Kongsvinger

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Kongsvinger kommune
Municipality
Kongsvinger in early-September 2009
Kongsvinger in early-September 2009
Coat of arms of Kongsvinger kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Kongsvinger kommune
Innlandet within
Norway
Kongsvinger within Innlandet
Kongsvinger within Innlandet
Coordinates: 60°14′35″N 12°13′32″E / 60.24306°N 12.22556°E / 60.24306; 12.22556Coordinates: 60°14′35″N 12°13′32″E / 60.24306°N 12.22556°E / 60.24306; 12.22556
CountryNorway
CountyInnlandet
DistrictGlåmdal
Administrative centreKongsvinger
Government
 • Mayor (2019) (Sp)
Area
 • Total1,036 km2 (400 sq mi)
 • Land953 km2 (368 sq mi)
Area rank102 in Norway
Population
 (2015)
 • Total17,885
 • Rank57 in Norway
 • Density18/km2 (50/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
0.6%
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3401
Official language formBokmål[1]
Websitewww.kongsvinger.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

About this soundKongsvinger (help·info) is a town and is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger.

A patch of land on both sides of the river Glomma with an area of approximately 5.2 square kilometres (2 sq mi) was separated from Vinger as a town named Kongsvinger by Royal Charter in 1854. The municipalities of Vinger and Brandval were merged with Kongsvinger on 1 January 1964. The new municipality of Kongsvinger briefly lost its status as a town after this amalgamation, but was later reinstated with its town status.

General information[]

Name[]

The first element Kongs- ("the King's") was added after the fortress was built in 1690. It was first applied only to the fortress (written as Königs Winger in old documents), then to the city that grew up around it and finally the modern municipality. The second element Vinger (Old Norse: Vingr) is an old district name which is still in use.

Coat-of-arms[]

The coat-of-arms is from relatively modern times. They were granted on 25 June 1926. The arms show the Kongsvinger Fortress with the white line representing the Glomma river. The fortress is of historical importance to the area.[2]

Ethnic and foreign minority[]

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Kongsvinger by country of origin in 2017[3]
Ancestry Number
 Sweden 198
 Iraq 186
 Poland 186
 Afghanistan 147
 Bosnia-Herzegovina 142
 Vietnam 123
 Iran 94
 Eritrea 80
 Syria 71
 Thailand 65

History[]

Kongsvinger already existed as a trading center by the Middle Ages, due to the accessibility by natural waterways. Viking chieftains reached Sweden by boat from Kongsvinger. Kongsvinger fortress was founded in 1669, and a star-shaped plan was laid out for the fortress. Work began in 1682 and it was finished in 1690 as part of a general upgrade to Norwegian fortresses.[4] The building of the fortress formed the foundations for what was to become the town of Kongsvinger. The fortress was built as a defensive structure against the Swedes, and on numerous occasions there have been military engagements in the area around the fortress, but Kongsvinger fortress has never been taken in military combat. Below Kongsvinger fortress lies Øvrebyen, which literally translated means Uppertown. This is the oldest part of the town of Kongsvinger, and one can still find a number of the original houses built after the establishment of the fortress. Kongsvinger Museum is located here, together with a museum of female emancipation in a building called "Rolighed", the home of Dagny Juel, the famous author once portrayed by Edvard Munch. Øvrebyen was designated as an area of special antiquarian interest in 1973. Today, Øvrebyen, the old uptown area around the fortress is dominated by wooden buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, laid out in the typical right angle square plan - by architect Cicignon - popular in this period.

The eastern parts of Kongsvinger and its neighboring municipalities to the north and south were populated at the end of the 17th century by Finnish emigrants who came across the Swedish border. The area is called Finnskogen, "The Finnish forest".

Kongsvinger played an important part in the Norwegian resistance force against the Nazis being a gateway to Sweden. Norway's highest decorated citizen, Gunnar Sønsteby frequently passed through Kongsvinger in his work to sabotage the Nazis' installations in Norway. Some of the busiest escape routes for refugees also went through Kongsvinger to Sweden.

In 1964, Kongsvinger and the surrounding municipalities of Vinger and Brandval were united into the present Kongsvinger Municipality. Kongsvinger has city status (from 1854), and is thereby both city and township, governed by a town council under a mayor, elected by popular vote. There are also appointed executive officials, such as town commissioner or town director (rådmann), who is chief executive of the municipality, and its 700 plus workforce. There are 1,530 businesses including forestry and farming, and 245 of these are retail outlets. There are 25,000 square metres (269,098 sq ft) of mall situated in the downtown area. As well as downtown shopping streets, there are also glass domed pedestrian shopping streets. The governmental regional hospital is also situated in Kongsvinger.

From 1983 to 1999, and again in 2010, Kongsvinger's soccer team KIL Toppfotball held a position in the Norwegian Premier League. It made some notable merits participating in the UEFA Cup and winning a silver medal during the 1992 season.

Geography[]

Kongsvinger is situated on both sides of the river Glomma, where the south-flowing river takes a sharp northwestward turn. The Kongsvinger Fortress is the main landmark, situated on a hill west and north of the river. Kongsvinger is a regional center of the Glåmdal region, which is made up of the southern parts of Hedmark county. It is bordered to the west by the municipality of Sør-Odal, to the north by Grue, and to the south by Eidskog. To the east it borders to Sweden. Kongsvinger is about 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Oslo and 70 kilometres (43 mi) from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.

Town[]

The downtown area of Kongsvinger is currently being refurbished with a new public library being built, and the town square being given a face lift. There are also plans for a new hotel to be built in conjunction to the refurbishment of the down town area as well as for the construction of two new shopping centres. These plans are part of the overall strategy of the city council to make Kongsvinger more attractive to tourists and potential new residents.

Subdivisions

  • Digerudlia
  • Gjemselund
  • Glåmlia
  • Hexumløkka
  • Holt
  • Kurudlia
  • Langeland
  • Langerudberget
  • Midtbyen
  • Rasta
  • Skriverskogen
  • Stasjonssida
  • Tråstad
  • Vangen
  • Vennersberg
  • Øvrebyen

Infrastructure[]

  • Several daily train services to Oslo
  • Twice daily train services to Stockholm, Sweden
  • Five daily train services to Karlstad, Sweden
  • Several daily bus services to Elverum, Hamar, and Charlottenberg, Sweden
  • Suburban bus services running throughout the city of Kongsvinger
  • Four lane highway between Kongsvinger and Oslo is under construction.
  • Holtbergmasta, a 163 metres tall guyed mast for FM-/TV-broadcasting on Holtberget at 60.167602 N 11.994356 E, which was built in 1967.

Distances[]

The following are distances to Kongsvinger from various locations:

Starting location Distance to Kongsvinger
Oslo 94 km (58 mi)
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen 74 km (46 mi)
Hamar 100 km (62 mi)
Elverum 95 km (59 mi)
Trondheim 450 km (280 mi)
Bergen 545 km (339 mi)
Tromsø 1,600 km (990 mi)
Charlottenberg (Sweden) 44 km (27 mi)
Arvika (Sweden) 79 km (49 mi)
Karlstad (Sweden) 150 km (93 mi)
Stockholm (Sweden) 455 km (283 mi)

Economy[]

Major businesses[]

  • Computer service and logistics
  • Eidsiva Energi customer service unit (energy)
  • (IT)
  • Thales (IT)
  • Metso Minerals (conveyor belts)
  • Schütz Nordic (plastic)
  • Statistics Norway
  • Telenor customer service unit (telecommunications)
  • TI Automotive (fuel systems)

Education[]

In the city of Kongsvinger: Elsewhere in the municipality
  • Politihøgskolen (Norwegian Police University College)[5]
  • Høgskolesenteret i Kongsvinger (University College)[6]
  • Øvrebyen VGS (high school)[7]
  • Sentrum VGS (high school)
  • Norges Toppidrettsgymnas (middle school and high school)
  • Kongsvinger ungdomsskole (middle school)
  • Vennersberg barneskole (primary school)
  • Marikollen barneskole (primary school)
  • Langeland barneskole (primary school)
  • Austmarka barne- og ungdomsskole (primary and middle school)
  • Roverud barneskole (primary school)
  • Brandval skole (primary school)
  • Finnskogen Montessoriskole

Notable residents[]

Public service & public thinking[]

Jacob Stang, 1884
Borghild Bryhn Langaard, 1920
Yohanna, 2009

The Arts[]

  • Maren Elisabeth Bang (1797 in Skansgården – 1884) wrote the first printed Norwegian cookbook
  • Erika Nissen (1845 in Kongsvinger – 1903) a Norwegian pianist.
  • Erik Werenskiold (1855 in Eidskog – 1938) a Norwegian painter and illustrator
  • Dagny Juel (1867 in Kongsvinger – 1901) a Norwegian writer, famous for her liaisons with various prominent artists, and for the dramatic circumstances of her death
  • Borghild Langaard (1883 in Kongsvinger – 1939) a Norwegian operatic soprano
  • Eva Lund Haugen (1907 in Kongsvinger – 1996) an American author, editor and translator
  • Pål Refsdal (born 1963 in Kongsvinger) a freelance journalist, photographer and filmmaker
  • Roy Lønhøiden (born 1964 in Kongsvinger) a country music composer and singer-songwriter
  • Levi Henriksen (born 1964 in Kongsvinger) a novelist, short story writer and singer-songwriter
  • Håvard Gimse (born 1966 in Kongsvinger) a Norwegian classical pianist
  • Hildegunn Øiseth (1966 in Kongsvinger) jazz musician on trumpet, flugelhorn and bukkehorn
  • Runar Søgaard (born 1967 in Kongsvinger) a leadership trainer, life-coach and motivational speaker
  • Thomas Cappelen Malling (born 1970 in Kongsvinger) a Norwegian author and director [8]
  • Andreas Ulvo (born 1983 in Kongsvinger) jazz pianist, organist, composer and photographer
  • Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir (born 1990) stage name Yohanna, Icelandic singer at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, lives in Kongsvinger

Sport[]

Ståle Solbakken, 2014

International relations[]

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway

Twin towns — sister cities[]

The following cities are twinned with Kongsvinger:[9]

In popular culture[]

Kongsvinger is referenced within the title (and indirectly within the lyrics) of the song "A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger" by the American rock band Of Montreal on the 2007 album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?.

References[]

  1. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  2. ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  3. ^ "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Kongsvinger". GoNorway.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Politihøgskolens utdanningssenter Kongsvinger" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Høgskolesenteret i Kongsvinger" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  7. ^ Anders Holm. "Øvrebyen Videregående Skole" (in Norwegian). Hedmark Fykleskommune. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  8. ^ IMDb Database retrieved 28 October 2020
  9. ^ "Vennskapsbyer" (in Norwegian). Kongsvinger kommune. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2008.

External links[]

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