Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of

Glåmdal Glåmdalen or Glommadal is a valley in Innlandet county (formerly Hedmark County) in Eastern Norway. The valley was formed by the river Glomma (also called Glåma), one of the major rivers for the region. The name "Glåmdalen" is also a newer de ...

. 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, and Roverud. 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 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 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 Vinger (population: 209) was transferred into Kongsvinger. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the town of Kongsvinger (population: 2,345) and the surrounding municipalities of Vinger (population: 6,257) and

(population: 4,384) were merged to form the new Kongsvinger Municipality. 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 to Kongsvinger Municipality. On 1 January 1986, the northern part of the Åbogen area (population: 14) was transferred from Kongsvinger to the neighboring municipality of Eidskog.

Name

The whole region where Kongsvinger is located was historically called '' Vinger'' ( non, Vingr). This name could be related to the river

which flows through the region. One could compare this to the English word

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

(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 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 ...

of Vinger. The village that later became Kongsvinger already existed as a trading center by the Middle Ages, due to the accessibility by natural waterways. Viking 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 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 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 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 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 services, unemployment 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, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elects a mayor. 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 municipal council of Kongsvinger is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party 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

region, which is made up of the southern parts of Innlandet county. Kongsvinger municipality 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

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 municipalities in

. Kongsvinger is about from Oslo and from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. The Holtbergmasta, a tall guyed mast 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, Hamar, and Charlottenberg, 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 and farming, 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 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 ...

is also situated in Kongsvinger.

Major businesses

Education

Notable residents

Public service & public thinking

* Christen Schmidt (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, 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 Carl Wille Schnitler (24 June 1879 – 28 October 1926) was a Norwegian art historian. He became noted for his national orientated writings on art history, which spanned from the antiquity to his contemporary society. He became best known fo ...

(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 * Tove Strand (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 (1845 in Kongsvinger – 1903) a Norwegian pianist. * Erik Werenskiold (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 Borghild Bryhn Langaard, (23 July 1883 – 20 November 1939) was a Norwegian operatic soprano. Biography Borghild Bryhn was born on 23 July 1883 in Kongsvinger. She died on 20 November 1939 in Oslo. Career Borghild Bryhn studied with Gina Os ...

(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 Pål Refsdal (born 9 September 1963) is a Norwegian freelance journalist, photographer and filmmaker who has reported from many war zones. He has followed and worked with several rebel groups. In 2009, he was embedded with Taliban in Afghanistan wh ...

(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 (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, lives in Kongsvinger

Sport

* Sverre Strandli (1925 in Brandval – 1985) a Norwegian hammer thrower, 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 * Even Pellerud (born 1953 in Kongsvinger) former football player with 180 club caps and coach * Øivind Tomteberget (born 1953 in Kongsvinger) a retired football midfielder, 660 games for Kongsvinger IL *

Espen Nystuen Espen Nystuen (born 19 December 1981) is a former Norwegian footballer. Nystuen previously played for Kongsvinger. A part of the community since he was a child, he had never played for any other club until he was sold to Stabæk ahead of the 200 ...

(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, grew up in Kongsvinger) a footballer playing for Luxembourg. * Ole Christian Veiby (born 1996 in Kongsvinger) rally driver

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Kongsvinger has sister city 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,

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 * Skive, Denmark * Ylöjärvi, Länsi-Suomi, Finland

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