Köping Explained

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.

Sweden

History

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.

Toponyms containing the word köping

Municipal Seats

Minor Localities

Localities/Parishes in the Diocese of Lund

Köping titles issued 1863 - 1959

CountyKöping FromToNote
align=center rowspan="3" Kristianopelsee municipalköping
01.01.194131.12.1970 formed a municipality
168630.11.1882 received city privileges
align=center rowspan="7" Dalarna CountyAvesta01.01.1907 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 County01.01.1923 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 County01.01.1936 31.12.1970 merged into Gotland Municipality
align=center rowspan="1" Halland County01.01.1947 31.12.1970 formed a municipality; today part of Halmstad Municipality
align=center rowspan="2" Jämtland County01.01.1948 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 County01.01.1953 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 County01.01.1930 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
Gamlebysee 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)
Pataholmsee municipalköping
Påskallaviksee municipalköping
01.01.1956 31.12.1970 formed a municipality
align=center rowspan="11" Kronoberg County01.01.1945 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
Ljungbysee 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 County01.01.1948 31.12.1970 formed a municipality
align=center rowspan="7" Örebro County01.01.1943 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 County01.01.1947 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 County01.01.1946 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
Trelleborgsee 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 County01.01.1955 31.12.1970 formed a municipality
1784 31.12.1970 merged into Flen Municipality
align=center rowspan="10" Stockholm County01.01.1946 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 County01.01.1920 31.12.1970 formed a municipality
align=center rowspan="8" Värmland County1811 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 County01.01.1947 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 County01.01.1952 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
06.12.184230.06.1894 received city privileges
align=center rowspan="3" Västmanland County01.01.1943 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 County01.01.1926 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

See also

Notes and References

  1. [:sv:Dalköpinge socken]
  2. [:sv:Kyrkoköpinge socken]
  3. [:sv:Sireköpinge socken]
  4. [:sv:Stora Köpinge socken]