Kongsvinger
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| Kongsvinger kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: 60°14′35″N 12°13′32″E / 60.24306°N 12.22556°E / 60.24306; 12.22556 | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
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| County | Hedmark | ||
| District | Glåmdal | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-0402 | ||
| Administrative centre | Kongsvinger | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2003) | Arve Bones (Ap) | ||
| Area (Nr. 102 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 1,036 km2 (400 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 953 km2 (368 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 17,380 | ||
| - Density | 18/km2 (46.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | 0.6 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 57 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
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| Website | www.kongsvinger.kommune.no | ||
Kongsvinger (help·info) is a town and is a municipality in Hedmark 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.
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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.[1]
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. 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, Kongsvinger's soccer team Kongsvinger IL 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 cojunction 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, four to Karlstad with two of them continuing to Stockholm
- Hourly bus services to Oslo and Oslo Airport, Gardermoen
- Several daily bus services to Elverum, Hamar, and Charlottenberg in Sweden
- City buses running throughout the municipality of Kongsvinger
- Four lane highway between Kongsvinger and Oslo is under construction
Distances
The following are distances to Kongsvinger from various locations:
| Starting location | Distance to Kongsvinger |
|---|---|
| Oslo | 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| Oslo Airport, Gardermoen | 60 kilometres (37 mi) |
| Hamar | 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| Elverum | 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| Trondheim | 460 kilometres (286 mi) |
| Nordkapp (North Cape) | 2,096 kilometres (1,302 mi) |
| Charlottenberg (Sweden) | 35 kilometres (22 mi) |
| Arvika (Sweden) | 86 kilometres (53 mi) |
| Karlstad (Sweden) | 150 kilometres (93 mi) |
| Stockholm (Sweden) | 460 kilometres (286 mi) |
Economy
Major businesses
- Eidsiva Energi customer service unit (energy)
- Ibas (IT)
- Thales (IT)
- Metso Minerals (conveyor belts)
- Schütz Nordic (plastic)
- Statistics Norway
- Telenor customer service unit (telecommunications)
- TI Automotive (fuel systems)
- Ø.M. Fjeld AS (construction)
Education
| In the city of Kongsvinger: | Elsewhere in the municipality |
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Tourism
Attractions
- Kongsvinger Fortress
- National Women's Museum
- Øvrebyen (old town, historic precinct)
- Skansgården art gallery
- Kongsvinger Golf Park (international standard 18 holes championship golf course, last nine holes will open in 2009)
- Cross-country skiing
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Kayaking/canoeing
- Forest excursions/hiking
Festivals and events
- Vinterfestivalen - winter festival (February)
- Rally Norway - car race (February)
- Liv i Leiren - historic fesitval in Øvrebyen (May)
- Kremmertorg - market day (May, June, August and September)
- Kongsvingermarken - funfair (May and September)
- Kongsvingerdagene - cultural days (June)
- Festival på Festningen - music festival (July)
- Kongsvinger marathon (August) [2]
- Julemarked - Christmas market (December)
Accommodations
Lodging accommodations in Kongsvinger include the 3-star Vinger Hotel & Spa, the Kongsvinger Gjestegård (motel), and the Sigernessjøen familiecamping (camp grounds).
Notable residents
- Håvard Gimse (b. 1966), pianist
- Levi Henriksen (b. 1964), writer
- Dagny Juel (1867–1901), poet
- Monica Kristensen Solås (b. 1950), polar adventurer
- Roy Lønhøiden (b. 1964), composer and performing artist
- Åse Wisløff Nilssen (b. 1945), politician
- Even Pellerud (b. 1953), soccer player and coach
- Bjørge Stensbøl, former chief of top-level athletics Olympiatoppen
- Tove Strand (b. 1946), politician
- Sverre Strandli (b. 1925), hammer-thrower
- Erik Werenskiold (1855–1938), painter and illustrator
- Petter Nord (b. 1980), rikssynser
- Eva Lund Haugen ( 1907 - 1996), Norwegian American author.
Sister cities
The following cities are twinned with Kongsvinger:[2]
Arvika, Värmland County, Sweden
Ebel es Saqi, Marjayoun, Lebanon
Skive, Region Midtjylland, Denmark
Ylöjärvi, Länsi-Suomi, Finland
References
- ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/k/kongsvin.htm. Retrieved on 2008-12-22.
- ^ "Vennskapsbyer". Kongsvinger kommune. http://www.kongsvinger.kommune.no/no/Artikler/Fakta-om-Kongsvinger/Vennskapsbyer/. Retrieved on 2008-12-22. (Norwegian)
External links
Media related to Kongsvinger at Wikimedia Commons
The Wiktionary definition of Kongsvinger- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
- Byen vår (cultural organisation) (Norwegian)
- Glåmdalen local newspaper (Norwegian)
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