Cross-border town naming

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Cross-border town naming occurs where towns or villages with the same or equivalent names are divided between two different countries. Reasons for this taking place may include the following :

  • The town or village existed before the border, or even before the modern concept of a border. The border was added later (not always due to war), and divided a community.
  • A community on one side of a border grows up to service the border, and takes the name of the adjacent community on the other side of the border.
  • Communities grow up on both sides of the border, to service the border, and take the name of the border crossing.

Most of these places are located in Europe, while there are also some examples in North America and Asia. In Europe, until at the first half of the 20th century, and again in the post-Schengen 21st century, such divisions could be mostly ignored by the inhabitants.

Contents

[edit] Examples

Note that this list only includes places with similar names that are in someway connected (by history, geography or otherwise) across modern-day international borders. Towns that have the same name but bear no relationship to each other are also very common, but not particularly notable.

[edit] Europe

[edit] Denmark/Germany

  • Pebermark / Neupepersmark
  • Rosenkrans / Rosenkranz

[edit] Denmark/Sweden

[edit] Netherlands/Germany

[edit] Netherlands/Belgium


[edit] Belgium/Germany

[edit] Luxembourg/Germany

[edit] Belgium/France

[edit] Luxembourg/France

[edit] France/Germany

[edit] France/Switzerland

[edit] Germany/Switzerland

[edit] Germany/Austria

  • Vorderriß / Hinterriß
  • Bayrisch Gmain / Großgmain

[edit] Germany/Poland

(*) In some cases I have added an exonym to show the relationship between the town more clearly for people not familiar with the respective languages.

[edit] Germany/Czech Republic

  • Seifhennersdorf / Horní Jindrichův (Oberhennersdorf)*
  • Zinnwald / Cinovec (Zinnwald)*
  • Deutschgeorgenthal / Český Jiřetín (Georgendorf)*
  • Deutscheinsiedel / Mníšek (Böhmisch Einsiedel)*
  • Deutschneudorf / Nová Ves v Horach (Gebirgsneudorf)*
  • Deutschkatharinenberg / Hora Svaté Kateřiny (Böhmisch Katherinenberg)*
  • Hammerunterwiesenthal / České Hamry (Böhmisch Hammer)*
  • Oberwiesenthal / Loučna (Böhmisch Wiesenthal)*
  • Neualbenreuth / Mýtina (Altalbenreuth)*
  • Bayerisch Eisenstein / Zelezna Ruda (Markt Eisenstein)*

(*) In some cases I have added an exonym to show the relationship between the town more clearly for people not familiar with the respective languages.

[edit] Czech Republic/Poland

  • Pelhřimovy / Pielgrzymów
  • Opavice / Opawica
  • Krásne Loučky / Krasne Pole
  • Chomýž / Chomiąż
  • Český Těšín / Cieszyn
  • Horní Lištna / Leszna Górna

[edit] Austria/Hungary

[edit] Austria/Slovenia

[edit] Italy/Slovenia

[edit] Italy/Switzerland

[edit] Sweden/Finland

[edit] Estonia/Latvia

[edit] Slovakia/Hungary

[edit] Hungary/Romania

[edit] Croatia/Bosnia-Herzegovina

[edit] Bosnia-Herzegovina/Serbia

[edit] Bosnia-Herzegovina/Montenegro

  • Donja Vrbica / Gornja Vrbica

[edit] Romania/Ukraine

[edit] North America

[edit] Canada

  • Lloydminster -- not a pair of twin cities, but a city that straddles a provincial border

[edit] Canada/USA

[edit] USA/Mexico

[edit] Africa

[edit] Ethiopia/Kenya

[edit] Malawi/Mozambique

[edit] Zambia/Zimbabwe

[edit] Zimbabwe/Mozambique

  • Mukumbura / Mucumbara

[edit] Asia

[edit] Azerbaijan/Iran

[edit] Turkmenistan/Iran

[edit] Tajikistan/Afghanistan

[edit] See also

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