Kopavogur or Kopavogur (Kópavogur, translated from Icelandic as “seal bay”) is the second most populous city in Iceland, located in the southwest of the country. Along with Reykjavik, it is part of Hövudborgarschweidid, the so-called “capital region”. According to petwithsupplies, Kopavogur is one of the largest cities in Iceland.
Kopavogur is one of the youngest cities in Iceland, therefore it cannot boast of significant historical sites, but the city is considered an important industrial and cultural center of the country. Previously, Kopavogur was considered a suburb of Reykjavik, and the first buildings here were built during the Second World War.
In Kopavogur, there is the largest building in Iceland – the Smáratorg Tower, 77 meters high.
How to get to Kopavogur
From Reykjavik, buses from the Strætó city bus system organize connections to the suburbs of Kopavogur.
Kopavogur is central to the metropolitan area, so many roads, bus routes, walking and cycling paths pass through the city, connecting it to the rest of the region.
Weather in Kopavogur
The climate is subarctic maritime. Thanks to the action of the warm Gulf Stream, the climate in Kopavogur is much more favorable than in other areas located on the same latitude. Winters are mild with an average temperature not lower than -10 degrees, and summers are cool – the average temperature in July is about +11-12 degrees.
Shops and restaurants
The trading life of Kopavogur is concentrated in the south of the city around the largest mall in Iceland – Smaralind. Bus number 2 runs from the center of Reykjavik to the shopping center.
The Turninn restaurant is located on the top floor of the tallest building in Iceland, so it offers stunning views of the city. Most of the restaurants are concentrated in the shopping center of Kopavogur – Smaralind.
Entertainment and attractions of Kopavogur
The oldest church in the city, Kópavogskirkja, whose construction began in 1958, is located on Borgarholt hill, which offers stunning views of the city and its surroundings, and part of Reykjavik is also visible from here. The Lutheran church is made in the Art Nouveau style in the form of the intersection of two arches.
On the same hill is the Gerdarsafn Museum of Art (Gerðarsafn, 1958) with a collection of sculptures and glasswork made by the Icelandic artist and sculptor Gerður Helgadóttir, creator of the stained glass windows of the Kópavogskirkja church. On the same hill, the cultural center of Kopavogur is located with the Salurinn concert hall, opened in 1999. The concert hall is interesting both for its architectural appearance and for its acoustic capabilities.
In the center of Kopavogur is the Museum of Natural History with a collection of mollusks and crustaceans of Iceland, as well as four huge aquariums with fish and other inhabitants of the ocean. And you can swim yourself in the largest geothermal heated pool in Iceland, located on the Borgarholt hill.
Neighborhood
In the west of Kopavogur there is an ocean harbor, along which it is pleasant to walk. Not far from the city is the freshwater lake Ellidavatn, the eastern shore of which is part of the Heiðmörk nature reserve.
39 km from Kopavogur is the Blue Lagoon geothermal SPA complex, one of the most visited places in Iceland, and 40 km from Thingvellir National Park, in 2004 included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
