This Swedish church is moving 3 miles down the road. It's relocating before a mine swallows the town

KIRUNA, Sweden — How do you move one of Sweden’s most beloved wooden churches down the road? With a little bit of engineering, a lot of prayer — and some Eurovision for good luck.

The Kiruna Church — called Kiruna Kyrka in Swedish — and its belfry are being moved this week along a 3-mile route east to a new city center as part of the town’s relocation. It’s happening because the world’s largest underground iron-ore mine is threatening to swallow the town.

This week, thousands of visitors have descended upon Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town at 124 miles above the Arctic Circle. It’s home to roughly 23,000 people, including members of the Sami Indigenous people, spread over nearly 7,528 square feet.

Lena Tjärnberg, the church’s vicar, kicked off the move — after the church was earlier