View source for Kiruna

{{short description|Mining city in northern Sweden}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}{{Infobox settlement
| name               = {{native name|sv|Kiruna}}
| official_name      = Kiruna - Giron
| other_name         = {{native name|se|Giron}}<br />{{native name|fit|Kieruna}}<br />{{native name|fi|Kiiruna}}
| image_skyline      = Kiruna montage.png
| image_caption      = Clockwise from top: Kiruna skyline by night, [[Kiruna Church]], the [[Icehotel (Jukkasjärvi)|Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi]], rocket launch at [[Esrange]], bell tower at Kiruna Church.
| pushpin_map        = Sweden Norrbotten#Sweden#European Union
| pushpin_label_position = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[Sweden]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Municipalities of Sweden|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Kiruna Municipality]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Counties of Sweden|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Norrbotten County]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces of Sweden|Province]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Lapland, Sweden|Lapland]]
| established_date1  = 27 April 1900
| established_title1 = City plan adopted
| established_date2  = 1 January 1948
| established_title2 = [[City status in Sweden|Charter]]
| area_footnotes     = <ref name=scb>{{cite web |url=http://www.scb.se/Statistik/MI/MI0810/2010A01/Tatorternami0810tab1_4.xls |title=Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km<sup>2</sup> 2005 och 2010 |date=14 December 2011 |publisher=[[Statistics Sweden]] |language=sv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127055525/http://www.scb.se/Statistik/MI/MI0810/2010A01/Tatorternami0810tab1_4.xls |archive-date=27 January 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=10 January 2012 }}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 19447
| population_as_of   = 30 September 2019
| population_footnotes = <ref name=scb />
| population_total   = 22,906 <!-- This is the official figure from Statistics Sweden (Statistiska centralbyrån). -->
| population_density_km2 = 1098
| timezone           = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset         = +1
| timezone_DST       = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +2
| coordinates        = {{coord|67|50|56|N|20|18|10|E|region:SE-BD_type:city(23,000)|display=inline,title}}
| website            = [http://kiruna.se/ kiruna.se]
}}

'''{{lang|sv|Kiruna|italic=no}}''' ({{IPA|sv|ˈkǐːrʉna|lang}};<ref>{{cite book|url=https://runeberg.org/ortnamn/0018.html|last1=Sahlgren|first1=Jöran|last2=Bergman|first2=Gösta|title=Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter|language=sv|year=1979|page=14}}</ref> {{langx|se|Giron}} {{IPA|se|ˈkiron|}}; {{langx|fi|Kiiruna}} {{IPA|fi|ˈkiːrunɑ|}}; {{Langx|fit|Kieruna}}) is the northernmost [[Stad (Sweden)|city]] in [[Sweden]], situated in the province of [[Lapland, Sweden|Lapland]]. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016<ref name="scb3">[http://www.statistikdatabasen.scb.se/pxweb/sv/ssd/START__BE__BE0101__BE0101A/FolkmangdTatort/table/tableViewLayout1/?rxid=f45f90b6-7345-4877-ba25-9b43e6c6e299 Statistikdatabasen - Folkmängd efter region och vart 5:e år]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and is the seat of [[Kiruna Municipality]] (population: 23,167 in 2016)<ref name="scb2">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistikdatabasen.scb.se/pxweb/sv/ssd/START__BE__BE0101__BE0101A/BefolkningNy/table/tableViewLayout1/?rxid=f45f90b6-7345-4877-ba25-9b43e6c6e299|title=Folkmängd efter region och år, 2016|date=2018-01-25|publisher=[[Statistics Sweden]]|language=sv|access-date=2018-01-25}}</ref> in [[Norrbotten County]]. The city was originally built in the 1890s to serve the [[Kiruna Mine]].

The [[Esrange Space Center]] was established in Kiruna in the 1960s.<ref name="auto">{{cite book|last1=Backman|first1=Fredrick|title=Making Place for Space: a History of 'Space Town' Kiruna 1943-2000|date=2015|publisher=Umeå University|location=Umeå, Sweden|isbn=978-91-7601-244-4|url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-101725}}</ref> Also in Kiruna are the [[Institute of Space Physics (Sweden)|Institute of Space Physics]]<ref name="IRF Kiruna">{{cite web|url=http://www.irf.se/Offices/Kiruna/?chosen=office_kiruna|title=IRF Kiruna|access-date=2009-02-03|archive-date=2020-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111235555/http://www2.irf.se/Offices/Kiruna/?chosen=office_kiruna|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Luleå University of Technology]]'s Department of Space Science.<ref name="ltu.se">{{cite web|url=http://www.ltu.se/irv?l=en|title=Welcome to the Department of Space Science|access-date=2009-02-03|archive-date=2010-03-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314120614/http://www.ltu.se/irv?l=en|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Origins ===
Archaeological findings have shown that the region around Kiruna has been inhabited for at least 6,000 years.  

Centuries before Kiruna was founded in 1900, the presence of iron ore at [[Kiirunavaara]] and [[Luossavaara]] had been known by the local [[Sámi people|Sámi]] population. In 1696, Samuel Mört, a bookkeeper of the [[Kengis]] works, wrote on rumours about the presence of iron in the two hills.<ref name="Kummu96">Kummu 1997, p. 96.</ref> The ore became better known after it was reported by Mangi, a Sámi man, in 1736 to Swedish authorities that had gathered in [[Jukkasjärvi|Jukkasjärvi Church]].<ref name="Kummu96" /> Soon after the reported finding Swedish senior enforcement officer and cartographer [[Anders Hackzell]] mapped the Kiruna area in 1736. He named the mountains ''Fredriks berg'' and ''Berget Ulrika Eleonora'', after the King of Sweden [[Frederick I of Sweden|Fredrik I]] and his wife [[Ulrika Eleonora]],<ref name="Kummu96" /> though today the mountains are known only by the names Kirunavaara and Luossavaara which come from [[Meänkieli]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Min Karta |url=https://minkarta.lantmateriet.se/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=minkarta.lantmateriet.se}}</ref>

Despite the findings of large amounts of ore, no mining was initiated because of the remote location and the harsh climate. Some ore was extracted in the 19th century. It was extracted in summer and transported in winter, using sleds drawn by [[reindeer]] and [[horse]]s. However, the costs were high and the quality of the [[phosphorus]] ore poor, until, in 1878, the [[Gilchrist–Thomas process]], invented by [[Sidney Gilchrist Thomas]] and [[Percy Gilchrist]], allowed for the separation of phosphorus from the ore.<ref name="kirunakommun">{{cite web|url=http://www.kommun.kiruna.se/Om-kommunen/Allmant-om-kommunen/Historia/|title=Historia – Kiruna kommun|access-date=2009-02-09|language=sv |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080625030922/http://www.kommun.kiruna.se/Om-kommunen/Allmant-om-kommunen/Historia/ |archive-date = June 25, 2008}}</ref><ref name="lkab">{{cite web|url=http://lkab.com/?openform&id=77DE|title=Press room/History/1696–1919@lkab.com|access-date=2009-02-09}}</ref>

[[File:IORE Vassijaure.jpg|thumb|left|An [[Iore]] electric locomotive passing Vassijaure]]

In 1884, a concession for a railway from [[Luleå]] to [[Narvik]] was granted to ''The Northern Europe Railway Company''. The provisional railway between Luleå and [[Malmberget]] was finished in 1888 and the first train left Malmberget in March. Around the same time, the English company went bankrupt and had to sell the line to the Swedish state for 8 million [[Swedish crown]]s, around half the amount initially invested. After a significant rebuild, the railway to Gällivare could be used again and iron ore was extracted at [[Malmberget]] by Aktiebolaget Gellivare Malmfält (AGM).<ref name="lkab" /><ref name="kiruna100gruv">{{cite book |title=Kiruna 100-årsboken |chapter=Gruvstaden – Gruvorna |last=Barck |first=Åke |date=27 April 2000|publisher=[[Kiruna municipality|Kiruna kommun]] |location=Kiruna |isbn=91-630-9371-5 |pages=60–74 |language=sv}}</ref>

At the initiative of Robert Schoug, the [[LKAB|Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag]] (LKAB) was founded in 1890. In 1893, Gustaf Broms became CEO of both LKAB and AGM. LKAB pressed for continuing [[Malmbanan]] via Luossavaara and Kiirunavaara to the ice-free coast of Norway. The continuation of the railway line to [[Narvik]] was controversial, because opponents feared the influence of [[Russia]] (then controlling [[Finland]] and already connected to Sweden at [[Haparanda]]–[[Tornio]]) on an international railway line.
[[File:Kiruna stadshus 1.JPG|thumb|right|The old Kiruna City Hall in summer]]

The decision to build was finally taken in 1898. The railway came to Kiruna 15 October 1899 and the Swedish and Norwegian sections were joined 15 November 1902. For LKAB, the great expense almost led to bankruptcy in 1901, just after the ore mining at Kiirunavaara had started. [[King Oscar II]] only opened the railway line 14 July 1903, preferring summer over winter to travel north.<ref name="lkab" /><ref name="kiruna100gruv" /><ref name="kiruna100komm">{{cite book |title=Kiruna 100-årsboken |chapter=Komunikationer – Från hästskuts till e-post |last1=Theander |first1=Agge |last2=Aidenpää |first2=Elis |last3=Bergström  |first3=Rolf  |date=27 April 2000|publisher=[[Kiruna municipality|Kiruna kommun]] |location=Kiruna |isbn=91-630-9371-5 |pages=132–147 |language=sv}}</ref>

The architects Per Olof Hallman and Gustaf Wickman were appointed to design the city, to be built at Haukivaara, near both iron ore mines, with then-revolutionary consideration of geographical and climatological circumstances; being built on a hill, winter temperatures are much milder than in other towns, and due to the street plan and the positioning, wind is limited. On 27 April 1900, Hallman's plan was officially accepted.

Gustaf Broms proposed to name the settlements ''Kiruna'', a short and practical name that could also be pronounced by Swedish-speaking inhabitants. The name means [[rock ptarmigan]] in Sámi and Finnish. LKAB appointed [[Hjalmar Lundbohm]], who had finished neither high school nor his geology studies, as local manager in Kiruna.<ref name="kiruna100early">{{cite book |title=Kiruna 100-årsboken |chapter=Kiruna – Från ödemark till stad |last=Persson |first=Curt |author2=Jan-Erik Johansson  |date=27 April 2000|publisher=[[Kiruna municipality|Kiruna kommun]] |location=Kiruna |isbn=91-630-9371-5 |pages=27&ndash;43 |language=sv}}</ref><ref name="kiruna100hl">{{cite book|title=Kiruna 100-årsboken |chapter=Kiruna – Hjalmar Lundbohm |last=Persson |first=Curt |date=27 April 2000|publisher=[[Kiruna municipality|Kiruna kommun]] |location=Kiruna |isbn=91-630-9371-5 |pages=50&ndash;57 |language=sv}}</ref><ref name="wintercity">{{cite web|url=http://www.wintercities.kiruna.se/nytt/technicaltours.htm|title=Kiruna – technical visits|access-date=2009-02-09|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220084615/http://www.wintercities.kiruna.se/nytt/technicaltours.htm|archive-date=2012-02-20}}</ref>

=== Early history ===
[[File:Kiruna befolkningsutveckling 1900–2000.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Population development in Kiruna town]]
[[File:Aurora 3 in Kiruna.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Aurora taken from the suburbs of Kiruna]]

Before the design for the settlement had been accepted, houses were built in a disorganized manner with illegal [[slum]]s similar to those in the other mining town, [[Malmberget]], {{convert|80|km}} south of Kiruna. Also, provisional buildings served as a church, a school, a hospital, a hotel and a police station. However, official residences were built at a high pace, and when the king opened the railway in 1903, all illegal residences and most other provisional buildings had been demolished and replaced. The very first building, ''B:1'', is preserved and can be seen at ''Hjalmar Lundbohmsgården''. In 1899, 18 people were registered as living in soon-to-be Kiruna. This increased to 222 in 1900, 7,438 in 1910 and 12,884 in 1930.

The residences did not fully keep up with this rapid growth; by 1910, there were 1,877 official rooms and some unrecognised residences, which meant that an average of three to four people lived in a single room; this density decreased steadily during the decades to follow. Kiruna became a municipalsamhälle (a community within a municipality) in 1908. This caused unhappiness in local organisations, such as ''Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Arbetareförening'', that had hoped for status as [[köping]], which would have kept more of the mining income inside the locality. In return, the mining company LKAB paid for a hospital, fire station, sewerage, roads, a church (opened 1912) and the priest's home.<ref name="kirunakommun" /><ref name="kiruna100gruv" /><ref name="kiruna100early" />

[[File:Church of Kiruna 2011.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kiruna Church]]]]
In April 1907, a [[tram]] began operation in Kiruna, the northernmost in the world. This meant miners would no longer have to walk several kilometres through the sub-arctic cold, nor would they need to climb a hundred meters up the mining hill. The network consisted of three lines: ''bergbanan'' ([[funicular]]), ''stadsspårvägen'' (city tramway) and ''gruvspårvägen'' (mine tramway). The funicular closed in 1955 after a road up the mine was built 1949. The city line had a maximum length of {{convert|8|km}} and was unique due to the [[narrow gauge|1-meter gauge]], double-glazed windows and heated wagons. It closed in 1958 after gradually being replaced by buses. Between 1941 and 1964, a tram was used inside the mine, with wagons bought from closed tramlines throughout Sweden.<ref name="kiruna100komm" />

The iron ore industry was good in the early 20th century. Before the start of the work, Hjalmar Lundbohm worried whether the Kiruna winter would allow for working outside at all, but despite early research into underground mining, [[mountaintop removal mining]] was the primary method in the early years. Mechanisation was attempted early using [[steam power]]ed excavators, but the cold climate led to considerable difficulties and only when electrical machinery became available in the 1910s, significant mechanisation was achieved. The peak of [[Kiirunavaara]], ''Statsrådet'', was {{convert|247.7|m}} above [[Luossajärvi]] until it was spectacularly blown off in 1910.<ref name="lkab" /><ref name="kiruna100gruv" />

A general strike hit Sweden in 1909 and Kiruna was no exception. Hoping for a better future, thousands of people left Kiruna, including a group of 500 inhabitants emigrating to Brazil. Most of them returned, disappointed that life in [[Latin America]] was not what they had hoped it to be. Hjalmar Lundbohm personally lent money for the trip home to some of the emigrants.<ref name="lkab" /><ref name="kiruna100gruv" />

During [[World War I]], iron ore production dropped to the lowest level in LKAB's history, and when exports increased again, a successful three-month strike in 1920 led to a 20% increase in salaries for the miners. Production dropped to a minimum in 1922 and a three-day work week was introduced, but during the ''fabulous twenties'', it increased to a record nine million tonnes in 1927.<ref name="kiruna100gruv" />

In 1921, mining started at Kiruna's other hill, [[Luossavaara]]. However, the total amount of ore that could be mined in [[open pit mining]] here was small compared to Kiirunavaara, and LKAB preferred to concentrate resources in one place. Nevertheless, mining here continued until 1974 and later it became a research mine.<ref name="lkab" /><ref name="kiruna100gruv" /> While 19th-century mining in Kiruna had focused on Luossavaara the large-scale operation of LKAB focused on the Kiruna ore proper because it was both larger and not subject to legal restrictions that mandate Luossavaara ore to be refined in Sweden.<ref name=Hansson2015-212>Hansson 2015, p. 212.</ref>

During the first decades of Kiruna's existence, no road connected it to the outside world. The only connection was by railway or, as in the time before the railway, by boat (in summer) via the [[Torne (Finnish and Swedish river)|Torne]] and [[Kalix river|Kalix]] rivers to [[Jukkasjärvi]] and Håmojåkk and then proceeding by foot. A road from Kiruna was built to Tuolluvaara in 1901, Poikkijärvi in 1909, Alttajärvi in 1913 and connected to [[Svappavaara]] in 1926, from where roads already connected via [[Vittangi]] to [[Pajala]] and via Lappesuando to [[Gällivare]] and further south.<ref name="kiruna100komm" />

The [[Great Depression]] led to a 70% drop in ore production, a drop that would turn into a dramatic increase on the eve of [[World War II]].<ref name="kiruna100gruv" />

Although some tourists had already started coming to the area in the 19th century, the completion of the railway line truly made tourism possible. Tourists came for the rivers and the mountains, but also geologists and entire classes of students came to see the mine. Additionally, a yearly winter sports festival was started, which attracted people from a wide area. The Sami population was already a tourist attraction in the early days of Kiruna's existence.<ref name="kiruna100turism">{{cite book |title=Kiruna 100-årsboken |chapter=Näringsliv och forskning – Turismen |last=Barck |first=Åke |date=27 April 2000|publisher=[[Kiruna municipality|Kiruna kommun]] |location=Kiruna |isbn=91-630-9371-5 |pages=60–74 |language=sv}}</ref>

In the early 1920s a movement that became known as "Kirunasvenskarna" (the [[Kiruna Swedes]]) decided to emigrate to [[Soviet Russia]], the land where they hoped for better working conditions and higher wages and general standards. They were the last Swedes who emigrated in groups. Most of these emigrants lived in Kiruna prior to their move.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.levandehistoria.se/kirunasvenskarna/vilka-var-kirunasvenskarna | title=Vilka var Kirunasvenskarna? }}</ref>

=== World War II ===
{{See also|Swedish iron ore during World War II}}

The municipality of Kiruna shares borders with Norway and Finland and Kiruna is located relatively close to both countries. This led to many soldiers being transported to the area whenever mobilisation was requested; first in September 1939 after the German [[invasion of Poland]], then in November 1939 after the [[Winter War|Russian invasion of Finland]], but in both cases, Swedish soldiers did not engage in any fighting. In March 1940, Churchill requested permission to transport soldiers from Narvik in Norway to Finland via Kiruna and Haparanda in ''[[Operation Catherine]]''. Out of fear that the presence of British soldiers near the Kiruna ore mine would provoke a German attack on Sweden, the request was declined.<ref name="kiruna100war">{{cite book |title=Kiruna 100-årsboken |chapter=I skuggan av krigen|last1=Theander |first1=Agge|last2=Roth |first2=Thomas |date=27 April 2000|publisher=[[Kiruna municipality|Kiruna kommun]] |location=Kiruna |isbn=91-630-9371-5 |pages=234–250 |language=sv}}</ref>

After the [[Operation Weserübung|German invasion of Norway]], at least ten soldiers were stationed along every bridge along [[Malmbanan]], to blow up the bridges should the German army invade Sweden. Additionally, foreigners were banned from visiting Kiruna or the iron ore line, and only the [[Sami people|Sami]], military personnel, locals and people working for the government were permitted to travel between Kiruna and Riksgränsen.<ref name="kiruna100war" />

After [[Battles of Narvik|the battle]] at [[Bjørnfjell, Nordland|Bjørnfjell]], 15 April 1940, wounded and fallen Norwegian soldiers were transported to Kiruna.<ref name="kiruna100war" />

Despite the conditions for [[Sweden during World War II|Swedish neutrality]], rail cars with food, skis and helmets were transported from Kiruna to the Norwegian soldiers in Bjørnfjell.<ref name="kiruna100war" />

Swedish iron ore from Kiruna was of major importance to the German war machine. A group of people working at LKAB organised in the Wollweberliga, planning to sabotage transports to Germany. In late November 1941, Edvard Nyberg, [[Ernst Wollweber]] and others produced a mine to be attached to the ore cars. Nyberg was caught, was fired from LKAB and spent {{frac|3|1|2}} years in prison. Upon his release, he founded ''Nybergs Mekaniska Verkstad'' which is still one of Kiruna's biggest companies.<ref name="kiruna100war" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nybergsmek.se/|title=Start - NMV Group|website=NMV Group|access-date=2009-02-22|archive-date=2018-08-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810181123/http://nybergsmek.se/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nsd.se/nyheter/artikel.aspx?ArticleId=4386753|language=sv|title=De fick prestigefyllt pris |first=Hans |last=Sternlund|work=Norrländska Socialdemokraterna|access-date=22 February 2009}}</ref>

Germany requested that Sweden provide use of the railway network to transport military equipment, but the Swedish government agreed only to ''transitering av human karaktär, men ej underhåll till stridande trupp'' (transit of humanitarian character, but no supply of fighting soldiers). Germany argued that, now that Norway was occupied, the German soldiers there were no longer fighting, and thus transported a large amount of military equipment, ammunition and, secretly, troops from southern to northern Norway, via Malmbanan and Kiruna. Troops were often transported in transports declared as material transports. Despite being strictly against the rules, there was considerable interaction between the German soldiers and the Swedish locals, including trading and football matches.<ref name="kiruna100war" />

During the war, up to 2,000 refugees from 20 countries were kept in Kiruna. German prisoners of war, for example, from crashed airplanes, were kept in Kiruna before being transported south. However, small-scale sabotage, such as sand in the engines, was common and loose weapons often ended up at the bottom of the Luossajärvi lake, next to the railway stop.<ref name="kiruna100war" />

North of Torneträsk, at Kaivare, a radio base ''Kari'' was built in secrecy and used by the Norwegian resistance. It was also used for the smuggling of arms to Norway and refugees from Norway.<ref name="kiruna100war" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.internationalen.se/print.php?news.3067|work=Internationalen|title=Sverige, USA, FRA och signalspaning|last=Svensson|first=Anders|date=11 July 2008|access-date=22 February 2009|language=sv}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

=== Post-war ===
[[File:Kiruna-sentrum.jpg|thumb|300px|right|An old mansion near the centre of Kiruna.]]

In 1948, Kiruna gained city rights and started to receive large amounts of money from the mine. The city centre was renovated starting in 1953; most buildings built before 1920 were demolished and replaced, and many of the buildings built in the following period lasted into the 2000s. The town grew and new neighborhoods were built, as well as new apartment buildings and villas in existing neighborhoods. The area is known as ''Lombolo'' and was built in the 1960s.<ref name="kiruna100early" />

After World War II, the economy of Kiruna started to diversify. Initially, the mechanisation of the mining industry led to more mechanical workshops developing machinery for the mine, still dependent on the mining, but individual companies with spinoffs that could be sold to other areas than the Kiruna mine alone. In the 1950s, a fund, ''Norrlandsfonden'' was established, in which profits from LKAB would be invested in order to diversify the local economy. The municipality started to lend money to starting companies against very beneficial rates, a scheme that lasted until 1959 because the banks, that insisted this was false competition, had established more relaxed rules for lending out money. The industrial area east of the city was built in the 1950s to separate industry from neighborhoods.<ref name="kiruna100aktillit">{{cite book |title=Kiruna 100-årsboken |chapter=Näringsliv och forskning – Från AK till IT|last=Nilsson|first=Kjell|date=27 April 2000|publisher=[[Kiruna municipality|Kiruna kommun]] |location=Kiruna |isbn=91-630-9371-5 |page=86&ndash;90 |language=sv}}</ref>

On 10 November 1960, [[Kiruna Airport]] opened to separate civilian air traffic from the military airplanes that had landed at Kalixfors airport and at [[Luossajärvi]] since World War I. A road to [[Nikkaluokta]] was opened in 1971 and to [[Riksgränsen]] and [[Narvik (town)|Narvik]] in 1984. The latter had been debated heavily, for alternative plans existed to build the road to Norway on the northern side of [[Torneträsk]], via Laimo, Kattuvuoma, Salmi to [[Innset, Trøndelag|Innset]] and [[Setermoen|Bardu]] in Norway. This road was never built, but a 25&nbsp;km long track between Laimo and Salmi was built at the initiatives of the locals and finished in 1962; however, this track, called Talmavägen, is not connected to any other road.<ref name="kiruna100komm" />

Increased communications were also beneficial for tourism. [[Swedish Railways]] had already run special trains before World War II, but started a special Dollar train in the summer months between [[Gothenburg]] and Kiruna, connecting to cruise ships from the [[United States]]. The canoe club Kiruna Långfärdspaddlare was founded in 1972 and rafting for tourists restarted after it had been discontinued for 20 years due to the drowning of Valfrid Johansson. Until the 1980s, tourism had been mainly a summer business, but touristic exploitation of dog sledging was started in 1983 in Jukkasjärvi. In 1990, the first [[Icehotel]] was built in Jukkasjärvi and advertised as the world's largest igloo. It had been built using techniques from the building of [[Malmbanan]] 90 years before and was also inspired by the Snow Festival, that had started in 1986 to celebrate the Swedish [[Viking (satellite)|Viking]] satellite. Since 1998, a special tourist area exists in the mine and since 1999, tourists can visit the various areas of research going on in Kiruna.<ref name="kiruna100turism" />

In 1957, the ''Kiruna Geophysical Observatory'' (KGO) (now the [[Swedish Institute of Space Physics]]) was founded and established by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. [[Esrange]] Space Centre was established in 1966. Here, rocket operations and ground-based observations are carried out since 1966, balloon operations since 1974, satellite operations since 1978 and testing operations since 2000 (with the [[Swedish Defence Material Administration]]). ESA has operated a satellite station at Salmajärvi, near Esrange, since 1989. In 1987, [[Umeå University]] started a space engineering program in Kiruna, and [[GIS]] education was started by [[Luleå University of Technology]] in 1991. In 1993, The Umeå space engineers moved to the same building housing IRF and a year later another Luleå University programme, civil engineering with specialisation in space technology, started at the same location. Since 2006, the ''Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Space Science and Technology'' has started with at least one semester spent at LTU. In 2007, education along IRV was split and only the Department of Space Science, belonging to Luleå University of Technology, remained, while the Umeå University programme in Space Engineering ended.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="irf">{{cite web|url=http://www.irf.se/Overview/?dbfile=About_Kiruna&dbsec=Administration&chosen=overview|title=Overview – Swedish Institute of Space Physics|access-date=2009-02-09|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220183342/http://www.irf.se/Overview/?dbfile=About_Kiruna&dbsec=Administration&chosen=overview|archive-date=2008-12-20}}</ref><ref name="esrange">{{cite web|url=http://www.ssc.se/?id=5998|title=Esrange space centre – history|access-date=2009-02-09}}</ref><ref name="kiruna100rymd">{{cite book |title=Kiruna 100-årsboken |chapter=Näringsliv och forskning – Rymd, miljö och gruva|last=Theander|first=Agge|date=27 April 2000|publisher=[[Kiruna municipality|Kiruna kommun]] |location=Kiruna |isbn=91-630-9371-5 |page=116&ndash;129 |language=sv}}</ref>

The Kiruna [[Icehotel (Jukkasjärvi)|Icehotel]] has been built in [[Jukkasjärvi]] each winter since 1990 and is a major tourist attraction.<ref name="icehotel">{{cite web|url=http://www.icehotel.com/|title=ICEHOTEL|access-date=2009-02-09}}</ref>

===The 20th century urban transformation===
The re-development of Kiruna is a reconstruction project, as the Kirunavaara mine, run by [[LKAB]], undermines the existing town centre. Several buildings are to be moved or demolished. The town center is to be moved {{convert|3|km|sp=us}} to the east.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2014/oct/22/kiruna-sweden-town-moved-east-iron-ore-mine|title=Kiruna: the town being moved 3km east so it doesn't fall into a mine|newspaper= The Guardian|date=22 October 2014|access-date=29 October 2017}}</ref>

In 2004, it was decided that the present centre of the municipality would have to be relocated to counter mining-related [[subsidence]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Golling|first1=Daniel|title=Kiruna forever|last2=Mínguez Carrasco|first2=Carlos|publisher=ArkDes|year=2020|isbn=978-91-985112-5-3|location=Stockholm|oclc=1155398269}}</ref> The relocation was to be made gradually over the coming decade. On January 8, 2007, a new location was proposed, northwest to the foot of the [[Luossavaara]] mountain, by the lake of [[Luossajärvi]].<ref name="dn070108_move">{{cite news
 | author = TT
 | title = Klart med Kirunas flytt
 | url = https://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/klart-med-kirunas-flytt/
 | work = Dagens Nyheter
 | date = 2007-01-08
 | access-date = 2015-10-24
 | language = sv
}}</ref>

The first actual work on moving the town was done in November 2007, when work on the new main sewage pipe started.<ref name="nsd071123_igång">{{cite news
 | last = Rosengren
 | first = Jessica
 | title = Kirunaflytten är igång
 | url = http://www.nsd.se/nyheter/kirunaflytten-ar-igang-3590360.aspx?ShowInfo=1&RestID=6527215
 | work = Norrländska Socialdemokraten
 | date = 2007-11-23
 | access-date = 2015-10-24
 | language = sv
}}</ref>

In the same week, the first sketches for the layout of the new part of the town became available.<ref name="nsd071123_skiss">{{cite news | last = Rosengren | first = Jessica | title = Nu finns det skiss över nya Kiruna | url = http://www.nsd.se/artikel.aspx?artid=76499&cat=1&pageIndex=0&arkiv=False | work = Norrländska Socialdemokraten | date = 2007-11-23 | access-date = 2007-11-25 | language = sv | archive-date = 2007-11-23 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071123204342/http://www.nsd.se/artikel.aspx?artid=76499&cat=1&pageIndex=0&arkiv=False | url-status = dead }}</ref> The sketches include a travel centre, the new locations for the city hall and the church, an artificial lake, and an extension of the Luossavaara hill into the city.<ref>[http://www.kommun.kiruna.se/upload/603/PP-SKISS%20F%C3%96R%20NV_071115_vriden_105.pdf Skissförslag nov.-07] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408235235/http://www.kommun.kiruna.se/upload/603/PP-SKISS%20F%C3%96R%20NV_071115_vriden_105.pdf |date=2008-04-08 }}</ref> The location of the new section of the [[European route E10|E10]] was still uncertain, as was the location of the [[malmbanan|railway]] and the railway station. A more official sketch was published early in spring 2008, which was then discussed with various interest groups before a further version was to be produced.

In June 2010, the municipal council decided that the town would be moved eastwards (to {{coord|67|51|1|N|20|18|2|E|display=inline|region:SE_type:landmark}}), in the direction of Tuolluvaara, instead of the proposed northwestern location.<ref>{{Cite news
  | title = Framtida placeringen av Kiruna klar
  | newspaper = [[Dagens Nyheter]]
  | language = sv
  | year = 2010
  | url = https://www.dn.se/
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110223185304/http://www.dn.se/
  | archive-date = February 23, 2011
  | access-date = January 8, 2007
  | url-status = bot: unknown
  }}</ref> The moving of the town was started in 2014, and the plan describes a process that continues to 2100.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kiruna.se/stadsomvandling/City-in-transformation/FAQ/|title=FAQ - Kiruna kommun|website=www.kiruna.se|access-date=2016-08-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918232304/http://www.kiruna.se/Stadsomvandling/City-in-transformation/FAQ/|archive-date=2016-09-18}}</ref> In the years 2012-2013, an international architectural competition concerning the vision, strategy, and design of a new city centre for a new Kiruna was arranged by the Municipality of Kiruna in partnership with the Swedish Association of Architects. White Arkitekter AB, based in [[Gothenburg]], together with Ghilardi + Hellsten Arkitekter, based in [[Oslo]], Spacescape AB, Vectura Consulting AB, and Evidens BLW AB, won the competition with their masterplan and strategy for moving the city. The competition team was led by White Arkitekter AB, lead architect Mikael Stenqvist, SAR/MSA, in collaboration with Ghilardi + Hellsten Arkitekter, lead architect Ellen Hellsten.<ref>{{cite web|title=A New City Centre for Kiruna|date=March 2013|page=30|publisher=[[Kiruna Municipality]]|url=https://www.arkitekt.se/app/uploads/2014/06/T%C3%A4vlingar-2013-Ny-stadsk%C3%A4rna-i-Kiruna-Jury-Pronouncement.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205101011/https://www.arkitekt.se/app/uploads/2014/06/T%C3%A4vlingar-2013-Ny-stadsk%C3%A4rna-i-Kiruna-Jury-Pronouncement.pdf|archive-date=2024-02-05|access-date=2024-08-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> Together with researchers from Luleå and Delft universities, it envisages a denser city centre with a greater focus on sustainability, green and blue infrastructure, pedestrians, and public transport rather than automobiles.<ref name="BBC">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26447507|title=Kiruna: How to move a town two miles east|newspaper=BBC News|date=6 March 2014|access-date=2014-03-06|last1=Kinder|first1=Tabby}}</ref> In 2018, the Swedish government announced that it would help arrange replacement work for radio corporation [[Radiotjänst i Kiruna|Radiotjänst]] after the city had been moved from its original location.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/norrbotten/gladjebesked-till-kiruna|title=Congratulations to Kiruna|newspaper=SVT Nyheter |date=30 May 2018|last1=Palomäki |first1=Teuvo }}</ref>

Starting in 2013, Danish explorer and photographer [[Klaus Thymann]] began a long-term project documenting the resettlement of the town. Using GPS-tagged imagery, he has returned multiple times since, replicating precise locations to show the changing landscape.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-swedish-town-collapsing-into-a-crack-kiruna/|title=The Swedish Town Being Swallowed by the Earth|magazine=VICE |date=24 February 2014|last1=Kotsoni |first1=E.}}</ref> In 2017 Thymann returned again to Kiruna to document the redevelopment of the town for Bloomberg Businessweek.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-09-05/the-audacious-complicated-plan-to-move-a-swedish-mining-town|title=The Complicated Audacious Plan to Move a Swedish Mining Town|newspaper=Businessweek |date=5 September 2017|last1=Dean |first1=J.}}</ref>

In August 2025, [[Kiruna Church]] was relocated towards the new centere as part of the LKAB town move.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The moving of Kiruna Church |url=https://lkab.com/en/events/the-moving-of-kiruna-church/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=LKAB |language=en-GB}}</ref> The 113-year-old building is protected by the Sweden Cultural Heritage Act and was transported in whole to prevent damage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kiruna church |url=https://kirunalapland.se/en/kiruna-church/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=Kiruna Lappland}}</ref> Again, the process was documented by photographer Klaus Thymann<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Audacious, Complicated Plan to Move a Swedish Mining Town |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-09-05/the-audacious-complicated-plan-to-move-a-swedish-mining-town |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250909235211/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-09-05/the-audacious-complicated-plan-to-move-a-swedish-mining-town |archive-date=2025-09-09 |access-date=2025-09-28 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref>

{{Panorama
|image   = File:Kiruna_panorama.jpg
|height  = 350
|alt     = Panoramic view of Kiruna and the iron ore mine
|caption = Kiruna city panorama, taken from Luossavaara, 2014
}}

== Geography ==
[[File:Icehotel-se-04.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Icehotel (Jukkasjärvi)|ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi]]]]

Kiruna is located in the north of Sweden, {{convert|145|km}} north of the [[Arctic Circle]]. The city centre is built on the Haukavaara hill at an altitude of 530 m, high above the [[Torne (Finnish and Swedish river)|Torne river]] to the north and the [[Kalix River]] to the south. Other parts of the town are Lombolo and Tuolluvaara. Near Kiruna are the mountains [[Kiirunavaara]] and [[Luossavaara]]. Kiirunavaara is an iron ore mine that is the town's primary economic resource. Luossavaara is a former mine and now used as a skiing slope.

The city is built near the lake [[Luossajärvi]] with outflow to the Luossajoki that flows in the [[Torne (Finnish and Swedish river)|Torne River]] at Laxforsen. The area around Kiruna is very sparsely populated. The northwest, west and southwest of Kiruna are dominated by the [[Scandinavian Mountains]], visible from the city centre. Sweden's highest mountain, [[Kebnekaise]], is {{convert|75|km|mi}} from the city centre and can be seen from it as well. To the west is [[Nikkaluokta]] and to the northwest are [[Abisko]], Björkliden, [[Riksgränsen]] and the [[Norway|Norwegian]] town of [[Narvik]], {{convert|180|km}} via the road. {{convert|12|km|mi|0}} north of Kiruna is [[Kurravaara]], on the edge of the [[Torne (Finnish and Swedish river)|Torne River]]. The land north of Kurravaara is roadless, uninhabited, partly barren and partly birch forest, up to the Norwegian and [[Finland|Finnish]] borders at [[Treriksröset]]. The lower-lying east is dominated by boreal forest, stretching thousands of kilometres through Finland and [[Russia]]. Around 15&nbsp;km east of Kiruna is a group of villages at the Torne River, most notably [[Jukkasjärvi]], where an [[Icehotel (Jukkasjärvi)|ice hotel]] is built each winter, attracting tourists from all over the world. The twin cities [[Gällivare]] and [[Malmberget]] are some 120&nbsp;km south of Kiruna.

Kiruna became a [[Stad (Sweden)|Swedish city]] on 1 January and was at one time listed as the largest city in the world by area,<ref>{{Cite web| title=Historien om världens största stad| url=http://www.nsd.se/nyheter/artikel.aspx?ArticleID=3597686| language=sv| publisher=[[Norrländska Socialdemokraten]]| access-date=2008-11-30}}</ref> even if most of its territory was non-urban. After the Swedish [[municipalities of Sweden|municipality reform]] in the 1970s, the term "city" has been legally discontinued. Today only the built-up area is considered a [[de facto]] city.

=== Climate ===
Being located 145&nbsp;km (90 miles) north of the [[Arctic Circle]], Kiruna has a [[subarctic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Dfc]]) with short, mild summers and long, cold winters, although the city itself can be considerably milder than the surrounding forest. Snow cover generally lasts from late September to mid-May, but snowfall can occur year-round. The [[midnight sun]] between 28 May and 16 July (50 days), and white nights lasts from early May to early August. [[Polar night]] lasts from 11 December to 1 January (22 days), the exact boundaries depending on local topography. Even though Kiruna's winters are very cold by Swedish standards, they are still much less severe than winters on similar latitudes in [[North America]] and [[Siberia]], and even more southerly areas in other parts of the world due to some maritime influence. Similar winter temperatures go as far south as below the [[45th parallel north|45th parallel]] in the [[Russian Far East]] as well as the interior upper [[Midwest]] and northern [[New England]] in the United States. Kiruna however, has cooler summers than such areas, but still warm enough to stay above polar climate and below the northern [[tree line]]. Winter temperatures however are significantly colder than areas immediately affected by the [[Gulf Stream]] to a degree that the regular lows of Kiruna during January and February are similar to [[Tromsø]]'s all-time record low.

The coldest confirmed temperature ever in Kiruna was recorded at the nearby weather station with {{convert|-43.3|C|F}} recorded in January 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.smhi.se/met/climate/time_series/month/vov_pdf/SMHI_vov_temperature_wind_jan15.pdf?91867|title=Temperature and Wind for January 2015 - All Time Records section|publisher=Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute|access-date=20 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016183657/http://data.smhi.se/met/climate/time_series/month/vov_pdf/SMHI_vov_temperature_wind_jan15.pdf?91867|archive-date=16 October 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The weather station recorded {{convert|31.6|C|F}} in July 1945, which is the all-time record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.smhi.se/met/climate/time_series/month/vov_pdf/SMHI_vov_temperature_wind_jul14.pdf?715|title=Temperature and Wind for July 2014 - All Time Records section|publisher=Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute|access-date=20 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016183657/http://data.smhi.se/met/climate/time_series/month/vov_pdf/SMHI_vov_temperature_wind_jul14.pdf?715|archive-date=16 October 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The warmest month on record at the weather station was July 2018, with average high temperatures of {{convert|24.3|C|F}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.smhi.se/met/climate/time_series/month/vov_pdf/SMHI_vov_temperature_wind_jul18.pdf?66120|title=July 2018 Temperature & Wind|language=sv|publisher=SMHI|access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref> Kiruna has a gloomy climate, affected by Atlantic low-pressure systems. Due to its extreme daylight cycle, the period between April and August account for 73% of Kiruna's annual sunshine according to the 1961-1990 normals, whereas the five darkest months between October and February contain only around 10% of the annual sunshine.

{{Weather box|width=
|location = [[Kiruna Airport]] (2002–2021 averages, extremes since 1901), precipitation from Rensjön
|collapsed = 
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 7.3
|Feb record high C = 8.1
|Mar record high C = 9.5
|Apr record high C = 16.6
|May record high C = 24.9
|Jun record high C = 28.5
|Jul record high C = 31.6
|Aug record high C = 27.7
|Sep record high C = 23.3
|Oct record high C = 16.1
|Nov record high C = 10.4
|Dec record high C = 8.7
|year record high C = 
|Jan avg record high C = 2.7
|Feb avg record high C = 3.9
|Mar avg record high C = 5.0
|Apr avg record high C = 10.1
|May avg record high C = 19.1
|Jun avg record high C = 23.5
|Jul avg record high C = 24.6
|Aug avg record high C = 23.1
|Sep avg record high C = 17.8
|Oct avg record high C = 10.2
|Nov avg record high C = 4.9
|Dec avg record high C = 4.0
|year avg record high C = 26.2
|Jan high C = -7.9
|Feb high C = -6.7
|Mar high C = -2.4
|Apr high C = 3.1
|May high C = 8.9
|Jun high C = 14.8
|Jul high C = 18.5
|Aug high C = 15.9
|Sep high C = 10.2
|Oct high C = 2.5
|Nov high C = -2.8
|Dec high C = -5.1
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = -12.4
|Feb mean C = -11.2
|Mar mean C = -7.1
|Apr mean C = -1.3
|May mean C = 4.7
|Jun mean C = 10.3
|Jul mean C = 13.8
|Aug mean C = 11.5
|Sep mean C = 6.5
|Oct mean C = -0.7
|Nov mean C = -6.5
|Dec mean C = -9.3
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = -16.8
|Feb low C = -15.7
|Mar low C = -11.8
|Apr low C = -5.6
|May low C = 0.5
|Jun low C = 5.7
|Jul low C = 9.1
|Aug low C = 7.0
|Sep low C = 2.7
|Oct low C = -3.8
|Nov low C = -10.1
|Dec low C = -13.4
|year low C = 
|Jan avg record low C = -29.1
|Feb avg record low C = -28.1
|Mar avg record low C = -23.6
|Apr avg record low C = -16.2
|May avg record low C = -6.7
|Jun avg record low C = 0.2
|Jul avg record low C = 3.1
|Aug avg record low C = 0.3
|Sep avg record low C = -4.0
|Oct avg record low C = -14.2
|Nov avg record low C = -22.5
|Dec avg record low C = -25.1
|year avg record low C = -32.0
|Jan record low C = -40.1
|Feb record low C = -42.3
|Mar record low C = -36.8
|Apr record low C = -31.1
|May record low C = -21.0
|Jun record low C = -5.0
|Jul record low C = -1.8
|Aug record low C = -5.0
|Sep record low C = -11.8
|Oct record low C = -28.8
|Nov record low C = -32.3
|Dec record low C = -37.5
|year record low C = 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 25.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 20.2
|Mar precipitation mm = 15.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 19.3
|May precipitation mm = 44.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 54.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 92.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 66.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 57.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 39.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 25.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 31.5
|year precipitation mm = 
|Jan sun = 8
|Feb sun = 69
|Mar sun = 162
|Apr sun = 208
|May sun = 238
|Jun sun = 244
|Jul sun = 244
|Aug sun = 180
|Sep sun = 118
|Oct sun = 75
|Nov sun = 21
|Dec sun = 0
|year sun = 
|source 1 = SMHI Open Data for Rensjön A, precipitation<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.smhi.se/data/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer#param=precipitationMonthlySum,stations=all,stationid=189720
| title = Open Data for Rensjön A, precipitation
| language = sv
| publisher= [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]]
| accessdate = 23 March 2022}}</ref>
|source 2 = SMHI Open Data for Kiruna flygplats, temperature<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.smhi.se/data/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer#param=airTemperatureMinAndMaxOnceEveryDay,stations=all,stationid=180940
| publisher = [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]]
| language = sv
| title = Open Data for Kiruna flygplats, temperature| date = 23 March 2022}}</ref>
|date = 23 March 2022}}

{{Weather box|width=
|location = Kiruna ([[Esrange]] 2002–2018, extremes since 1901)
|collapsed = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 7.3
|Feb record high C = 7.3
|Mar record high C = 11.3
|Apr record high C = 15.2
|May record high C = 27.0
|Jun record high C = 29.8
|Jul record high C = 31.6
|Aug record high C = 28.4
|Sep record high C = 24.3
|Oct record high C = 16.1
|Nov record high C = 9.2
|Dec record high C = 8.0
|year record high C = 31.6
|Jan avg record high C = 1.4
|Feb avg record high C = 3.5
|Mar avg record high C = 5.9
|Apr avg record high C = 11.3
|May avg record high C = 21.0
|Jun avg record high C = 24.3
|Jul avg record high C = 25.3
|Aug avg record high C = 24.5
|Sep avg record high C = 18.3
|Oct avg record high C = 10.5
|Nov avg record high C = 4.8
|Dec avg record high C = 3.5
|year avg record high C = 27.3
|Jan high C = -9.1
|Feb high C = -7.2
|Mar high C = -1.8
|Apr high C = 4.0
|May high C = 10.3
|Jun high C = 15.5
|Jul high C = 19.7
|Aug high C = 16.8
|Sep high C = 10.9
|Oct high C = 2.9
|Nov high C = -3.4
|Dec high C = -6.1
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = -14.0
|Feb mean C = -12.2
|Mar mean C = -7.3
|Apr mean C = -0.9
|May mean C = 5.4
|Jun mean C = 10.6
|Jul mean C = 14.5
|Aug mean C = 11.8
|Sep mean C = 6.6
|Oct mean C = -0.6
|Nov mean C = -7.5
|Dec mean C = -10.9
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = -18.8
|Feb low C = -17.2
|Mar low C = -12.8
|Apr low C = -5.7
|May low C = 0.5
|Jun low C = 5.7
|Jul low C = 9.2
|Aug low C = 6.8
|Sep low C = 2.3
|Oct low C = -4.1
|Nov low C = -11.6
|Dec low C = -15.7
|year low C = 
|Jan avg record low C = -32.9
|Feb avg record low C = -31.4
|Mar avg record low C = -27.3
|Apr avg record low C = -17.1
|May avg record low C = -6.5
|Jun avg record low C = -0.6
|Jul avg record low C = 2.9
|Aug avg record low C = -0.7
|Sep avg record low C = -4.7
|Oct avg record low C = -15.0
|Nov avg record low C = -24.9
|Dec avg record low C = -29.5
|year avg record low C = -35.7
|Jan record low C = -43.3
|Feb record low C = -42.3
|Mar record low C = -36.8
|Apr record low C = -31.1
|May record low C = -21.0
|Jun record low C = -5.8
|Jul record low C = -1.8
|Aug record low C = -4.0
|Sep record low C = -11.8
|Oct record low C = -28.8
|Nov record low C = -34.6
|Dec record low C = -38.0
|year record low C = -43.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 37.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 29.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 19.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 20.9
|May precipitation mm = 45.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 70.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 100.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 72.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 64.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 42.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 41.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 42.3
|year precipitation mm = 
|Jan sun = 8.9
|Feb sun = 69.8
|Mar sun = 161.8
|Apr sun = 203.8
|May sun = 236.9
|Jun sun = 227.1
|Jul sun = 245.5
|Aug sun = 182.5
|Sep sun = 117.2
|Oct sun = 80.9
|Nov sun = 21.5
|Dec sun = 0.0
|year sun = 
|Jan uv = 0
|Feb uv = 0
|Mar uv = 1
|Apr uv = 2
|May uv = 3 
|Jun uv = 4
|Jul uv = 4
|Aug uv = 3
|Sep uv = 2
|Oct uv = 1
|Nov uv = 0
|Dec uv = 0 
|source = [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]]<ref>{{cite web
 |url = https://www.smhi.se/klimatdata/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer/#param=precipitationMonthlySum,stations=all,stationid=181970
 |title = SMHI Open Data for Esrange
 |publisher = [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]]
 |language = sv
 |access-date = 2009-05-15
 |archive-date = 2019-04-11
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190411092753/https://www.smhi.se/klimatdata/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer#param=precipitationMonthlySum,stations=all,stationid=181970
 |url-status = dead
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url = http://www.smhi.se/klimatdata/meteorologi/temperatur/2.1240
 |title = Monthly & Yearly Statistics 2002–2018
 |publisher = [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]]
 |language = sv
 |access-date = 2019-05-15
 |archive-date = 2015-02-20
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150220041045/http://www.smhi.se/klimatdata/meteorologi/temperatur/2.1240
 |url-status = dead
 }}</ref>
 |source 2 = Ultraviolet Index <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weatheronline.in/weather/maps/city?LANG=in&WMO=02044&ART=UVINDEX&CONT=euro&R=0&LEVEL=150&REGION=0004&LAND=SN&NOREGION=1&MOD=&TMX=&TMN=&SON=&PRE=&MONAT=&OFFS=&SORT=|title=Weather Report for Kiruna|access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref>
}}

=== Transportation ===
[[File:Sweden Kiruna 3.jpg|thumb|right|View from just outside Kiruna, with European route E10 left to [[Luleå]] and right to [[Narvik]], Norway (and to Kiruna's railway station)]]
[[File:SAS Boeing 737-600 parked at Kiruna Airport (DSCF0852).jpg|thumb|Boeing 737-600 aircraft at [[Kiruna Airport]]]]

Kiruna is on the [[European route E10|E10]] road, connecting [[Luleå]] with Norway and passing near [[Gällivare]] (south of Kiruna) and [[Narvik]] (on the Norwegian coast). A short road connects to Kurravaara at the Torne river and ends there. Another road connects Kiruna with [[Nikkaluokta]] close to [[Kebnekaise]] and is used by tourists to get to the mountains. It passes by or nearby several villages in the Kalix river valley.

Buses connect Kiruna with major towns in [[Norrbotten]] province and villages nearby and in the wider region. The [[Malmbanan|railway]] connects Luleå with Gällivare, Kiruna and Narvik. Although built to serve the mine, [[SJ AB|Swedish Rail]] runs daily passenger traffic on the line: a night train from Narvik to [[Stockholm]], a day train from Narvik to Luleå (connecting with a second night train to Stockholm and [[Gothenburg]]), and trains to Luleå and Narvik that start and finish in Kiruna. The latter is known as ''Karven'' and popular for day trips to the mountains near Abisko, Björkliden and [[Riksgränsen]], particularly in winter. Additional long-distance trains are run by [[Transdev]] in summer. In 2013, the railway station was moved 2&nbsp;km away from the city centre, so walking is possible but not recommended. There is a free shuttlebus for every departure and arrival which starts from Kiruna bus station in the city centre.

[[Kiruna Airport]] is southeast of the city, 8&nbsp;km by road. A few daily flights connect Kiruna with Stockholm, either directly or via Luleå or [[Umeå]].

== Economy ==

=== Mining ===
{{main|Kiruna Mine}}
[[File:Kiruna mine.jpg|thumb|upright=1|The ore body in Kiruna is an inclined slab of [[magnetite]], 80 m wide, 4 km long and at least 2 km underground]]
Mining plays a major role as a source of national income and employment for Kiruna and the surrounding region. As with most of Northern [[Sweden]] the area is rich with [[magnetite]] which is mined to produce various [[iron ore]] products which are then transported by rail to [[Narvik]] port in [[Norway]] to be shipped to customers around the world. Large-scale mining in Kiruna started in the 19th century right around the time the major [[Sweden|Swedish]] mining company [[LKAB]] was founded in 1890.<ref name=mining>{{cite web |url=https://www.lkab.com/sv/om-lkab/lkab-i-korthet/var-historia/ |title=Det börjar med järnet |publisher=LKAB |access-date=6 May 2018 |archive-date=6 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106142351/https://www.lkab.com/sv/om-lkab/lkab-i-korthet/var-historia/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Space research===
Space research started in the late 1940s.<ref name="auto"/>

The [[ESTRACK]] [[Kiruna Station]] of [[ESA]], the European Space Agency, is located in the municipality. So is [[Esrange]], the European Space and Sounding Rocket Range, as well as an [[EISCAT]] station and EISCAT scientific headquarters.<ref>{{cite web|title=What is EISCAT?|url=http://e7.eiscat.se/about/whatiseiscat|access-date=2009-02-03|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620082626/http://e7.eiscat.se/about/whatiseiscat|archive-date=2009-06-20}}</ref>

Also in Kiruna are the [[Institute of Space Physics (Sweden)|Institute of Space Physics]]<ref name="IRF Kiruna"/> and the Department of Space Science belonging to [[Luleå University of Technology]].<ref name="ltu.se"/>

In 2007, the Swedish government announced that Kiruna would be the host of [[Spaceport Sweden]], signing an agreement with [[Virgin Galactic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssc.se/?id=6476|title=SSC - Swedish Space Corporation - SSC|website=www.ssc.se}}</ref>

=== Tourism ===
[[File:KirunaDogsled.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sled dog|Dog sledding]] is a popular activity in the countryside surrounding Kiruna.]]

In winter, the [[Icehotel (Jukkasjärvi)|Icehotel]] in nearby Jukkasjärvi and [[Aurora (astronomy)|the northern lights]] attract tourists. The long and certain snow cover, which generally lasts from October to May, and frozen lakes and rivers facilitate cross-country and alpine [[skiing]], [[dog sledding]] and [[snowmobile|snowmobiling]]. There is [[ice climbing]] in the mountains and [[ice skating]] on lakes or rivers. The annual Snow Festival is held over the last weekend of January<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kirunalapland.se/en/events/snow-festival-2013/|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130418091942/http://www.kirunalapland.se/en/events/snow-festival-2013/|url-status=dead|archivedate=April 18, 2013|title=Snow festival 2013 › Kiruna Lappland }}</ref> and includes scooter jumping, reindeer racing and an ice sculpture contest.<ref name="kiruna100turism" /><ref name="lappland">{{cite web|url=http://www.lappland.se|title=Kiruna Lappland|access-date=2009-03-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319102438/http://www.lappland.se/|archive-date=2009-03-19}}</ref><ref name="snow">{{cite web|url=http://www.snofestivalen.se/|title=Snöfestivalen|language=sv|access-date=2009-03-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207021832/http://www.snofestivalen.se/|archive-date=2009-02-07}}</ref>

==Sports==
* [[Kiruna FF]] is a Swedish football club located in Kiruna. The club currently competes in [[Division 3 (Swedish football)|Division 3]] Norra Norrland, the fifth tier of the [[Swedish football league system]].
* [[Kiruna IF]] is a Swedish ice hockey club located in Kiruna. The club currently competes in [[Hockeyettan]], the third tier of the Swedish ice hockey league system.
* [[Kebnekaise]] BTK<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kebnebtk.se|title=Kebnekaise Bordtennis Kiruna|website=www.kebnebtk.se}}</ref> is a table-tennis club located in Kiruna. The club competes in Div 1 Norra, the third tier of the Swedish table-tennis league system. Kebnekaise BTK has consistently been one of Northern Sweden's most successful table-tennis clubs. Practice takes place in Sporthallen,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kiruna.se/Kommun/Kultur-fritid/idrottshallar/Sporthallen/|title=Sporthallen - Kiruna.se|website=www.kiruna.se|date=24 April 2023 }}</ref> the sports center located in central Kiruna.

==Notable residents==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
* [[Svarta Bjorn]], legendary female cook during the founding of the town
* [[Emma Eliasson]] (born 1989), ice hockey defender in the [[Swedish Women's Hockey League]], and member of the [[Sweden women's national ice hockey team]]
* [[Philip Kemi]] (born 1991), Swedish professional ice hockey player
* [[Fredrik Krekula]] (born 1974), Swedish professional ice hockey player
* [[Elvira Öberg]] (born 1999), Olympic champion biathlon
* [[Hanna Öberg]] (born 1995), [[Olympic champion]] [[biathlon]]
*[[Rednex]], [[eurodance]] and American [[Country music|country]] band
* [[Börje Salming]], [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) ice hockey defenceman; member of the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]]
* [[Per Spett]], Olympic mogul skier

==Twin cities==
* {{flagicon|Georgia}} [[Rustavi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]
* {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Narvik]], [[Norway]]
* {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Rovaniemi]], [[Finland]]

==Former twin cities==
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Arkhangelsk]], [[Russia]] (1999–2022)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-04 |title=Kiruna säger upp vänortsavtal med Arkhangelsk |url=https://kiruna.se/arkiv/nyhetsarkiv/nyheter/2022-04-04-kiruna-sager-upp-vanortsavtal-med-arkhangelsk.html |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=kiruna.se |language=sv}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Esrange]]
* [[Jänkänalusta]]
* [[Kauppinen]]
* [[Kiruna Church]]
* [[Kiruna dialect]]
* [[Kiruna Party]]
* [[Kiruna Stamell]], an Australian-British actor named after this city
* [[Radiotjänst i Kiruna|Radiotjänst in Kiruna]]
* [[Spaceport Sweden]]
* [[Swedish Institute of Space Physics]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

*{{cite book |last=Hansson |first=Staffan |date=2015 |title=Malmens Land: Gruvnäringen i Norrbotten under 400 år |publisher=Tornedalica |language=sv |isbn=978-91-972358-9-1 }}
*{{cite book |last=Kummu |first=Maria |date=1997 |title=Gruvor och Bruk i Norr |location=Gällivare |publisher=Kommunes of Kiruna, Pajala and Övertorneå | language=sv |isbn=91-630-8085-0 }}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Kiruna}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [http://www.kiruna.se Kiruna] – Official website
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061214015503/http://www.mittkiruna.se/ Mitt Kiruna] – Kiruna city guide with local news, weather forecast, cinemas, TV-guide and current events.
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3694204.stm BBC – Sweden to save sinking town]
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=67.848816,20.236130&spn=0.125191,0.468361&t=k&hl=en Satellite picture by Google Maps]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060908021344/http://www.kommun.kiruna.se/web2/ny_web/Nya%20Kiruna%20web/index.html Det nya Kiruna] – {{in lang|sv}}<!--Swedish-->
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071112041918/http://www.ludovic-roguet.com/english/travelogues/europe/sweden/lapland-kiruna-sightseeing-church.html Trip to Kiruna] {{in lang|en}} 

{{Localities in Kiruna Municipality}}
{{Norrbotten County}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Kiruna| ]]
[[Category:Municipal seats of Norrbotten County]]
[[Category:Swedish municipal seats]]
[[Category:Populated places in Kiruna Municipality]]
[[Category:Lapland (Sweden)]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Sweden]]
[[Category:Populated places in Arctic Sweden]]
[[Category:1900 establishments in Sweden]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1900]]
[[Category:Cities in Sweden]]
[[Category:20th-century establishments in Norrbotten County]]