Köpingsvik
Encyclopedia
Köpingsvik is a locality
situated in Borgholm Municipality
, Kalmar County
, Sweden
with 609 inhabitants in 2005. It is located about 4 km east of the city
of Borgholm
on the island Öland
.
Köpingsvik is known as a tourist center
, offering large and modern camping
sites. Nearby are the historic sites of Borgholm Castle
and Halltorps Estate
.
Köping (historically) was an important Viking Age
port of what is todays Sweden
, covering an area of approximately 25 hectars, almost 4 times larger than the similar site on the island of Björkö
near Stockholm
. Köping was in operation from the 7th to the 13th century. It was also an important center of early Christianity
in Sweden. Remains of an unfinished, massive 12th century church 42 meters long have been excavated as well as the largest collection of the so-called eskilstunakistor, 75 pieces. During the last ten years there have been several small excavations which have confirmed the earlier findings and the importance of the site. Note that these findings are almost unknown to public in Sweden and the ruling view is that little site on Björkö is Swedens "oldest town".
Köping faded away around 1200, and Kalmar
took over as the most important harbour town in south-eastern Sweden.
Köping is claimed by some amateur historians and historians as a possible alternative to Björkö for the location of the old viking
village Birka
in SvíÞjóð (the ancient name for Sweden). Birka is mentioned in Vita Ansgari
and the work of Adam of Bremen
. He states that Birka is situated directly north of Jomsborg
and directly oppsite to Kurland and at the same distance between them. This theory has not been widely accepted.
Panorama over Köpingsviks beach
Urban areas in Sweden
Urban area is a common English translation of the Swedish term tätort. The official term in English, used by Statistics Sweden, is, however, locality. There are 1,940 localities in Sweden . They could be compared with census-designated places in the United States.A tätort in Sweden has a minimum of...
situated in Borgholm Municipality
Borgholm Municipality
Borgholm Municipality is a municipality in Kalmar County, south-eastern Sweden, constituting the northern half of the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea...
, Kalmar County
Kalmar County
Kalmar County is a county or län in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kronoberg, Jönköping, Blekinge and Östergötland. To the east in the Baltic Sea is the island Gotland....
, 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....
with 609 inhabitants in 2005. It is located about 4 km east of the city
City status in Sweden
Stad is a Swedish term which nominally means town but can also encompass the English word "city". Since 1971 stad has had no administrative or legal significance in Sweden and there exists no commonly accepted definition of the term.-History :...
of Borgholm
Borgholm
Borgholm is a city and the seat of Borgholm Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 3,093 inhabitants in 2005. It is located on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea....
on the island Öland
Öland
' is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of 1,342 km² and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. The island has 25,000 inhabitants, but during Swedish Midsummer it is visited by up to 500,000 people...
.
Köpingsvik is known as a tourist center
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, offering large and modern camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
sites. Nearby are the historic sites of Borgholm Castle
Borgholm Castle
Borgholm Castle in Borgholm, Sweden, is today only a ruin of the fortress that was first built in the second half of the 12th century and many times rebuilt in later centuries. It is linked to Halltorps estate, somewhat to the south...
and Halltorps Estate
Halltorp
Halltorp is one of the earliest manor houses on the island of Öland, Sweden, dating from the 11th century AD. In early documents it is known as Hauldtorp, and it is cited as one of the early Viking settlements of Öland. In earlier times it has functioned as a royal farm associated with the...
.
Köping (historically) was an important Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
port of what is todays 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....
, covering an area of approximately 25 hectars, almost 4 times larger than the similar site on the island of Björkö
Björkö
Björkö can signify:# In Sweden:## Björkö, a Lake Mälaren island in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, the location for the excavation and World Heritage Site Birka....
near Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Köping was in operation from the 7th to the 13th century. It was also an important center of early Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Sweden. Remains of an unfinished, massive 12th century church 42 meters long have been excavated as well as the largest collection of the so-called eskilstunakistor, 75 pieces. During the last ten years there have been several small excavations which have confirmed the earlier findings and the importance of the site. Note that these findings are almost unknown to public in Sweden and the ruling view is that little site on Björkö is Swedens "oldest town".
Köping faded away around 1200, and Kalmar
Kalmar
Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...
took over as the most important harbour town in south-eastern Sweden.
Köping is claimed by some amateur historians and historians as a possible alternative to Björkö for the location of the old viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
village Birka
Birka
During the Viking Age, Birka , on the island of Björkö in Sweden, was an important trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as Central and Eastern Europe and the Orient. Björkö is located in Lake Mälaren, 30 kilometers west of contemporary Stockholm, in the municipality of Ekerö...
in SvíÞjóð (the ancient name for Sweden). Birka is mentioned in Vita Ansgari
Vita Ansgari
Vita Ansgari is the biography of Ansgar, written by Rimbert, his successor as archbishop in Hamburg-Bremen. Written in about 875 CE, the Vita is an important source in not only detailing Ansgar's missionary work in Scandinavia but in its descriptions of the everyday lives of people during the...
and the work of Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. He is most famous for his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum .-Background:Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles...
. He states that Birka is situated directly north of Jomsborg
Jomsborg
Jomsborg was a semi-legendary Viking stronghold at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea , that existed between the 960s and 1043. Its inhabitants are known as Jomsvikings. Jomsborg's exact location has not yet been established, though it is maintained that Jomsborg was somewhere on the islands of...
and directly oppsite to Kurland and at the same distance between them. This theory has not been widely accepted.
External links
- Köpingsvik.eu - Facts and local businesses in Köpingsvik, Öland
- Köpingsvik.se - Facts about Köpingsvik, Öland
- Bomans Vacationhouses