Gällivare has been built on iron deposits and the houses in the city have to make way for a mine. Because many of these houses are of high cultural value, the governmental mining company wanted to move them in one piece.

Preparations started in June, with Mammoet’s subcontractor Nylundh digging out the soil from underneath the houses. Once Nylundh dug out and fortified each house, it was lowered onto Mammoet’s transportation equipment.

Mammoet used two prime movers and 18 axles of conventional trailers to transport each of the houses across approximately 7km to their new destination.

The houses varied in size, with a weight ranging between 45 and 220t, the biggest one measuring 25m in length, 12m in width and 13.3m in height.

The houses that have been moved will now be renovated. Once the houses are habitable again, the families living in the second set of houses to be moved will be housed there. In total, Mammoet will be moving 30 houses from Gällivare to Koskullskulle. All 30 houses have to be at their new location at the end of 2017.