113-year-old, 741-ton Swedish church moved fully intact to new location

This isn't something you see every day. This 113-year-old church in northern Sweden is slowly

being moved, fully intact, to a new location to save it from a crumbling foundation and make way

for the world's largest iron ore mine. The more than 700-ton church will eventually be placed in

Kiruna's new city center as part of a 30-year mass relocation effort in the city. Many buildings

have already been moved or demolished due to fissures in the ground caused by iron ore mining

Engineers say these cracks aren't likely to swallow a person whole, but they would eventually damage critical water and electricity lines

Workers lifted the massive church from its foundation and carried it off using self-propelled machinery as people watched from a distance

Officials say they widened the road by removing street lamps and lamps along the route to make way for the structure

It's slated to be put in place Wednesday, just a three-mile journey

But the delicate process means it must be transported slowly, which is why the move is going to take two days

It's similar to an effort in Manhattan nearly two decades ago. In 2008, the National Park Service moved founding father Alexander Hamilton's home back to its original estate through the streets of New York

His home, known as the Grange, remained fully intact as it was propped up and transported across a steel track

The planning took about a month, but the job only took a few hours. The Grange was originally moved in 1889 as the city planned to demolish it to make room for new streets

A church bought it and relocated it a few blocks away, saving it from destruction before it was eventually bought by the government for preservation efforts

Now it's back on the Hamilton Estate in St. Nicholas Park. For more on this story, download the Street Arrow News app or visit san.com