Kópavogur
Encyclopedia
Kópavogur (ˈkʰoːupavɔɣʏr̥) is a city and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
's second largest municipality, with a population of 30,779.
It lies immediately south of Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
and is part of the Greater Reykjavík Area
Greater Reykjavík Area
The Greater Reykjavík Area is a name used collectively for Reykjavík and seven municipalities around it.. The area is the largest urban area in Iceland. Each municipality has its independent elected council. With a population of 200,852, the Greater Reykjavík Area comprises over 60% of the...
. The name literally means seal pup bay. The town seal contains the profile of the church Kópavogskirkja
Kópavogskirkja
Kópavogskirkja is the oldest church in Kópavogur. It is located on the hill Borgarholt and offers a great view over Kópavogur, Reykjavík and surrounding area....
with a seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
pup underneath.
Kópavogur is largely made up of residential areas, but has commercial areas and a lot of industrial activity as well. The tallest building in Iceland, the Smáratorg tower
Smáratorg Tower
Smáratorg 3 is an office and retail building in Iceland. It is the tallest building in Iceland, surpassing the Hallgrímskirkja in height, and is the fifth tallest architectural structure in the country after the Eiðar longwave transmitter, the masts of Naval Radio Transmitter Facility Grindavik...
, is located in downtown Kópavogur.
History
Kópavogur is historically significantHistory of Iceland
-Early history:In geological terms, Iceland is a young island. It started to form about 20 million years ago from a series of volcanic eruptions on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge...
as the site of the 1662 Kópavogur meeting. This event marked the total incorporation of Iceland into Denmark-Norway as bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Brynjólfur Sveinsson
Brynjólfur Sveinsson
Brynjólfur Sveinsson served as the Lutheran Bishop of the see of Skálholt in Iceland. His main influence has been on modern knowledge of Old Norse literature. He is currently pictured on the Icelandic 1000 krónur bill....
and lawyer Árni Oddsson on behalf of the Icelandic people signed a document confirming that the introduction of absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
by the King also applied to Iceland. An independent township, Kópavogur is adjacent to Reykjavík.
The modern dome of Kópavogur Church–the town’s emblem–dominates the skyline to the south of Reykjavík. On the same hilltop is Gerðarsafn, Kópavogur Art Museum, an elegant, spacious museum built in 1985 to show the works of modern sculpture pioneer and glass artist Gerður Helgadóttir
Gerður Helgadóttir
Gerður Helgadóttir was an Icelandic sculptor and stained glass artist.She studied at the Art and Craft School of Iceland , in Denamrk, at the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze and at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris...
, who made the stained glass windows for the church. Another collection in the museum features works by painter/sculptor Magnús Árnason and his English-born wife Barbara, an illustrator and graphics artist. Selected exhibitions from these collections are arranged at intervals, but the museum’s main activity is exhibitions by modern Icelandic artists, held approximately every month. Also on the hilltop site is the new complex Kópavogur Cultural Centre. It houses among other things Iceland‘s first and only custom built concert hall, Salurinn, Kópavogur Concert Hall, which opened in 1999. Regular concerts and recitals are held at the centre, featuring both celebrated Icelandic performers and visiting international musicians.
One of Iceland‘s finest collections of molluscs and crustaceans are on display at the natural Science Centre in Kópavogur‘s town centre. The Cultural Centre also houses impressive collections of rocks and birds, and has four tanks with live fish and marine life.
Athletic facilities are amongst the best in the country. A new open-air geothermally heated swimming pool, the largest in Iceland, is among the many excellent sports and leisure facilities in Kópavogur, which also can boast of the biggest indoor tennis court in the country.
In the heart of Kópavogur a massive shopping area has been developed around Smaralind, the largest shopping mall in Iceland.
Sports
Kópavogur's main sports clubs are Gerpla, Breiðablik UBKBreiðablik UBK
Breiðablik was founded in 1950 and is the biggest sports club in Kópavogur in Iceland. Breidablik has several divisions, both men's and women's: football, athletics, basketball, karate, dance, skiing, swimming and team handball.- Name :The name Breiðablik comes from Norse mythology, where it was...
and HK
Handknattleiksfélag Kópavogs
Handknattleiksfélag Kópavogs is an Icelandic sports club from the town of Kópavogur, mainly known for its football and handball teams. The club has a football team playing at the second tier of Icelandic football after being relegated in 2008.-History:...
. In 2010 Breiðablik clinched their first Icelandic league title.
Notable people
The singer Emilíana TorriniEmilíana Torrini
Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.-Early life:Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of...
is from Kópavogur.
The 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games Women's Champion Anníe Mist Þórisdóttir is from Kópavogur.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kópavogur is twinned with:| Tasiilaq Tasiilaq Tasiilaq is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. With 1,930 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the most populous community on the eastern coast, and the seventh-largest town in Greenland... , Greenland Greenland Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for... Klaksvík Klaksvík Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands.The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands .... , Faroe Islands Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland... Mariehamn Mariehamn Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city... , Åland (Finland) Norrköping Norrköping Municipality Norrköping Municipality is a municipality in Östergötland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Norrköping, with some 90,000 inhabitants.... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... Odense Odense Municipality Odense Municipality, is a Danish municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the island of Funen in central Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 190,245... , Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
Tampere Tampere Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... Trondheim Trondheim Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of... , Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... (since 1946) Nampa Nampa, Idaho Nampa is the largest and the fastest growing city in Canyon County, Idaho, USA. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census. Nampa is located about west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is part of the Boise metropolitan area... , Idaho Idaho Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Wuhan Wuhan Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers... , China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... Riverton, Manitoba Riverton, Manitoba Riverton is a village in the province of Manitoba in Canada located approximately 110 kilometres north of Winnipeg. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Bifrost. The CPR's train conductor is reputed to have named the town.... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
See also
- IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
- SmáralindSmáralindSmáralind is located in the middle of the Greater Reykjavík Area, Iceland. It is one of the biggest shopping malls in Iceland, with over seventy shops, restaurants and services. It contains everything from a cinema and pharmacy to a Vínbúð liquor store, candy stores and restaurants. Smáralind was...
- Menntaskólinn í KópavogiMenntaskólinn í KópavogiKópavogur Grammar School or MK is an upper-secondary school in Kópavogur, Iceland, founded on September 22, 1973.-External links:**, MK's student council website-References:...
- BreiðablikBreiðablik UBKBreiðablik was founded in 1950 and is the biggest sports club in Kópavogur in Iceland. Breidablik has several divisions, both men's and women's: football, athletics, basketball, karate, dance, skiing, swimming and team handball.- Name :The name Breiðablik comes from Norse mythology, where it was...
External links
- Kópavogur's official webpage (in IcelandicIcelandic languageIcelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
) - Picture gallery from www.islandsmyndir.is