiruna. The church is expected to open at its new location by next year, though the whole operation will not be completed until 2035. Civilians living in Kiruna have been given the option of either compensation or services for rebuilding by the state-owned mining company.  

Voices Against The Shift

The Sámi community, an indigenous group of the area, has raised its voice against the operations. They believe the change will make reindeer herding difficult for them and deliver a blow to their culture and lifestyle. Karin K Niia, a reindeer owner and board member of Gabna Sameby, a Sámi village, claims that the large-scale movement of the church is an attempt to distract people from the destruction the mining operations are causing. "It feels rather difficult to see the move of the church when I'm well aware of the consequences that mining activities have on everything around it: biodiversity, the air, pollution of water, reindeer and wildlife in general," she said. "They have planned it all in order to get people's attention, media attention on this state-owned company, and their action to preserve the church as a symbol for the cultural heritage of Kiruna."