Kiruna Church

Kiruna Church tickets: which one to buy

Kiruna Church stands in the town of Kiruna in Swedish Lapland, far north of the Arctic Circle, and it is one of the most beautiful wooden buildings in Sweden, voted the country's most popular building in a public poll. Entry is free, and the church is open to visitors during the day, except during services. Because the town is sinking into the ground above the world's largest underground iron ore mine, the whole town centre is being moved several kilometres east, and in 2025 the church itself was lifted and moved on huge vehicles to a new site near the new town centre;

check the current location and opening arrangements before visiting. Visitors to Kiruna come for the northern lights, dog sledding, the Icehotel in nearby Jukkasjärvi, the mine tours and the Abisko National Park. Kiruna has an airport and a railway station. Buses from the airport and the railway station connect with the town centre.

Visiting Kiruna Church: what to see

The church was built between 1909 and 1912 by the mining company LKAB, which donated it to the town, and it was designed by the architect Gustaf Wickman, inspired by the traditional Sami tent, the kåta, and by Swedish wooden architecture. The building is shaped like a huge Sami hut, with a steep red roof and a separate bell tower. The exterior is covered with wooden shingles and decorated with gilded bronze figures on the roof, made by the sculptor Christian Eriksson, representing human virtues and weaknesses. Inside, the church is a large open space, with dark wooden walls and ceiling, a rose window and an altarpiece by Prince Eugen, the Swedish painter prince, showing a Lapland landscape.

The church's interior has an art nouveau atmosphere, and its acoustics make it a popular concert venue. The bell tower, separate from the church, holds bells cast in Sweden. The church's interior has painted walls and wood carvings with motifs inspired by nature. The organ was built in the twentieth century. The gilded figures on the roof represent virtues such as love, faith and hope, and weaknesses such as pride and envy. The church can seat about nine hundred people. Its move to a new site was carefully planned, with the building lifted onto huge transport vehicles and driven slowly through the town. The surrounding area includes the new town centre with a modern town hall. Concerts in the church are held during the midnight sun and the winter festival.

Kiruna Church opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily. Kiruna has extreme seasons: in winter, from December to March, it is very cold and dark, with the polar night in December, but this is the best time to see the northern lights; in summer, from late May to mid-July, the midnight sun shines around the clock. The Kiruna Snow Festival in January features snow sculptures and reindeer races. The church is beautiful under snow. Allow about twenty minutes for the church, and combine the visit with a tour of the iron ore mine or a trip to the Icehotel. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, about twenty minutes' drive away, rebuilds its ice rooms every winter and has a permanent ice gallery.