There are also plans for a new hotel to be built in conjunction to the refurbishment of the down town area as well as for the construction of two new shopping centres.

These plans are part of the overall strategy of the city council to make Kongsvinger more attractive to tourists and potential new residents.

Kongsvinger already existed as a trading center by the Middle Ages, due to the accessibility by natural waterways.

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.

The Øvrebyen area around the fortress is dominated by wooden buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, laid out in the typical right angle square plan that was designed by the architect Johan Caspar von Cicignon which was very popular in this period.

[4] Kongsvinger played an important part in the Norwegian resistance force against the Nazis being a gateway to Sweden.

[4] 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.