Kiruna

Kiruna counts 1900 as the birth year of the city. The city was founded by LKAB’s first manager Hjalmar Lundbohm, he was a geologist with a strong cultural interest and his vision was that Kiruna would become a model community. Lundbohm enlisted the help of Sweden’s foremost experts in architecture and community planning. One of these experts was the urban planner P O Hallman who gave Kiruna a climate-adapted urban plan, the first in the country. The city was built to stand well against the wind and with a view and proximity to the mining mountain Kiirunavaara.

Right now, a city transformation is ongoing in Kiruna, which means that about a third of the city and about 6,000 people are affected.

Two centers

Today we are talking about “the Old Center” and “the New Center”. When you visit our old center today, you will notice that large parts are cordoned off as these houses will begin to be demolished in 2023. Light installations and art in shop windows bring a little life to the old city center that is emptied. It is a special feeling to walk in the old center when darkness falls on, as it is black in all apartment windows and business premises. Remaining in the old center are some accommodation facilities and a few restaurants. Camp Ripan has a cafe for those who fancy a coffee.

Today, there are not many shops left, most have moved into the new city center, which was inaugurated on 1 September 2022. There you will also find the tourist center, Scandic hotel, the town hall, grocery stores, restaurants, cafés, etc. During the next year, more people will move out to the new city center, as soon as the quarters and premises are ready.

Kiruna municipality has 23,000 inhabitants, of which approx. 18,000 live in central Kiruna. The rest live in one of the 50 villages in the municipality. With its approx. 20,000 km², Kiruna municipality is larger in surface area than 50 of the world’s countries. That gives us almost one square kilometer per person to live on.