Church on wheels

A 660-tonne stone church was lifted with lock stock and barrel on to a giant rolling platform in eastern Germany on Monday to make the 12-kilometre journey to its new home. The church in the village of Heuersdorf had to be moved because it was sitting on extensive deposits of lignite, or brown coal.

Mining work to extract the lignite, a fuel used in power generation plants, is expected to start soon. Packed tightly into a cradle of wooden supports, the 750-year-old church complete with tiled bell tower was separated from its foundations and lifted 1.5 metres to be placed on the rolling platforms.

The Church is expected to reach the village of Borna by October 31. The Mibrag mining company is funding this $4.2 million project to move the Church.

Watch a video report from Reuters: