English-German Geographic Glossary
A Gazetteer of Place Names in German - Ortslexikon
World Cities in German and English
Ortsnamen - Städtenamen - Ortslexikon
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This glossary of place names in English and German came about because of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. The American television network NBC, the official broadcaster for the games in the U.S., decided to refer to the Italian city by its Italian name, Torino, despite the fact that the English term for that place is Turin. But other TV networks, the AP news service, and most American newspapers used Turin, not Torino. The BBC was saying Turin.
Frankly, I was a bit confused. The German name for Torino is also Turin. Then it occurred to me that in English we speak of the "Shroud of Turin," not the "Shroud of Torino" (das Grabtuch von Turin or das Turiner Grabtuch). According to an NBC spokesperson, NBC felt that "Torino" sounded better than "Turin" and better reflected the Italian location of the city. And in fact the official logo and name of the Games is also "Torino 2006," even on the official Web site in English.
But what about all the other cities around the globe that have different names in English and German? English-speakers say Venice, Germans say Venedig, while Italians say Venezia. I say Munich, you say München. Let's have a gazetteer! See below.
Each place name is listed in English, German, and the local language.
Also see Historical Place Names in German and English - names that have changed over the years. Helpful for genealogical or historic research.
| Cities Around the World - Ortslexikon Also see regions, islands, and other places below. Also see Countries - Nations |
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| English Name City |
German Name Stadt |
Local Name Original |
| Aachen Aix-la-Chapelle |
Aachen | Aachen |
| Sometimes English uses the French name for Aachen. | ||
| Athens | Athen | Athínai* |
| Basel/Basle | Basel | Basel |
| Belgrade | Belgrad | Beograd |
| Bolzano | Bozen | Bolzano |
| Bratislava | Bratislava | Bratislava (Pressburg) |
| Name changed from Pressburg/Presporok/Pozsony to Bratislava in 1919. See "Pressburg" on the Historical Place Names page. | ||
| Brussels | Brüssel | Bruxelles |
| Bucharest | Bukarest | Bucuresti |
| Carlsbad | Karlsbad | Karlovy Vary |
| Cologne | Köln | Köln |
| Copenhagen | Kopenhagen | København |
| Danzig | Danzig | Old German name for Gdansk |
| Florence | Florenz | Firenze |
| Geneva | Genf | Genève |
| Genoa | Genua | Genova |
| Hanover | Hannover | Hannover |
| Kiev | Kiew | Kyiv* |
| Also see Historical Place Names and the Countries - Nations glossary |
||
| Lisbon | Lissabon | Lisboa |
| Lucerne | Luzern | Luzern |
| Mexico City | Mexiko-Stadt | Mexico, D.F. |
| Milan | Mailand | Milano |
| Moscow | Moskau | Moskva* |
| Munich | München | München |
| Prague | Prag | Praha |
| Rome | Rom | Roma |
| Strasbourg | Straßburg | Strasbourg |
| Tokyo | Tokio/Tokyo | Tokyo* |
| Turin | Turin | Torino |
| Venice | Venedig | Venezia |
| Vienna | Wien | Wien |
| Warsaw | Warschau | Warszawa |
| Zurich | Zürich | Zürich |
| Major cities not listed here are usually spelled the same way in German and English, although the pronunciation may be slightly different: Beijing, Berlin, Chicago, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, etc. *Romanized form for non-Roman alphabets Also see Historical Place Names in German and English and NATIONS > English-German Countries Glossary |
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| Regions - Lakes - Seas - Other Places For rivers and mountains see the Almanac page. |
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| English Name | German Name | Local Name |
| Alsace | Elsass | Alsace |
| Baltic Sea | die Ostsee | -- |
| Franconia | Franken | Franken |
| Lake Constance | der Bodensee | Bodensee |
| Lake Lucerne | der Vierwaldstättersee | Vierwaldstättersee |
| Lorraine | Lothringen | Lorraine |
| North Sea | die Nordsee | -- |
| Rhineland | Rheinland | Rheinland |
| Transylvania | Siebenbürgen | Transilvania/Ardeal (Romanian) |
| Silesia | Schlesien | Slask (Polish) |
| Tenerife (Teneriffe) |
Teneriffa | Tenerife |
| The largest of the Canary Islands (Kanarische Inseln), a popular tourist destination for Germans, Tenerife belongs to Spain. Capital: Santa Cruz de Tenerife | ||
| Westphalia | Westfalen | Westfalen |
| MORE > Mountains MORE > Rivers |
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MORE > Historical Place Names in German and English
BACK > Place Names in German (article)
MORE > English-German Glossaries
WEB > Names of European Cities in Different Languages - Wikipedia
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