Kópavogur
Municipality in Capital Region, Iceland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kópavogur (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkʰouːpaˌvɔːɣʏr̥] ⓘ) is a town in Iceland that is the country's second-largest municipality by population.
Kópavogur | |
|---|---|
 Skyline of Kópavogur | |
 Location of Kópavogur | |
  Kópavogur | |
| Country | Iceland |
| Region | Capital Region |
| Constituency | Southwest Constituency |
| Established | 1948 |
| Market right | 11 May 1955 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ásdís Kristjánsdóttir (IP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 110 km2 (42 sq mi) |
| Population (2025)[2] | |
• Total | 40,040 |
| • Density | 360/km2 (940/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Kópavogsbúi, Kópavogsbúar (Icelandic) |
| 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.[3]
History
Kópavogur is historically significant as the site of the 1662 Kópavogur meeting.[4] 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;[5] 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,[6] 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 training facility 'Thor's Power Gym', owned by strongman legend Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson.[7] It was the venue of 501 kg (1,105 lb) all-time world record deadlift in 2020.[8]
Notable people
- Emilíana Torrini (born 1977), singer
- Eiður Guðjohnsen (born 1978), footballer
- Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (born 1988), strongman
- Sverrir Ingi Ingason (born 1993), footballer
- Diljá (born 2001), singer
- Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson (born 2003), singer
- Matthías Davíð Matthíasson (born 2004), singer
Twin towns – sister cities
Ammassalik, Greenland
Klaksvík, Faroe Islands
Mariehamn, Åland Islands, Finland
Norrköping, Sweden
Odense, Denmark
Tampere, Finland
Trondheim, Norway
Wuhan, China
Gallery
Public buses in Kópavogur
Kópavogsvöllur stadium
Artificial geyser, Kópavogur in the background
Pond in the park
Kópavogur church
Smáratorg Tower, the tallest building in Iceland
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