In Sweden, more than 3,000 apartments and houses several hotels, 670,000 square feet of office space, a school and a hospital during the next twenty years will be moved to the east of the country, reports ee24.com with reference to The Wall Street Journal.
And it all started back in 2004 when the state-owned mining company Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB) sent a letter to the municipality of Kiruna , northern Sweden, a statement of intent to dig deep into the nearby mountains to get more ore. The problem was that it could lead to the formation of fractures and cracks in the ground right under the city. The Swedes have carefully read the telegram, nodded sagely and went about their business.
Then almost ten years later, the problem became so obvious that it was impossible not to notice it. Cracks and fissures crept up almost to the very center of the city. Administration in record time provided the master plan of the new city. The sovereign's men approved the plan and ordered the city to prepare for the move to a little over three kilometers east of the current location. It was decided to name the new city in a youth style: "Kiruna 4-ever".
Moving the whole city will require solid costs. An exact estimate of the cost has not yet been given, which may not please the company LKAB, who undertook to pay most of the costs. So far it's allocated $532 million (€401 million) and plans to spend at least $1.1 billion (€830 million) .
Photo : Bloomberg News