Mailing the house

I was in Kiruna in the north of Sweden a few months ago and stayed at the amazing Ice Hotel I really recommend a visit, and it's not cold to sleep, even though it's -5 degrees Celsius, as the sleeping bag keeps you comfortable. Among the events at thet trip was a visit to the city hall and a presentation about the imminent move of most of the city.

The problem is that the city lives on it's main industry, an iron mine. It's the largest underground iron mine in the world, and the ore is second to none (70% iron, theoretical maximum is 72%). The problem is that the iron body is slanting in under the city, and as they dig deeper, the ground above will settle, making it unsuitable for living. The move will take about two decades, but the first houses will be moved in the next few years as they are the closest to the mine. Among these are the city hall and the railway.

They are probably going to move the city hall with the help of a Dutch company, as it is a historical building. It's also a big house, so it will be a magnificient technical feat.

Kiruna City Hall:


What complicates things even more is that even though there are vast open areas around Kiruna, they are all designated as "national interest", in other words, they are protected for environmental reasons, as national parks, for reindeer herding or some other purpose. This means that they can't move there, so instead, they'll move to the outskirts furthest away from the mine and densify the city plan. Personally, I think that it would be smarter to ignore some national interests and make a clean move to a less cramped city plan.