Editing Kongsvinger (section)

==History==
The area was historically a part of the [[prestegjeld]] of [[Vinger]]. The village that later became Kongsvinger already existed as a [[Market town|trading center]] by the [[Middle Ages]], due to the accessibility by natural waterways. [[Viking]] chieftains reached [[Sweden]] by boat from Kongsvinger. [[Kongsvinger Fortress]] was founded in 1669, and a star-shaped plan was laid out for the fortress. Work began in 1682 and it was finished in 1690 as part of a general upgrade to [[List of Norwegian fortresses|Norwegian fortresses]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kongsvinger |url=http://www.gonorway.com/norway/counties/hedmark/kongsvinger/7639a8074901a36/index.html |access-date=2016-09-06 |website=GoNorway.com}}</ref> The building of the fortress formed the foundations for what was to become the [[Kongsvinger (town)|town of Kongsvinger]]. The fortress was built as a defensive structure against the Swedes, and on numerous occasions there have been military engagements in the area around the fortress, but Kongsvinger fortress has never been taken in military combat. Below Kongsvinger fortress lies Øvrebyen, which literally translated means "upper town". This is the oldest part of the town of Kongsvinger, and one can still find a number of the original houses built after the establishment of the fortress. Kongsvinger Museum is located here, together with a museum of female emancipation in a building called "Rolighed", the home of [[Dagny Juel]], the famous author once portrayed by Edvard Munch.

The rural, eastern parts of Kongsvinger and its neighboring municipalities to the north and south were populated at the end of the 17th century by [[Finland|Finnish]] emigrants who came across the [[Sweden|Swedish]] border. The area is called [[Finnskogen]] which means ''"The Finnish forest".''

Kongsvinger played an important part in the [[Norwegian resistance movement|Norwegian resistance]] force against the [[Nazi Germany|Nazis]] being a gateway to Sweden. Norway's highest decorated citizen, [[Gunnar Sønsteby]] frequently passed through Kongsvinger in his work to sabotage the Nazis' installations in Norway. Some of the busiest escape routes for refugees also went through Kongsvinger to Sweden.

From 1983 to 1999, and again in 2010, Kongsvinger's [[association football]] team [[KIL Toppfotball]] held a position in the [[Norwegian Premier League]]. It made some notable merits participating in the [[UEFA Cup]] and winning a [[silver medal]] during the 1992 season.