Kiruna – Sweden’s northernmost town

Kiruna is Sweden’s northernmost town and a diverse one at that – with the northern lights, the midnight sun, Sweden’s highest mountains, a vibrant Sami culture, a space centre, the world’s largest underground iron ore mine and an ongoing urban transformation. Find out more about Kiruna below.

Kiruna is located about 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland, which covers about a quarter of Sweden and borders Norway and Finland. It is a relatively small town with a population of around 23 000, but has an area of 19 447 square kilometres, making it the largest municipality in Sweden. Around 70 kilometres west of Kiruna is Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise.

Due to the town’s proximity to the Arctic Circle, Kiruna enjoys about two months of midnight sun. From September to March there is a good chance of seeing the northern lights, or Aurora Borealis, which is a beautiful light phenomenon that can be seen after dark.

Sápmi – home of the Sami, one of the world’s indigenous peoples

Kiruna is located in the geographical area of Sápmi and has been home to the indigenous Sami people from time immemorial. The Sami people are one of the world’s indigenous peoples who have lived in and with nature for millennia. The Sami culture is alive and well in the Kiruna area. In Sápmi, reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing are central to Sami culture and society and have been practised for hundreds of years in their present form. For the Sami, the seasons are of great importance – that is why, instead of four, there are eight seasons in Sápmi from the Sami perspective.

Underground iron ore mine and major urban relocation

Kiruna has long been a mining community. The town is home to the world’s largest underground iron ore mine, where 75 000 tonnes of iron ore are mined every day at a depth of 1 600 metres. The mine opened in 1898 and the town of Kiruna was officially founded at the turn of the century. The mine is still in operation and is expected to supply iron ore for a long time to come.

Because of mining, Kiruna is undergoing a major urban transformation – the most radical urban relocation project ever undertaken. Mining is causing subsidence in the bedrock, which has resulted in ground fracturing that is spreading to the properties above ground. In order for mining to continue, a large part of the town needs to be physically relocated. In September 2022, the central parts of new Kiruna, about three kilometres to the east, were inaugurated, but the urban transformation is not expected to be complete until 2035, when the new city centre has been fully developed. Kiruna Town Hall – known as ‘Kristallen’ – was the first landmark to be completed in the drive to create a new Kiruna.

Space industry plays a very important role in Kiruna

Kiruna is not just a mining town, it is also a space town. It is home to Sweden’s only space centre, founded over 50 years ago and one of only two space centres in the whole of Europe. Today, the space centre is mainly used for research on microgravity and atmospheric conditions. It is also one of the world’s largest satellite ground stations, serving as the hub of a global network of stations that navigate, track and download data from satellites in orbit around the Earth.