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 the ...

. 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 Austmarka, Brandval,

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: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

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

Name

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

'' ( non, Vingr). This name could be related to the river Glomma which flows through the region. One could compare this to the English word swing (for the missing ''s'' see Indo-European s-mobile). The river Glomma 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 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 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 heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted on 25 June 1926. The arms show the Kongsvinger Fortress in gray on a black hill with a red background. Below the fortress is a white line representing the Glomma 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 has three parishes () within the municipality of Kongsvinger. It is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti ( deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

History

The area was historically a part of the prestegjeld of

. 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 ...

, 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 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. 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, 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 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 N ...

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. 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 **Runn ...

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 and winning a silver medal during the 1992 season.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kongsvinger, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

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 during the refere ...

and other social services,

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 ...

, 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 counc ...

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 population ...

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 ...

. The municipality falls under the Romerike og Glåmdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

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 featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

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

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 and Torsby municipalities in Sweden. 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 ...

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 Atl ...

. 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 town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake ...

, 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. ...

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 peopl ...

, 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 from 1773 * Georg Ræder (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 (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, ran a private school in Kongsvinger for 17 years * Carl Wille Schnitler (1879 in Brandval – 1926) a Norwegian art historian * Rudolf Falck Ræder (1881 in Kongsvinger – 1951) a military officer, engineer and politician * Åse Wisløff Nilssen (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 ...

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 (born 1950) a glaciologist, polar explorer and crime novelist; brought up in Kongsvinger * Karin Andersen (born 1952) a Norwegian politician, serving as mp for the Socialist Left Party (SV). Borghild Bryhn (1920)

The Arts

* Maren Elisabeth Bang (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 ...

(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 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 (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 * 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 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" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (E ...

, lives in Kongsvinger

Sport

Sverre Strandli Sverre Gunnar Strandli (30 November 1925 – 4 March 1985) was a Norwegian hammer thrower, who won the gold medal at the European Championships in 1950 and the silver medal in 1954. At the Summer Olympics Strandli finished seventh in Helsinki ...

(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 consist ...

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 (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 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 (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,

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 C ...

, Sweden * Ebel es Saqi, Marjayoun,

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 Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

* Skive, Denmark * Ylöjärvi, 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?''.