Kiruna's move keeps rolling along

Sweden's arctic city is relocating to avoid falling in to the mine below it ― churches, schools, hospitals and all. 

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  The biggest building in Kiruna to be moved was built in 1900 (the year the city was founded). It took 3 hours along highway E10 to move two miles to its new location. Photo still from SVT www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/norrbotten/har-rullar-det-storsta-huset-i-stadsflytten

• As part of the planned relocation of the entire city of Kiruna in northern Sweden, many people have already been relocated to the new Kiruna, three kilometers (about two miles) to the east. And recently, many residents stopped to watch as the biggest house got moved to its new location. The 280-ton house rolled for three hours and 15 minutes to its new site.

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  The iconic Kiruna Church is one of Sweden's largest wooden buildings. The church will be dismantled and reassembled in its new location.

• It’s been known for many years that Kiruna needed to be moved because of damage caused by the iron ore mining under the city center. The ground deformations became apparent in 2003, redevelopment started in the new location in 2007 and the moving of the town was started in 2014, but the project isn’t expected to be finished until 2022 (rather than 2019 as hoped) because the building boom has made it difficult to get construction companies to work at reasonable prices.

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  Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city, was founded on April 27, 1900.

• Some 3000 homes, schools and other buildings will either be relocated or knocked down as the new city grows a safe distance away.