Länsmansbostaden will now be moved
On Wednesday 25 October the seventh of a total of eight heritage buildings will be moved to its new location – Kiruna's new urban core, east of the current city centre. Now, it's time for the so-called Länsmansbostaden to be moved.
The relocation of heritage buildings from the zone affected by mining to new places in Kiruna continues. Of seven heritage buildings to be moved to the foot of Luossavaara Mountain, overlooking the mountain massif and the mine site, six have already been relocated. In addition, the so-called Länsmansbostaden will be moved to the new urban core, east of the present urban centre.
Soft values and feelings
“Urban transformation involves much more than decommissioning and development. It’s all about culture, memories and emotions – soft values and feelings that cannot be measured in monetary terms. Therefore, it is particularly pleasing that we are able to move several of the town’s most unique and much-loved buildings. In this way, we can link the past and the present,” says Tjabba Nordanfjäll, project manager at LKAB and responsible for relocation of heritage buildings.
Länsmansbostaden, LKAB’s 99th building to be constructed, was built as a residence for Kiruna’s first official policeman, Carl August Olsson. Sheriff’s officer Olsson had served as a constable in Stockholm and was revered as a tough man of strong character. Olsson was recruited to Kiruna to maintain law and order.
240-tonne on a trailer
“The position included free accommodation, and construction began in 1906. It is said that Olsson had very specific requirements. Among other things, the nursery was to be large, since he planned to have many children. It was a costly affair and the house had as many as nine rooms and an office,” says Maria Strålberg, a museologist and art historian who has been commissioned by LKAB to work with the relocation project.
The impressive 240-tonne structure will be loaded intact onto a specially adapted trailer for transport, just over 3 kilometres, to its new location. The new address is on Flyttleden, in Kiruna’s new urban core.
When: Wednesday, 25 October at 10.00 p.m.
