Sweden's historic Kiruna Church needed to be relocated due to an expanding iron ore mine in the area. Rather than demolishing it or trying to carefully disassemble it for the move, the decision was made to simply jack it up and wheel it across town.
Completed in 1912, the Kiruna Church is considered one of Sweden's most important architectural landmarks and was previously voted the country's most beautiful building. Its relocation is part of a much larger effort that has so far involved moving 23 buildings in Kiruna to make way for the mine's expansion.
Moving the 713-tonne (700-US-ton) wooden church was a massive undertaking that required over 1,000 hours of careful planning.
Engineering firms Mammoet and Veidekke, Swedish mining company LKAB, and several other specialists modeled and tested the move before jacking up the church to a height of 1.3 meters (4.3 ft) and placing it on Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs).
Once the church was in position, the so-called "Great Church Walk" took place on August 19 and 20. The event drew thousands of spectators, including the King of Sweden, who watched the building make its 5-km (3.1-mile) journey at a leisurely speed of just 0.5 km (0.31 miles) per hour. A custom monitoring system developed in-house ensured the structure remained stable throughout the process, and the roads were widened beforehand to provide sufficient space.
Once safely arrived at its new location, the church was carefully lowered onto its concrete foundations. More buildings, including a parish hall, are scheduled to be moved as well.
"The church's new location, between the cemetery and the new city center, was chosen with great care to preserve its character and connection to the surroundings," explains LKAB. "The building has been rotated 180 degrees, meaning that the altar now faces west – a symbolic choice that opens the church towards the city and its residents. The goal is to create a cohesive whole, with more buildings, such as the parish hall and other cultural buildings, set to be moved."
While impressive, it's worth pointing out that the Kiruna Church isn't the only building to be moved in this way, nor is it anywhere near the largest. China's Fu Gang Building holds the Guinness World Record for heaviest building to be moved intact, and weighs almost 20,000 tons.
