In the north of Sweden, a city of many thousands is moving, taking the old church with them.

About 200 kilometers above the border of the Arctic Circle rises the Church of Kiruna, which was once recognized as the most beautiful old building in the country. It opened its gates in 1912, and in 2026 the entire 600-ton wooden building will be loaded onto specially designed vehicles and towed to another location near the local cemetery.

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This is just one part of an ambitious plan to move Kiruna about three kilometers east of the old city.

As noted by The Guardian, this is considered the most radical resettlement plan in the world. Residents and infrastructure need to be relocated as deposits from the operation of a local iron ore minethreatens to “swallow” the city. The hospital is already cracked and the school is no longer safe for students.

“We are more than happy that the church can be moved,” says priest Lena Jarnberg. “Of course I know some people might feel sorry. Kiruna Church is an attraction here.”

The city has a population of 18,000 and has been closely linked to the fate of the mine since it was founded in 1900. The mine is operated by the Swedish state company LKAB. It is the largest iron ore mine in the world, supplying 80% of the needs of the European Union.

Last month, LKAB announced that it had discovered the largest deposit of rare earth elements in Europe These are the metals needed for the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles and windmills.

“Sweden is literally a gold mine,” said Eba Bush, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden for Climate and Business, speaking to reporters inside the mine, 500 meters underground. “Europe must learn a lesson not to be as dependent on one country for natural gas as it was on Russia.”

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Now the discovery of rare earths makes it possible to be less dependent on China, where 86% of the world’s rare earths come from.

But the changes in Kiruna are worrying some Sámi living in the area.

Centuries before the LKAB started digging, their ancestors raised deer in these lands.

Now they fear that their way of life, already threatened by the climate crisis, which makes it harder for reindeer to forage in winter, is under even greater pressure.

Land fragmentation is making reindeer herding increasingly difficult, explained Stefan Mikaelson, deputy chairman of the Saami Council, to the Observer: “We have the railway and mining and now traffic in the city centre. It’s getting harder to move on.” He himself fears that the territorial rights of the Saami will be threatened.

LKAB spokesman Anders Lindberg acknowledged that after the mine opened in 1900, two Sami villages were forced to change reindeer grazing areas, but insisted that the company was now paying more attention to the requests of reindeer herders and trying to minimize the impact. Now the Saami living in the village of Gabna may also be forced to change their reindeer herding routes due to the recent discovery of rare earth elements.

No warranty

Nina Eliasson, head of Kiruna’s planning department, said not many residents oppose moving the city. However, he added that many were saddened when their house was demolished. “Then you know it’s real.” And, of course, we are talking about their memories, about the place in which they grew up.

About 6,000 people will have to move. Tenants will see rents gradually increase by 25% over eight years. Eliasson said the mining company has raised rents to renovate the homes, many of which are from the 1960s.

The work will most likely not be completed even in 2035, and no one from the mine management can guarantee that additional changes will not be required in the future. “We have not received any guarantees,” Eliasson said. “We had to accept it.”

Keeper of the Source