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Kópavogur (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkʰouːpaˌvɔːɣʏr̥] ⓘ) is a town in Iceland that is the country's second largest municipality by population.
Kópavogur | |
|---|---|
 Skyline of Kópavogur | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Kópavogur | |
  Kópavogur | |
| Coordinates: 64°06′39″N 21°54′34″W / 64.11083°N 21.90944°W | |
| Country | Iceland |
| Region | Capital Region |
| Constituency | Southwest Constituency |
| Established | 1948 |
| Market right | 11 May 1955 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ásdís Kristjánsdóttir (IP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 80 km2 (30 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
| • Total | 37,959 |
| • Density | 462.19/km2 (1,197.1/sq mi) |
| Postal code(s) | 200–203 |
| Municipal number | 1000 |
| Website | kopavogur |
It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Capital Region. The name literally means seal pup inlet. The town seal contains the profile of the church Kópavogskirkja with a seal pup underneath.
Kópavogur is largely made up of residential areas, but has commercial areas and much industrial activity as well. The tallest building in Iceland, the Smáratorg Tower, is located in central Kópavogur.[2]
History edit
Kópavogur is historically significant as the site of the 1662 Kópavogur meeting.[3] This event marked the total incorporation of Iceland into Denmark–Norway when, on behalf of the Icelandic people, Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson and Árni Oddsson, a lawyer, signed a document confirming that the introduction of absolute monarchy by Frederick III of Denmark–Norway also applied to Iceland.
Kópavogur is also one of Iceland's most prominent sites for Icelandic urban legends about the huldufólk;[4] it also features in this capacity in the 2010 film Sumarlandið, where the stone Grásteinn is portrayed as an elf-house in the Kópavogur municipality.
An independent township, Kópavogur is adjacent to Reykjavík.
Sports edit
Kópavogur's main sports clubs are Gerpla,[5] Breiðablik and HK. In 2010, Breiðablik clinched their first Icelandic league title in football into; furthermore, in 2012, HK won their first Icelandic league title in team handball.
The town is also home to the hardcore strongman and powerlifting training facility 'Thor's Power Gym' owned by the strongest man of all-time Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, which was also the venue for the iconic 501 kg (1,105 lb) World Record Deadlift on 2 May 2020.[6][7]
Notable people edit
- Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (born 1988), professional strongman
- Sverrir Ingi Ingason (born 1993), footballer
- Eiður Guðjohnsen (born 1978), footballer
- Emilíana Torrini (born 1977), singer
- Diljá (born 2002), singer
Twin towns – sister cities edit
Ammassalik, Greenland
Dobrich, Bulgaria- Tasiilaq, Greenland
Klaksvík, Faroe Islands
Mariehamn, Åland Islands, Finland
Norrköping, Sweden
Odense, Denmark
Tampere, Finland
Trondheim, Norway
Wuhan, China
Gallery edit
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Public buses in Kópavogur
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Kópavogsvöllur stadium
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Artificial geyser, Kópavogur in the background.
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Pond in the park
.jpg)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Population by municipalities, sex and age 1 January 1998-2020 - Current municipalities". PX-Web. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide: Iceland: Iceland. Dorling Kindersley Limited. 1 June 2010. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-4053-5665-7.
- ^ Lacy, Terry G. (2000). Ring of Seasons: Iceland--Its Culture and History. University of Michigan Press. p. 210. ISBN 0-472-08661-8.
- ^ Valdimar Tr. Hafstein, 'The Elves' Point of View: Cultural Identity in Contemporary Icelandic Elf-Tradition', Fabula: Zeitschrift für Erzählsforschung/Journal of Folklore Studies/Revue d'Etudes sur le Conte Populaire, 41 (2000), 87-104 (pp. 91-93).
- ^ "Vorönn - upplýsingar" (in Icelandic). Gerpla.is. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ Lane, Edward (2019-04-11). "Welcome to Thor's Power Gym, the Lifting Valhalla of the World's Strongest Man Hafþór Björnsson". Men's Health. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ "Hafthor Bjornsson: Game of Thrones actor breaks 501kg deadlift record". BBC News. 2020-05-02. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ "Vinabæir". kopavogur.is (in Icelandic). Kópavogur. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
External links edit
Kópavogur travel guide from Wikivoyage- Official website (in Icelandic)
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