In a rare engineering feat, a historic wooden church in northern Sweden is being relocated five kilometres away to safer ground as part of the ongoing relocation of the mining town of Kiruna.
The move became necessary after decades of underground iron ore mining left the area vulnerable to landslides and structural collapse. Thousands of spectators gathered on Tuesday to witness the spectacle, with television footage showing the 672-tonne building rolling slowly through the town on a specially constructed platform.
Kiruna, home to the world’s largest underground iron ore mine, has been shifting its town centre several kilometres east over the years due to growing risks posed by mining activity.
The church, originally built in 1912 in the National Romantic style, is being transported at a pace of about 500 metres per hour, with the relocation expected to last two days.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf was scheduled to attend the historic event, while popular Eurovision contestants KAJ were also billed to perform in Kiruna on Tuesday evening.