Like many other things in Kiruna, the church will also be moved to make room for the progress of the mine. Last Sunday, the last service was held and many Kiruna residents attended.
– This is the church I have been a priest in, so this is my home. It’s like becoming a little rootless for two and a half years, says Lena Tjärnberg, vicar.
Kiruna is moving
Emotional when the band Giron helped close the popular church
The corona virus is delaying social transformation in Kiruna and Gällivare
Moved whole
As of Monday, the church is closed to the public and LKAB takes over responsibility. Now the inside of the church must be secured before the move and eventually they will start digging under it to lay the beams before the move.
– We will take it in one piece. We have looked at both options, to take it apart or to drive it whole. We see that there are too many risks to take it apart, so moving it whole is the best and safest option, says Stefan Holmblad Johansson, project manager for the move.
Comprehensive job
The church, which was completed in 1912, is 40 meters wide. Extensive work is required before it can be moved, and right now a five-kilometer moving road is being widened for the church. The move itself will take place during the bare ground period of 2025 and will take two days.
The fact that the church will now be closed for two and a half years affects the business.
– The usual activities are not affected very much, but what is affected are church services and church actions such as baptisms, weddings and funerals, says Lena Tjärnberg.
Asking the people of Kiruna to help
Kiruna church is big and holds a lot of people. Now the church is working to find solutions.
– We solve it in a way of asking the people of Kiruna to adapt to this, and if you can choose other options, you want to get married outdoors or similar, she says.