Köping was a Swedish denomination for a market town since the Middle Ages, derived from the Old Norse word kaupang. The designation was officially abolished with the municipal reform of 1971, when Sweden was subdivided into the Municipalities of Sweden (currently amounting to 290).
As present-day Finland was once a part of Sweden, the Finnish word kauppala has the same meaning. In modern Finnish, the word kaupunki, borrowed from the Old Norse word kaupang, is the main word for town and city. Swedish köping and the English toponym chipping are also cognates as is the Norwegian word kjøpstad and the Danish toponymical suffix -købing.
In 1863 the first local government acts were implemented in Sweden. There were two acts, one for cities and one for rural areas. Of the around 2,500 municipalities, 89 had city rights and thus had the right to call themselves stad (city). Under the "rural" act there were also eight localities given the status of köping, which positioned them between a rural municipality and a town (see municipalköping). The number of localities designated as köping rose dramatically during the 20th century and reached its peak in 1959, when they were 95. Many new settlements during the industrialization of Sweden, as well as some of the suburbs in the metropolitan areas, first received the title of köping and it was also made part of their name (such as Linköping or Nyköping). They later grew further and received town privileges, but kept the köping ending of their names. See the list below. It has been found that a vast majority, nearly 70%, of such designated market-towns lie within an area of 200km2 in south-central Sweden, especially in the highly economically productive region immediately west and south of Stockholm, in Södermanland, Örebro, Östergötland, and Jönköping counties.
A large-scale merger of Swedish municipalities in 1971 removed the distinctions between towns, market towns and rural municipalities. Many of the former market towns are now seats of municipalities. In contrast to the term stad, köping is seldom used in everyday speech today.
| County | Köping | From | To | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center rowspan="3" | Kristianopel | see municipalköping | |||
| 01.01.1941 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 1686 | 30.11.1882 | received city privileges | |||
| align=center rowspan="7" | Dalarna County | Avesta | 01.01.1907 | 31.03.1919 | received city privileges |
| 01.01.1898 | 31.12.1943 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1919 | 31.12.1966 | merged into Avesta city | |||
| 01.01.1915 | 31.12.1918 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1959 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1908 | 31.12.1958 | merged into Mora köping) | |||
| 01.01.1918 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="5" | Gävleborg County | 01.01.1923 | 31.12.1941 | merged into Bollnäs city | |
| 01.01.1906 | 31.12.1941 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1914 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1927 | 31.12.1942 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Sandviken Municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="1" | Gotland County | 01.01.1936 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Gotland Municipality | |
| align=center rowspan="1" | Halland County | 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality; today part of Halmstad Municipality | |
| align=center rowspan="2" | Jämtland County | 01.01.1948 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Östersund Municipality | |
| 01.01.1937 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality; today part of Härjedalen Municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="11" | Jönköping County | 01.01.1953 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality; today part of Gislaved Municipality | |
| 01.01.1930 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Nässjö Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1949 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 31.12 1907 | 31.12.1910 | received city privileges; today part of Jönköping Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1928 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Eksjö Municipality | |||
| 31.12 1943 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Jönköping Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1882 | 31.12.1918 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1909 | 31.12.1919 | received city privileges | |||
| 1620 | 31.12.1920 | received city privileges | |||
| align=center rowspan="10" | Kalmar County | 01.01.1930 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| 01.01.1878 | 31.12.1951 | merged into Misterhult Municipality, today part of Oskarshamn Municipality; municipalköping prior to 1878 | |||
| Gamleby | see municipalköping | ||||
| 01.01.1927 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 1620 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 1881 | 31.12.1951 | formed a municipality; municipalköping prior to 1880) | |||
| 25.04.1879 | 31.12.1931 | received city privileges; previously municipalköping from 1865) | |||
| Pataholm | see municipalköping | ||||
| Påskallavik | see municipalköping | ||||
| 01.01.1956 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="11" | Kronoberg County | 01.01.1945 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | split between Lessebo and Växjö Municipalities) | |||
| 01.01.1957 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Uppvidinge Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1939 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| Ljungby | see municipalköping | ||||
| 01.01.1916 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| Ryd (Almundsryd) | 01.01.1958 | 31.12.1970 | split between Tingsryd and Älmhult Municipalities) | ||
| 01.01.1921 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Markaryd Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1943 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Uppvidinge Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1901 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="1" | Norrbotten County | 01.01.1948 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| align=center rowspan="7" | Örebro County | 01.01.1943 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| 01.01.1955 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Lindesberg Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1908 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1950 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1908 | 31.12.1961 | merged into Ljusnarsbergs köping) | |||
| 01.01.1946 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1962 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="5" | Östergötland County | 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| 01.01.1942 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 1820 | 31.12.1880 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1914 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality; prior to 1914 municipalköping; oldest köping charter from 1647) | |||
| 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="22" | Skåne County | 01.01.1946 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| 01.01.1942 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1937 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality; before 1937 municipalköping) | |||
| 01.01.1875 | 31.12.1910 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1968 | merged into Kävlinge köping) | |||
| 01.01.1901 | 31.12.1913 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1900 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1939 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1945 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1946 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1906 | 31.12.1914 | merged into Malmö city | |||
| 01.01.1951 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1937 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1914 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1919 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1921 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| Trelleborg | see municipalköping | ||||
| 01.01.1934 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1905 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Kristianstad Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1946 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="2" | Södermanland County | 01.01.1955 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| 1784 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Flen Municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="10" | Stockholm County | 01.01.1946 | 31.12.1970 | became municipality | |
| 01.01.1901 | 31.12.1913 | received city privileges; today part of Danderyd Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1926 | 01.01.1948 | merged into Stockholm City | |||
| 01.01.1910 | 31.12.1925 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1911 | 31.12.1945 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1909 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Nacka Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1944 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1910 | 31.12.1966 | merged into Djursholm city; today part of Danderyd Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1888 | 31.12.1926 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1948 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="1" | Uppsala County | 01.01.1920 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| align=center rowspan="8" | Värmland County | 1811 | 31.12 1910 | received city privileges | |
| 01.01.1948 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1950 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1949 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1950 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1920 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1882 | 31.12.1950 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1941 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="5" | Västerbotten County | 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality; today part of Umeå Municipality | |
| 01.01.1929 | 31.12.1945 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1928 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="5" | Västernorrland County | 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1964 | merged into Sundsvall city | |
| 01.01.1902 | 31.12.1916 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1946 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 06.12.1842 | 30.06.1894 | received city privileges | |||
| align=center rowspan="3" | Västmanland County | 01.01.1943 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| 01.01.1907 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| align=center rowspan="14" | Västra Götaland County | 01.01.1926 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |
| 01.01.1929 | 31.12.1951 | merged into Tanum Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1900 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1952 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Mark Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1951 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1908 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1951 | 31.12.1970 | merged into Mark Municipality | |||
| 01.01.1946 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1947 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1895 | 31.12.1909 | received city privileges | |||
| 01.01.1909 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||
| 01.01.1894 | 31.12.1970 | formed a municipality | |||