Kópavogur

Coordinates: 64°06′39″N 21°54′34″W / 64.11083°N 21.90944°W / 64.11083; -21.90944
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Kópavogur
Municipality
Skyline of Kópavogur
Skyline of Kópavogur
Postal code(s)
200–203
Municipal number1000
Websitekopavogur.is (in Icelandic)

Kópavogur (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkʰouːpaˌvɔːɣʏr̥] ⓘ) is a town in Iceland that is the country's second largest municipality by population.

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]

Map
Kópavogur

History

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

Sumarlandið, where the stone Grásteinn
is portrayed as an elf-house in the Kópavogur municipality.

An independent township, Kópavogur is adjacent to Reykjavík.

Sports

Kópavogur's main

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

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Iceland

Kópavogur is twinned with:[8]

Gallery

  • Public buses in Kópavogur
    Public buses in Kópavogur
  • Kópavogsvöllur stadium
    Kópavogsvöllur stadium
  • Artificial geyser, Kópavogur in the background.
    Artificial geyser, Kópavogur in the background.
  • Pond in the park
    Pond in the park
  • Kópavogur church
    Kópavogur church

See also

  • List of cities and towns in Iceland

References

  1. ^ "Population by municipalities, sex and age 1 January 1998-2020 - Current municipalities". PX-Web. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  2. ISBN 978-1-4053-5665-7
    .
  3. ISBN 0-472-08661-8
    .
  4. ^ 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).
  5. ^ "Vorönn - upplýsingar" (in Icelandic). Gerpla.is. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Hafthor Bjornsson: Game of Thrones actor breaks 501kg deadlift record". BBC News. 2020-05-02. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  8. ^ "Vinabæir". kopavogur.is (in Icelandic). Kópavogur. Retrieved 2020-02-12.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kópavogur (city).


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