The fascinating city relocation project in Kiruna, Sweden, reaches a new milestone as the iconic Kiruna Church is moved in one piece.

The mammoth move has seen the wooden structure, weighing over 600 tons, transported on specialized trailers traveling at about 1,600 feet per hour.

Construction signs are placed outside the Kiruna Church, a Sami style wooden Swedish Lutheran church, called Kiruna Kyrka in Swedish, in Kiruna, Sweden, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, a day before it will be moved along a 5-kilometer (3-mile) route east to a new city center as part of the town’s relocation. (AP Photo/Malin Haarala)

The historic Kiruna Church in Swedish Lapland, known for its multicultural inclusivity, has been relocated due to mining activities. Emphasizing minority languages such as Northern Sami alongside Swedish,

The Kiruna Church and its belfry are being moved this week along a 5-kilometer (3-mile) route east to a new city center as part of the town’s relocation.

The 113-year-old Kiruna Church, one of Sweden's largest wooden structures and often voted its most beautiful, had to move in order to make way for the expansion of the world's largest underground iron ore mine.