Cool or boring names of old cities or regions

[HuzzButt]

Porrarp

Porr is an old scanian word fo shrub and arp is derived from torp (cottage). Why is it funny? well.

 

[Druplesnubb]

Porr is Swedish for porn.

 

[Gil galad]

In Zealandic Flanders there is a small village called Boerenhol. Which one could translate as peasant's arse.

 

[BaronIronmaggot]

Finnish people are often amused by the place called "Kulli" here in Estonia.

Also there is a place called "Aa".

 

[Wagonlitz]

Copenhagen is København in Danish, which is quite literally 'buy-a-harbour'

There's also Aalborg, which means Eel Castle.

We also have Lem (male member), Balde (butt cheek), Tønder (barrels) and Sejerø (pronounced like victory island).
Then we have Jelling which is pronounced like the English word yelling.

 

[Kyriakos]

^So, what dos Ribe mean?

 

[Wagonlitz]

^So, what dos Ribe mean?

According to Wikipedia it comes from ripa meaning stripes.

 

[kykinson]

Vinland!

 

[Amallric]

Also there is a place called "Aa".

Not just one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_European_hydronymy

 

[Teurlinx]

(...)
Internationally, I think 's-Hertogenbosch and some of the Finnish cities (Jyvaskyla, are you kidding me?) sound pretty cool. (...)

Ironically, the we rarely call it 's Hertogenbosch, but instead the shorter 'Den Bosch'

I think some of the best sounding names can be found in the Mediterannean area

Caesarea
Haifa
Malaga
Granada
Barcelona
Salerno
Messina
Tripoli
Cairo
Beirut
etc.

 

[1anrs]

There is a village in Sweden called "Rök" which originally meant rock...

Although now it means smoke

In Scotland, Aber in front of a name means at the mouth of a river - Aberdeen is Scotland's third biggest city, the mouth of the river Dee.

 

[DarthJF]

Finnish people are often amused by the place called "Kulli" here in Estonia.

I also smirked when I heard of the city of Beppu in Japan.
(Butt in Finnish being peppu)

 

[Kyriakos]

Well, contrary to the above, the island of Lesbos is actually linked etymologically to what now is termed as 'lesbian' sexuality, cause the poet Sappho was from Lesbos, ie a Lesbian (person from that island), and was argued (not sure if in ancient times too) to have been sexually fond of women.

Which is why the people from there tend now to call themselves after the main town of the island, Mytilene.

 

[1anrs]

Well, contrary to the above, the island of Lesbos is actually linked etymologically to what now is termed as 'lesbian' sexuality,...

True story, a friend of a friend was engaged to a girl for many months if not years. Then one day she broke up with him because she realised that she was lesbian and was therefore living a lie. Truth is definitely stranger than fiction, he had taken her on a nice holiday to the Mediterranean and proposed to her there, the said island was called ... Lesbos!

 

[Wagonlitz]

True story, a friend of a friend was engaged to a girl for many months if not years. Then one day she broke up with him because she realised that she was lesbian and was therefore living a lie. Truth is definitely stranger than fiction, he had taken her on a nice holiday to the Mediterranean and proposed to her there, the said island was called ... Lesbos!

The island is cursed! Stay away from it if you want to keep your girlfriend.

 

[1anrs]

The island is cursed! Stay away from it if you want to keep your girlfriend.

Not always enough - I had the same happen to me and we hadn't been anywhere near Lesbos :rofl:

 

[Kgw]

The city of Alcantarilla (Sewer), Murcia.

 

[Kyriakos]

Not always enough - I had the same happen to me and we hadn't been anywhere near Lesbos :rofl:

She evidently was.

(couldn't resist )

 

[The Super Pope]

Does the Hillhillhill hill town at least have a hill?

Wiki says there is not a hill called Torpenhow Hill

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpenhow_Hill

 

[Magean]

There is a village in France called Montcuq, which is to be read like "mon cul", which means "my ass". Puns are rampant with this one.