The whole church begins a two -day trip through the Swedish city of Kiruna

A The 113-year-old church at risk of ground sediment moves completely-5 km (3 miles) moves along the road to the far north of Sweden.

The huge structure of red timber in Kiruna, dating from 1912, has been raised on giant movable platforms and will now begin moving to the new city center.

Traveling at a top speed of 500 m per hour, it is expected to take two days.

The old city center is at risk of ground fissures after more than a century of iron ore production. This move of the church is the most spectacular and symbolic moment of the broader movement of buildings in Kiruna, which is located 145 km north of the Arctic Circle.

According to the cultural strategist Sofia, the Lagerf Mayat, “This is finally, let’s do it. We are waiting so many years.”

“We have done so much preparation,” says the man in charge of this move, the project manager Stefan Holmblad Johansson.

“This is a historical event, a very large and complex operation and we have no limit of error. But everything is under control.”

His composure reflects years of planning.

By mid-2010, other buildings in Kiruna were already moving to safer land. Most were demolished and restored, but some sights were moved intact.

These include buildings in Hjalmar Lundbohmsgården as the so -called yellow row of three old wooden houses and the former Hjalmar Lundbohm Mining Manager, which was divided into three parts.

The tower of the clock on the roof of the old town hall has also been moved and can now be found to the new mayoralty.

According to Swedish law, mining cannot be carried out in accordance with buildings.

Robert Ilital, CEO of Kiruna Development, explains: “There is no risk that people fall through cracks. But in the end, fissures will harm water, electricity and sewage. People must move before the infrastructure fails.”

The ore ore operator, LKAB – also the largest Kiruna employer – covers the city’s relocation account, estimated at more than $ 10 billion in Swedish Krona ($ 1 billion; £ 737 million).

Kiruna Church is 35 m high (115 feet), 40 m wide and weighs 672 tonnes. It was once voted in the most beautiful building since 1950 in Sweden.

Moving such a large building is an unusual feat. But instead of disassembling it, engineers move it in one piece, supported by steel beams and carry self -propelled modular carriers.

“The biggest challenge was the preparation of the road for such a wide building,” says project manager G -N Johansson.

“We expanded it to 24 meters (79 feet) and on the road we removed lamps, traffic lights, and a bridge that was planned for demolition anyway.”

Among the most delicate aspects of this move is the protection of the internal treasures of the church, especially its large picture of the altar, made by Prince Evgen, a member of the royal family of Sweden.

“This is not something that hangs on a hook that you just take off,” says Johansson.

“It is glued directly to the masonry wall, so it would be difficult to remove without damage. So it will remain inside the church during the movement, fully covered and stabilized. And the organ with 1000 pipes.”

This move is much more than an engineering miracle for the locals – it is a deeply emotional moment.

“The church has served as a spiritual center and a place to collect the community for generations,” says Sofia Lagerloff Mayat, who remembers for the first time entering the church as a small child with his grandmother.

“This move brought us back memories of joy and grief, and now we are moving these memories with us to the future.”

This feeling is also shared by the project manager Stefan Holmblad Johansson, an engineer who doubles as a member of the Gospel Choir of the Church.

“This is a very special task for me,” he says. “The church was built more than 100 years ago for the LKAB municipality. Now we move it to the new city. There is simply no other way.”

For the Vicar of the Church Lena Tarnberg, the moment brings added meaning.

“The church leaves a place where it really belongs,” she says.

“Everyone knows that he has to move: we live in the mining community and depend on the mine. I am grateful that we are moving the church with us to the new center of the city, but there is also sorrow when we see him leave the earth where she has become a church.”

As the massive walls of the Kiruna Church begin to embark on, thousands of residents and visitors are expected – King of Sweden Carl Gustaf – are expected to arrange the route.

Swedish TV is also aired The whole trip lives as a “slow television”, marking a rare moment when part of the story not only survives – it moves with it.