A 113-year-old red timber church in Kiruna was relocated three miles over two days to avoid damage from an expanding iron ore mine. The 600-ton wooden building was lifted onto multi-wheeled trucks and transported slowly, with engineers riding inside to monitor for cracks. The relocation is part of a long-term plan expected to take about a decade to move many buildings as the mine approaches. The church functions as a community focal point and landmark visible across the town, and demolition was rejected because of its deep significance to local residents and memories.
I think it's the largest wood building in Sweden,
The mine is very important for us here in Kiruna. We are a mine town. If you don't have a mine, you don't have the city,
They have grown up in the church, they have played out in the park around the church. They have been like a home for people, and I think that's Kiruna's soul in some way,
It's like the skyline of Kiruna. Everywhere you're in Kiruna, you can see the church. Or you saw the church because it's on the move now.
Collection
[
|
...
]