Kongsvinger () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Innlandet Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include

Austmarka Austmarka is a village in Alver Municipality (formerly Radøy Municipality) in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the southern end of the island of Radøy, about east of the village of Sæbø and about north of the village of Al ...

Brandval Brandval is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Hedmark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1867 until its dissolution in 1964 when it became part of Kongsvinger Municipality. It was located in the ...

Lundersæter Lundersæter is a village in Kongsvinger Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located in the Finnskogen area, about northeast of the town of Kongsvinger. Prior to 1964, this area was a part of Brandval Brandval is a form ...

, and

Roverud Roverud is a village in Kongsvinger Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about north of the town of Kongsvinger on the east side of the river Glomma. The village has a grocery store, a grade school, offices, elder ca ...

. The municipality is the 111th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kongsvinger is the 72nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 17,949. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is and its population has increased by 2.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

In 1854, the King designated the market town of Kongsvinger as a

kjøpstad A (historically: ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'') is an old Scandinavian term for a "market town" that was used in the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway for several hundred years. The name comes from the on, kaupstaðr. Kjøpstads were ...

, which gave it special rights. The designation included a small patch of land on both sides of the river

Glomma The Glomma, or Glåma, is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers fully 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the ...

with an area of approximately . Because of this designation, on 7 February 1855, the town was separated from the municipality of

Vinger Vinger is a traditional district in Innlandet county, Norway. The district encompasses the lands that make up Kongsvinger and Eidskog municipalities. It is generally located to the south and east of the town of Kongsvinger and the river Glomm ...

to form a separate municipality. Initially, the town had 472 residents and this left Vinger municipality with 10,947 residents. On 1 January 1876, the town was enlarged when an area of

(population: 209) was transferred into Kongsvinger. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1964, the town of Kongsvinger (population: 2,345) and the surrounding municipalities of

(population: 6,257) and

(population: 4,384) were merged to form the new

Kongsvinger Municipality Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Austm ...

. The new municipality of Kongsvinger (briefly) lost its status as an urban municipality ( no, bykommune) after this

amalgamation Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan am ...

due to merging with rural municipalities. One year later, on 1 January 1965, the government redesignated Kongsvinger as an urban municipality. On 1 January 1974, the unpopulated Lystad area was transferred from

Grue Municipality Grue is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Solør. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kirkenær. Other villages in the municipality include Bergesida, Grinder, ...

to Kongsvinger Municipality. On 1 January 1986, the northern part of the

Åbogen Åbogen is a village in Eidskog Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located just south of the municipal border with Kongsvinger and approximately from the border with Sweden. The village of Matrand lies about to the south of ...

area (population: 14) was transferred from Kongsvinger to the neighboring municipality of

Eidskog Eidskog is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vinger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skotterud. Other villages in the municipality include Magnor, Matrand, an ...

Name

The whole region where Kongsvinger is located was historically called ''

'' ( non, Vingr). This name could be related to the river

which flows through the region. One could compare this to the English word swing (for the missing ''s'' see

Indo-European s-mobile In Indo-European studies, the term s-''mobile'' ( ; the word is a Latin neuter adjective) designates the phenomenon where a PIE root appears to begin with an ' which is sometimes but not always present. It is therefore represented in the reflex o ...

). The river

passes through the center of the district where the south-flowing river takes a sharp northwestward turn. This can be compared to the similar

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

word ''vìngis'' which means "bend", "bow", or "turn". This old name used to represent this whole area. The first element of the name ''Kongs-'' (meaning "the King's") was added after the

Kongsvinger Fortress Kongsvinger Fortress ( no, Kongsvinger festning) is located in the city and municipality of Kongsvinger in the county of Hedmark, Norway. It is situated on a hill west and north of the Glomma river, standing astride the ancient Vinger Royal Road, ...

was built in 1690. It was first applied only to the fortress (written as in old documents). Then, it was later given to the town that grew up around it.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted on 25 June 1926. The arms show the

in gray on a black hill with a red background. Below the fortress is a white line representing the

river. The fortress is of historical importance to the area. The red and white colors were chosen because they are on the Norwegian flag.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

has three parishes () within the municipality of Kongsvinger. It is part of the

Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar which includes all of Innlandet county (plus two municipalities in Viken county) in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each d ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) in the

Diocese of Hamar The Diocese of Hamar ( no, Hamar Bispedømme) is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner in Viken county. Administratively, the diocese is divided ...

History

The area was historically a part of the

prestegjeld A ''prestegjeld'' was a geographic and administrative area within the Church of Norway (''Den Norske Kirke'') roughly equivalent to a parish. This traditional designation was in use for centuries to divide the kingdom into ecclesiastical areas tha ...

. The village that later became Kongsvinger already existed as a trading center by the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, due to the accessibility by natural waterways.

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

chieftains reached

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

by boat from Kongsvinger.

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 Norwegian fortresses or fortifications have been constructed from some of the earliest recorded periods, down through the 20th century. The geography and topography of glacially carved, mountainous Norway constrain both the sea and the land rout ...

. 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 "upper town". 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 Dagny Juel-Przybyszewska (8 June 1867 – 5 June 1901) was a Norwegian writer, famous for her liaisons with various prominent artists, and for the dramatic circumstances of her death. She was the model for some of Edvard Munch's paintings. She ...

, the famous author once portrayed by Edvard Munch. The rural, eastern parts of Kongsvinger and its neighboring municipalities to the north and south were populated at the end of the 17th century by

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

emigrants who came across the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

border. The area is called

Finnskogen Finnskogen ("Forest of the Finns") is an area of Norway and Sweden situated in the counties of Innlandet and Värmland respectively, so named because of immigration of Finnish people in the 17th century, the so-called '' Skogfinner/"Forest Finns"''. ...

which means ''"The Finnish forest".'' Kongsvinger played an important part in the

Norwegian resistance The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

force against the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

being a gateway to Sweden. Norway's highest decorated citizen,

Gunnar Sønsteby Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby DSO ( 1918 – 10 May 2012) was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in World War II. Known by the nickname "Kjakan" ("The Chin") and as "Agent No. 24", ...

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. From 1983 to 1999, and again in 2010, Kongsvinger's

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team

KIL Toppfotball Kongsvinger IL Toppfotball is a Norwegian football club from the town of Kongsvinger in Innlandet, founded in 1892. Its home ground is Gjemselund Stadion. It is part of sporting association, Kongsvinger IL. Honours *Norwegian top flight **Runne ...

held a position in the

Norwegian Premier League Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...

. It made some notable merits participating in the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

and winning a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

during the 1992 season.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kongsvinger, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...

representatives, which in turn elects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. The municipality falls under the

Romerike og Glåmdal District Court Romerike og Glåmdal District Court ( no, Romerike og Glåmdal tingrett) is a district court located in Innlandet and Viken counties in Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Eidsvoll, Kongsvinger, and Lil ...

and the

Eidsivating Court of Appeal The Eidsivating Court of Appeal ( no, Eidsivating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Hamar. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Innlandet and eastern Viken. These ...

Municipal council

The

of Kongsvinger is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Geography

Kongsvinger is situated on both sides of the river

, where the south-flowing river takes a sharp northwestward turn. The

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

county. Kongsvinger municipality is bordered to the west by the municipality of

Sør-Odal Sør-Odal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skarnes. Other villages in Sør-Odal include Disenå and Sander. The ...

, to the north by Grue, and to the south by

. To the east it borders

Eda EDA or Eda may refer to: Computing * Electronic design automation * Enterprise Desktop Alliance, a computer technology consortium * Enterprise digital assistant * Estimation of distribution algorithm * Event-driven architecture * Exploratory ...

and

Torsby Torsby () is a locality and the seat of Torsby Municipality in Värmland County, Sweden with 4,049 inhabitants in 2010. Fortum Ski Tunnel Torsby, the world's longest ski tunnel, is located in Torsby. Notable people * Football manager Sven-Gör ...

municipalities in

. Kongsvinger is about from

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

and from

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Oslo Airport ( no, Oslo lufthavn; ), alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is the international airport serving Oslo, Norway, the capital and most populous city in the country. A hub for Flyr, Norse Atlan ...

. The Holtbergmasta, a tall

guyed mast A guyed mast or guyed tower is a tall thin vertical structure that depends on guy lines (diagonal tensioned cables attached to the ground) for stability. The mast itself has the compressive strength to support its own weight, but does not ha ...

for FM-/TV-broadcasting on Holtberget at 60.167602 N 11.994356 E was built in 1967.

Transportation

Travel to and from Kongsvinger: * 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 is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Elverum. Other settlements in the municipality include Heradsbygd, Sørskog ...

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

, and

Charlottenberg Charlottenberg is a locality in Värmland County, Sweden, and the administrative centre of Eda Municipality. Situated some seven kilometres from the Norwegian border, the town has a population of around 3,000. Charlottenberg railway station is t ...

, Sweden * Suburban bus services running throughout the town of Kongsvinger * Four lane highway between Kongsvinger and Oslo is under construction.

Distances

The following are road distances to Kongsvinger from various locations:

Economy

There are 1,530 businesses including

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

and

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, and 245 of these are retail outlets. There are of mall situated in the downtown area. As well as downtown shopping streets, there are also glass domed pedestrian shopping streets. The governmental regional Kongsvinger Hospital is also situated in Kongsvinger.

Major businesses

Education

Notable residents

Public service & public thinking

Christen Schmidt Christen Schmidt (22 February 1727 – 6 October 1804) was a Norwegian bishop. He was born in Kongsvinger as a son of vicar Hans Jacob Schmidt and Alethe S. Lemmich. He enrolled as a student in 1745 and graduated with the cand.theol. degree in Ma ...

(1727 in Kongsvinger – 1804) Bishop of the

Diocese of Oslo Oslo bishopric is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. It ...

from 1773 *

Georg Ræder Johan Georg Ræder (21 March 1814 – 3 January 1898) was a Norwegian military officer, railway pioneer and politician. He was a driving force in the construction of Norway's first railway line, the Hoved Line from Christiania to Eidsvoll, wh ...

(1814 in Kongsvinger – 1898) a military officer, railway pioneer and politician * Hans Georg Jacob Stang (1830–1907) a Norwegian attorney and Norway's Prime Minister, 1888–1889; established his legal practice in Kongsvinger in 1859 *

Anna Stang Anna Stang (May 18, 1834 – December 23, 1901), née ''Anna Sophie Margrethe Holmsen'', was a Norwegian feminist, liberal politician and the second President of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights, serving from 1885 to 1886. She also ran ...

(1834–1901) a feminist, liberal politician, president of the

Norwegian Association for Women's Rights The Norwegian Association for Women's Rights ( no, italic=no, Norsk Kvinnesaksforening; NKF) is Norway's oldest and preeminent women's and girls' rights organization and works "to promote gender equality and all women's and girls' human rights thr ...

, wife of

Jacob Stang Hans Georg Jacob Stang (17 November 1830–1 March 1907) was a Norwegian attorney, official, and politician. He was the Norwegian prime minister in Stockholm () from 1888–1889. Biography Stang was born in Nannestad, Norway and attended ...

, ran a private school in Kongsvinger for 17 years * Carl Wille Schnitler (1879 in Brandval – 1926) a Norwegian art historian *

Rudolf Falck Ræder Rudolf Falck Ræder (10 June 1881 – 5 August 1951) was a Norway, Norwegian military officer, engineer and politician for the Liberal Left Party. He was born in Kongsvinger as a son of military captain Severin Henrik Ræder (1846–1904) og Tho ...

(1881 in Kongsvinger – 1951) a military officer, engineer and politician *

Åse Wisløff Nilssen Åse Wisløff Nilssen (born 20 July 1945 in Kongsvinger) is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark in 1997, and was re-elected on one occasion. Wisløff Nilssen was a me ...

(born 1945 in Kongsvinger) a Norwegian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Tove Strand Tove Astri Strand (born 29 September 1946) is a Norwegian director and former politician for the Norwegian Labour Party, Labour Party. She was active in politics between 1963 and 1992, including two periods as a minister (government), government mi ...

(born 1946 in Kongsvinger) a Norwegian politician *

Monica Kristensen Solås Monica Kristensen Solås (born 30 June 1950), is a Norway, Norwegian glaciology, glaciologist, meteorologist, Polar region, polar exploration, explorer and crime novelist. She was awarded a Founders Gold Medal by the Royal Geographical Society in ...

(born 1950) a glaciologist, polar explorer and crime novelist; brought up in Kongsvinger *

Karin Andersen Karin Andersen (born 16 December 1952 in Kongsvinger) is a Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party (SV). She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Tr ...

(born 1952) a Norwegian politician, serving as mp for the Socialist Left Party (SV). Borghild Bryhn (1920)

The Arts

Maren Elisabeth Bang Maren Elisabeth Bang (1797–1884) was a Norwegian cookbook writer who wrote the first printed Norwegian cookbook ''Huusholdnings-Bog, indrettet efter den almindelige Brug i norske Huusholdninger'' in 1831. Her early publications were anonymous but ...

(1797 in Skansgården – 1884) wrote the first printed Norwegian cookbook *

Erika Nissen Erika Nissen, née Lie (17 January 1845 – 27 October 1903), also known as Erika Røring Møinichen Lie Nissen, was a Norwegian pianist. She was born in Kongsvinger as the daughter of jurist Michael Strøm Lie and his wife Ingeborg Birgitte Rør ...

(1845 in Kongsvinger – 1903) a Norwegian pianist. *

Erik Werenskiold Erik Theodor Werenskiold (11 February 1855 – 23 November 1938) was a Norwegian painter and illustrator. He is especially known for his drawings for the Asbjørnsen and Moe collection of ''Norske Folkeeventyr'', and his illustrations for t ...

(1855 in Eidskog – 1938) a Norwegian painter and illustrator *

(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 Eva Lund Haugen (February 4, 1907 – October 25, 1996) was an American writer, editor and translator. Biography Eva Lund was born at Kongsvinger in Hedmark, Norway. She was twelve years old when her journalist parents emigrated to the United Stat ...

(1907 in Kongsvinger – 1996) an American author, editor and translator * Pål Refsdal (born 1963 in Kongsvinger) a freelance journalist, photographer and filmmaker *

Roy Lønhøiden Roy Lønhøiden (born in Kongsvinger, Norway, on 4 May 1964) is a Norwegian composer and singer-songwriter in the country music genre. His music is considered a blend of traditional Norwegian folk and American roots music. Biography Lønhøid ...

(born 1964 in Kongsvinger) a country music composer and singer-songwriter *

Levi Henriksen Levi Henriksen (born 15 May 1964) is a Norwegian novelist, short story writer and singer-songwriter. Career When his first short story collection ''Feber'' was published in 2002, Henriksen immediately captured the public's imagination with his ...

(born 1964 in Kongsvinger) a novelist, short story writer and singer-songwriter *

Håvard Gimse Håvard Gimse (born 15 September 1966) is a Norwegian classical pianist from Kongsvinger, and the brother of the cellist Øyvind Gimse. He has received the Griegprisen (1996) and the Steinway Award (1995). Gimse has done several recordings for ...

(born 1966 in Kongsvinger) a Norwegian classical pianist *

Hildegunn Øiseth Hildegunn Øiseth (born 5 December 1966 in Kongsvinger, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (trumpet, flugelhorn and bukkehorn). Career Øiseth has had a number of appearances in both Norway, South Africa and Pakistan, and was hired as tru ...

(1966 in Kongsvinger) jazz musician on trumpet, flugelhorn and bukkehorn *

Runar Søgaard Runar Søgaard (born 27 June 1967 in Kongsvinger, Hedmark, Norway) is a Norwegian leadership trainer, life-coach, motivational speaker and former preacher. He was earlier married to singer Carola Häggkvist. In 2012 his business Vinger Consulting A ...

(born 1967 in Kongsvinger) a leadership trainer, life-coach and motivational speaker *

Thomas Cappelen Malling Thomas Cappelen Malling (born 16 December 1970) is a Norway, Norwegian author and director, born in Kongsvinger. He hails from the Communications Industry, where he worked in Strategic planning. In 2006, Malling wrote the book ''Ninjateknikk II. ...

(born 1970 in Kongsvinger) a Norwegian author and director *

Andreas Ulvo Andreas Ulvo (born 22 July 1983 in Kongsvinger, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer, known from cooperations with Shining, Ingrid Olava, Mathias Eick Quartet, Solveig Slettahjell & Slow Motion Orchestra, K ...

(born 1983 in Kongsvinger) jazz pianist, organist, composer and photographer *

Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir (born 16 October 1990), known outside Iceland as Yohanna, is an Icelandic-Danish singer. Beginning her music career as a child singer, Yohanna received international recognition after representing Iceland in the ...

(born 1990) stage name ''

Yohanna Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir (born 16 October 1990), known outside Iceland as Yohanna, is an Icelandic-Danish singer. Beginning her music career as a child singer, Yohanna received international recognition after representing Iceland in the ...

'', Icelandic singer at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2009 The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Moscow, Russia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Believe (Dima Bilan song), Believe" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the Euro ...

, lives in Kongsvinger

Sport

Sverre Strandli Sverre Gunnar Strandli (30 November 1925 – 4 March 1985) was a Norway, Norwegian hammer thrower, who won the gold medal at the European Championships in 1950 European Championships in Athletics, 1950 and the silver medal in 1954 European Champ ...

(1925 in Brandval – 1985) a Norwegian

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consis ...

er, competed at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

Bjørge Stensbøl Bjørge Stensbøl (born 30 November 1947) is a Norwegian sports official. He was born in Kongsvinger. He served as president of the Norwegian Biathlon Association from 1985 to 1988. From 1991 to 2004 he chaired Olympiatoppen, the elite sport depar ...

(born 1947 in Kongsvinger) former chief of top-level athletics

Olympiatoppen Olympiatoppen is an organisation that is part of Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports with responsibility for training Norwegian elite sport. Olympiatoppen is based at the Toppidrettssenteret between Norwegian Scho ...

Even Pellerud Even Jostein Pellerud (born 15 July 1953) is a Norwegian football coach and former player. Career Pellerud played for several clubs, including Vålerenga from 1974 to 1979 and Kongsvinger from 1983 to 1986. He was head coach for the Norway women ...

(born 1953 in Kongsvinger) former football player with 180 club caps and coach *

Øivind Tomteberget Øivind Tomteberget (born 4 August 1953, in Kongsvinger) is a retired Norwegian football midfielder. Tomteberget played for his local club Kongsvinger IL until 1977, but joined Lillestrøm SK ahead of the 1978 season. He only spent one season at L ...

(born 1953 in Kongsvinger) a retired football midfielder, 660 games for

Kongsvinger IL Kongsvinger Idrettslag is a Norwegian sports club from the city of Kongsvinger in Hedmark, founded in 1892. Its men's football team is well-known, and it has teams for several other sports. Athletics Kongsvinger IL has an athletics section. Unti ...

* Espen Nystuen (born 1981 in Kongsvinger) a former footballer with over 300 club caps *

Lars Krogh Gerson Lars Christian Krogh Gerson (born 5 February 1990) is a Luxembourgish professional footballer who plays as a central defender for OBOS-ligaen side Kongsvinger IL. International career Gerson made his debut for Luxembourg on 26 March 2008, in a ...

(born 1990 in

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

, grew up in Kongsvinger) a footballer playing for

. *

Ole Christian Veiby Ole Christian Veiby is a professional rally driver from Norway driving for Hyundai Motorsport in the WRC-2 category of the World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition ...

(born 1996 in Kongsvinger) rally driver

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Kongsvinger has

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

agreements with the following places: *

Arvika Arvika is a locality and the seat of Arvika Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 14,244 inhabitants in 2010. Geography The town of Arvika is situated at Kyrkviken, a bay of Glafsfjorden, Sweden's only inland fjord, a remnant of the time ...

Värmland County Värmland County (''Värmlands län'') is a county or '' län'' in west central Sweden. It borders the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Örebro and Västra Götaland, as well as the Norwegian counties of Viken and Innlandet to the west. Prince Carl P ...

Ebel es Saqi Ibl al-Saqi (إبل السقي) is a town in the Marjeyoun District in southern Lebanon. History In 1875, Victor Guérin found it to be a "considerable" village, with about 1000 inhabitants. 700 were " Schismatic Greek" and the rest were apparentl ...

Marjayoun Marjayoun ( ar, مرج عيون: Lebanese pronunciation), also Marj 'Ayoun, Marjuyun or Marjeyoun (lit. "meadow of springs") and Jdeideh / Jdeida / Jdeidet Marjeyoun, is a Lebanese town and an administrative district, the Marjeyoun District, in ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Skive, Denmark Skive is a town in Skive municipality (Danish language, Danish, ''Skive Commune (subnational entity), Kommune'') in Region Midtjylland at the base of Salling Peninsula, a part of the larger Jutland peninsula in northwest Denmark. It is the muni ...

Ylöjärvi Ylöjärvi () is a town and a municipality in the Pirkanmaa region, northwest of Tampere and north of the capital city Helsinki in Finland. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . ...

, Länsi-Suomi,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

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? ''Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?'' is the eighth album by American indie pop band of Montreal, released on January 7, 2007. The album was written, performed, and recorded by Kevin Barnes, with assistance from friends and family: prominen ...

''.

References

External links

* *
Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every yea ...

Byen vår
(cultural organisation)
Glåmdalen
local newspaper

Norwegian Tourism - Kongsvinger {{use dmy dates, date=March 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1855 establishments in Norway