KIRUNA: How do you move one of Sweden’s most beloved wooden churches down the road? With a little bit of engineering, a lot of prayer — and some Eurovision for good luck.
The Kiruna Church — called Kiruna Kyrka in Swedish — and its belfry are being moved this week along a 5-kilometer route east to a new city center as part of the town’s relocation. It’s happening because the world’s largest underground iron-ore mine is threatening to swallow the town.
This week, thousands of visitors have descended upon Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town at 200 kilometers above the Arctic Circle. It’s home to roughly 23,000 inhabitants, including members of the Sami Indigenous people, spread over nearly 19,500 square kilometers.
Lena Tjärnberg, the church’s vicar, kicked off the move with a blessing Tuesday morning. The journey is scheduled to end Wednesday afternoon.
The church was a gift from the mining company
