May 4 - Finnish project cargo forwarder Nurminen Logistics has moved two priceless craftsmen's houses, the oldest residential buildings in Jyv

The project saw the houses moved to the new location in one piece over two nights. As the ancient houses were moved within the centre of the town, streets had to be closed for loading, unloading and transportation, explains Hannu Vuorinen, vice President of Nurminen Logistics.

The first of the buildings, 8.2m wide and weighing 65 tonnes including the lift frame, was hoisted by two cranes onto Nurminen's special transport vehicle.

Planning for the moves began in May 2009. Nurminen's traffic supervisors measured the transportation route and mapped obstacles that had to be removed from the path. Prior to the moves, Nurminen staff removed numerous traffic signs and advertisements from lamp posts along the way. In addition, special permits for the transportation were required.

The two night jobs required the use of four special transport vehicles, two truck cranes, three escort cars and four police cars. The first night, three trucks carried the counterweights for the crane in addition to the truck carrying the house itself. The second night was spent moving the smaller house and the terraces detached from the buildings.