It is needless to say that the past few days have been killing me. I have been so exhausted and tired but just keep going because there is so much I want to see. Yesterday we drove an hour and a half north to a town called Kiruna (Key-ore-nuh) . It is the most northern town in all of Sweden.
I was SO disappointed because this was just such a run down P.O.S. city. Over 50% of the people who live there work for the LKAB Mine. (click here for LKAB information). LKAB is an international high-tech minerals group, one of the world’s leading producers of upgraded iron ore products for the steel industry and a growing supplier of industrial minerals products to other sectors.
The mine makes so much money and employees graduates right out of high school and they get paid insanely well. The problem is that the people that work there right out of high school never get a better education, never need to work hard for anything. They never get the opportunity to experience more and experience something different. The town is not beautiful like the rest of Sweden. The backdrop is not a beautiful mountain or river, it is a giant now mountain that is the dumping ground for excess ground that they did not find any coal in. The mine is growing so much that the areas they have already mined are useless and are now moving homes and relocating people because where they want to blast, is right under their homes. Around 2 a.m. they being blasting and you can feel the ground and shelves shake. Think of it as mini-earthquakes until 8am! The mine takes is so much money, for a few days the workers striked for more pay, in those few days they strike the mine lost over $11 million total.
We did manage to go into ... voted the most beautiful building in all of Sweden 2001...
the church of Kiruna. (Key-ore-nuh)
Right above the entrance to the church is a wooden carved design that was carved in 1913.
The inside was gorgeous...
The front doors were incredible to say the least, there was so much detail.
The owner of the mine asked an archict to build the church Laplandish style, like an old lapland tent! About 12 feet from the church across the courtyard was the bell tower. Built in the same style as the church.
Outside all along the church is golden statues, each represents the feelings of emotions that one goes through when presenting themselves upon the alter to God when asking for forgiveness. There is a total of 15 statues. I will only put a few because from where we were they all looked the same...
I am out of time and William is waiting on me, so I will post up pictures from Lulea and from our little adventure into more Lapland area in a few hours...
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