Köping facts for kids

Köping was an old Swedish word for a market town. It came from the Old Norse word kaupang. This special name for towns was officially stopped in 1971. That's when Sweden changed how its local areas were organized. Sweden was divided into 290 municipalities.

Finland used to be part of Sweden. So, the Finnish word kauppala means the same thing. In modern Finnish, the word kaupunki is now the main word for town and city. It also comes from the Old Norse word kaupang. The Swedish word köping and the English word chipping are similar. So are the Norwegian word kjøpstad and the Danish ending -købing.

Sweden's Market Towns

How Towns Were Organized

In 1863, Sweden created its first laws for local governments. There were two main laws. One was for cities and another for country areas. Out of about 2,500 local areas, 89 were called stad (city). They had special city rights.

Under the "country" law, eight places were given the status of köping. These köping towns were somewhere between a country area and a full city. You can learn more about them at municipalköping.

Growth and Change

The number of places called köping grew a lot during the 1900s. It reached its highest point in 1959, with 95 köping towns. Many new settlements appeared as Sweden became more industrial. Some suburbs near big cities also became köping towns first. The name köping was often part of their official name. Examples include Linköping or Nyköping. These towns later grew even more and became full cities. But they kept the köping ending in their names.

Most of these market towns, nearly 70%, were in a small area in south-central Sweden. This area was very important for the economy. It was especially strong west and south of Stockholm. This included areas like Södermanland, Örebro, Östergötland, and Jönköping counties.

The End of Köping Status

In 1971, Sweden made a big change to its local areas. It merged many towns and municipalities. This change removed the differences between cities, market towns, and country areas. Many former köping towns are now the main towns of new municipalities. Today, people in Sweden rarely use the word köping in everyday talk.

Places Still Named Köping

Even though the official köping status is gone, many places still have köping in their names.