Sweden's Kiruna Church makes 5 km journey to avoid mining subsidence

Sweden’s Kiruna Church, a 713-tonne wooden architectural treasure built in the early 1900s and once named the country’s most beautiful building, was relocated five kilometers to a new site in August 2025. This extraordinary engineering feat was undertaken to protect the church from subsidence caused by the expansion of the world’s largest iron ore mine beneath the town. The move, led by heavy-lift specialist Mammoet with support from Veidekke and timber experts, involved elevating the church onto steel beams and transporting it on self-propelled modular transporters with precise tilt controls to ensure structural integrity. The relocation took place over two days during optimal Arctic conditions, with thousands of residents and King Carl XVI Gustaf witnessing the event, which locals called “the great church walk.” The church’s move is part of Kiruna’s broader urban transformation, where entire neighborhoods and civic landmarks are being shifted to safer locations due to mining-induced ground instability. This process reflects a balance between