Field trip to Kiruna

Kiruna is home to the world's largest underground iron ore mine, and 6,800 tonnes of ore is shipped out to Narvik by train every day. Iron and steel is by far the most commonly used metal in the world, so this makes the company town in arctic Sweden/Sápmi a hub in global design culture - although it is rarely recognized as such. Because the ore seam slants underneath the town that was built to mine it, a new town centre is being built 3 km east of the old one. Some buildings of significant heritage value are being moved, but most of the old town will be razed, and 12,000 of the 18,000 inhabitants must be relocated. Witnessing this massive operation up-close is awe-inspiring and deeply troubling. We visited the mine, walked around both the old and the new town centre, and were treated to guided tours both of the KIN Museum of Contemporary Art and the Sámi Museum.