Kópavogur

Kópavogsbær

Impressions on road 41 from Keflavík to Reykjavík

Coat of arms of Kópavogsbær

Location of Kópavogsbær
Region Capital Region
Constituency Southwest Constituency
Established 1948
Market right 11 May 1955
Mayor Ármann Kristinn Ólafsson (IP)
Area 80 km2 (31 sq mi)
Population 33,205 (2015)
Density 415.1/km2 (1,075/sq mi)
Municipal number 1000
Postal code(s) 200–203
Website kopavogur.is (Icelandic)

Kópavogur (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkʰoːupavɔɣʏr̥]) is a city and Iceland'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 bay. 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.[1]

History

Kópavogur is historically significant as the site of the 1662 Kópavogur meeting.[2] 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 the King also applied to Iceland.

Kópavogur is also one of Iceland's most prominent sites for Icelandic urban legends about the huldufólk;[3] 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

Kópavogur's main sports clubs are Gerpla,[4] Breiðablik UBK and HK. In 2010 Breiðablik clinched their first Icelandic league title in football and in 2012 HK won their first Icelandic league title in team handball.

See also

References

  1. ↑ DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide: Iceland: Iceland. Dorling Kindersley Limited. 1 June 2010. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-4053-5665-7.
  2. ↑ Lacy, Terry G. (2000). Ring of Seasons: Iceland--Its Culture and History. University of Michigan Press. p. 210. ISBN 0-472-08661-8.
  3. ↑ 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).
  4. ↑ "Vorönn - upplýsingar" (in Icelandic). Gerpla.is. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
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