The moving of Kiruna Church

Date: 19 - 20 Aug 2025

A historic move completed as planned

The church, which weighs 672.4 tons and measures 40 meters in width, was transported in its entirety over two days, from August 19–20, along a specially adapted five-kilometer-long route.

Learn more about the successful move

Watch the live broadcast again:

Day 1

Day 2

Why is the church being moved?

In 2004, LKAB informed the municipal management in Kiruna that it was necessary to move the then town center.

The decision was made as mining was to descend to a new main level of 1365 meters below ground – a necessity to enable continued mining operations in a safe and sustainable manner.

After extensive work together with Kiruna Municipality and the County Administrative Board, it was determined that Kiruna Church and Belfry are inside the affected area and will be affected by the mining.

Kiruna Church is a cultural monument. This means that there are special laws, regulations and requirements to comply with during both the design and implementation. LKAB maintains continuous dialogue with Kiruna Pastorate, the County Administrative Board and Kiruna Municipality ahead of the move.

The church's new location

The church's new location has been chosen with care, after dialogue with the municipality and county administrative board, and will be between the cemetery and the new Kiruna city center.

The ambition with the location is to achieve a similar feeling and character in relation to the stadium, reminiscent of the original location. Therefore, buildings that are moved from Björkbacken will also be placed in a way that mimics the current environment around the church and the vicarage.

Following a decision from the church council, the location of the church will be rotated 180 degrees. A common rule of thumb is that the choir with its altar should be placed facing east, but after the move, Kiruna Church belongs to the group of churches where the choir faces a different direction, pointing west. This is inspired by the traditional folk church, which, in its aim to be open and accessible to everyone, often has its entrance facing the city, the people and the congregation.

Questions and answers

: We want to do as little damage as possible to the building. There is a risk that the cultural value will be negatively affected if the building is taken apart, and dismantling will take longer and probably involve greater risks than moving the church as a whole.
: Based on our calculations, we estimate the weight of the church to be approximately 600 tons and the weight of the belfry to be around 100 tons.
: We are working with the Kiruna pastorate to develop an action plan for the closure and relocation of the church and its function. The current site of the church will be converted into a mining town park until we have to fence it off for continued mining operations. In the construction of the mining town park, we will strive to maintain the feel and character of what it was – a place for peace and reflection. The idea is that parts of the stone wall that surrounds the church site will be moved to the new church site. It needs to be further investigated which parts of the wall will be moved and how the move will be carried out.
: As far as we know, churches have been moved in Sweden before, for example the church in Malmberget and a church on Borraregatan in Kiruna, which is now a residential building. However, many previous church moves are quite far back in time and a lot has happened since then, in terms of legislation and methods. LKAB has extensive experience in moving valuable buildings in both Malmberget and Kiruna.
: We carry out thorough documentation before the move to establish how it is structured. We will also document each step of the move, which hopefully can provide valuable experience and knowledge for future moves.
: The ambition is for the church to be closed for as short a time as possible, but there is extensive work to be done, both before and after the move. Kiruna pastorate will issue more detailed information about what applies during the church’s closure. In the meantime, you can instead visit Jukkasjärvi church, Poikkijärvi chapel or Kiruna cemetery chapel.
: We are aware that this is an emotional issue and that the church means a lot to many. Surveys have shown that we have a great deal of trust from society and good dialogues and collaborations with the congregation and other stakeholders.

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