Rob Reacts to... Top 10 Weirdest Place Names in Poland

Countries around the world have weird place names and Poland is no exception!

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Merch:

#poland #weirdplacenames

[RobReacts]

If you are enjoying my Polish Reaction Videos, why not go check out our vlog channel where we have visted poland!

[Zych.Grzegorz]

Here's a few more:
- Szkaradowo (Hideousville)
- Kozie Doły (Goat Pits)
- Gruszeczka (a cute/small pear)
- Stary Łom (Old Crowbar)
- Stary Bógpomóż (Old Godhelp)
- Samoklęski Małe (Small Selffailures)
- Krzywe Kolano (Crooked Knee)
- Grzeczna Panna (Good Maid)
- Miesiączkowo (Periodsville)
- Dolna Grupa (Lower Arse)
- Górna Grupa (Upper Arse)
- Kłopot (Problem)
- Podła Góra (Mean Mounain)
- Leśne Odpadki (Forest Offal)
- Zgniłe Błoto (Rotten Mud)
- Ważne Młyny (Important Mills)
- Mała Wieś przy Drodze (Small Village by the Road)
- Budy Rządowe (Government Shacks)
- Stare Grabie (Old Rake)
- Nowe Rumunki (New Romanian Women)
- Pupkowizna (Buttsville)
- Koziebrody (Goatsbeards)
- Zimna Wódka (Cold Vodka)
- Tłustomosty (Fatbridges)
- Ameryka (America)
- Królik Polski (Polish Rabbit)
- Krowia Góra (Cow Mountain)
- Zimna Woda (Cold Water)
- Morzeszczyn (Seaofpiss)
- Kaczynos (Ducksnose)
- Żabi Róg (Frogs Horn)
- Kwiatuszki Wielkie (Giant Flowers)
- Beznazwa (Noname)
- Psie Głowy (Dog Heads)

[dickbison]

A closer translation of "Przemyśl" would be "Reconsider"

[jutrzenka]

Close to Końskie are 2 villiges Niebo (Heaven) and Piekło (Hell). They are 5 km apart. My grandfather was literally born in Heaven.

[domiiinik]

We are laughing at Zagreb (Croatia's capital) the same way as foreigners are laughing at our Zakopane (Buried), because in Polish version Zagreb is Zagrzeb and it means an order to bury (for example "zagrzeb to" means "bury it"), there is also a joke in Polish that Zagreb is therefore the world capital of zombies

[Von_Sky]

Translations are actually really accurate. The gimmick is, that those places were named this way, before this words were meaning what they mean today in polish language. For example Stare zasady - Old Rules. Yes - "zasady" today mean rules, but in the archaic polish language "zasady" would mean either "a place where something was planted" or more likely "place behind the orchards" because "za" - "behind", "sady" - orchards. So probably they planted a forest or there were orchards nearby, and just named the village after that. And the "Old" was most likely added when they expanded or moved the village into another place.

Łódź - is in a place where, as far as I remember, 17 small rivers flowed, it was an ideal place for trade by merchants who used small boats to transport their goods - this is how the settlement and later the village of Lodz was established. During the industrial revolution huge textile factories began to emerge. The countryside began to turn into an industrial city, and the rivers were for the most part closed off in canals to bring water to the steam engines in these factories. Today, some of these rivers still exist, but they have lost their strength and resemble tiny streams, some parts of the canals are restored and can be visited, while others remain closed and are dangerous. Many of the canals under construction have remained a mystery, and during road repairs and construction of new buildings it happens that workers come across early undocumented canals.

[nerilka]

Zapoznajemy się w nowej klasie i taki dialog:
- Skąd jesteś?
- Z Miejsca koło Pokoju
Chwila konsternacji i takie myśli "to on mieszka w kuchni czy co?"

Not far from my home town there is a small village called Miejsce (a place) and it is next to a bigger village called Pokój (which can mean both "peace" or "a room"). Those names may not be very strange but when one of the collegues in new schood said he is from "a Place next to the Room" we were quite confused. :-D

[longinzaczek]

Biały Kał is from archaic Polish name of swamp (Kał), so it literarly means a White Swamp. The same is the origin of city name Kalisz (swamp town), an also in word "kałuża" (puddle). Częstochowa is city owned by a man called Częstoch city name is derived from Man (owner) name. Za-Kopane, because was behind the place called Kopane (or Kopań = this means "man made clearing in wood" - today "karczowisko") wchich not exist anymore. City Łódź comes from smal stream called Łódka - this also souds as boat, but probably goes from some ancient word that extincted and had nothing to do with boat. Przemyśl, the same as Częstochowa comes from owners name a man called Przemysław. Chełm comes from old word for Hill an actually might come from Gothic word for Helmet wchich was adopted by some Slavians (also is used in Serbia for a hill or moutain - "Chlum"). "Zasady" from old word for creating (planting) a village.

[dzejrid]

It is clear that the guy took the etymology of Złe Mięso from English wiki article, which lists it as local legend but adds nothing else. It omits what Polish language version clarifies. The name comes from a local innkeeper who was a German with a surname Bösenfleisch and appeared as such in historical documents. Polish name is a derivative of German and a direct translation. You were correct in assuming that the whole cannibal story was made up later. How Herr Bösenfleisch got his surname in the first place is anyone's guess.

[marekochotny]

My city - Toruń. Legend says that river Visula was washing fundaments from the town's Leaning tower. The tower said to the river: Please, stop it or I will fall. River replied: Then fall (to ruń). Residents heard that and named the city after that...

[TroPtyN]

There is one mistake: Częstochowa is not located in Silesia. Yes, this city is part of Silesian Voivodeship (province), but historically and geographically Częstochowa is part of Lesser Poland.

And Ostatni Grosz is a district of Częstochowa also. :)

I know about it, because Częstochowa is my family city.

[stanislawpodgorski]

Last penny nr9 its translated to Grosz - it means penny now as 1- 100 of Złoty (PLN) but in older times Grosz was as a złoty today and then it was divided to smaller parts. Old Grosz was much more valuable, probably 100% gold so i was possible to buy some land with it,

[nrwg]

Fun fact: in Poland there are 118 villages named 'Nowa Wieś' which literally means New Village

[kayleigh]

The story of Last Penny might actually be pretty close to be true. Today one grosz is 1/100 of a złoty, but back in medieval times it was worth a lot more. Kazimierz III Wielki (Kazimierz the Great) - one of the greatest Polish kings - put grosz into use in 1367, it weighed 3, 2 grams of pure gold and then you would have to spend 16 denarii (and later even more) to buy 1 grosz, so it was a pretty strong currency.

[kamilkrupinski]

Przemyśl is from old slavic name - Przemysław (which means a person, who is famous for his wisdom).

[yakeosicki]

There is a Slavic name Przemysław. Once its form was Przemysł. Hence the name of the city. Today, Przemysł means as much as industry. The name of the village Zakopane is etymologically derived from the Old Polish term 'zakopane', which meant a clearing and was originally used in the form Za Kopane. The term was used for the first time in relation to the Tatra settlement in the document of King Sigismund III Vasa of April 20, 1630. Częstochowa is the village or estate of Częstoch, i.e. belonging to a man named Częstoch. The name of the city of Lodz comes from the name of the village of Lodz (Lodza). Its founder used the coat of arms of the Łodz family. There are funnier village names like Tumanki (littel knuckleheads). Many of today's funny names are relics of the Old Polish language. Many words have changed their meaning. That's why they're funny to us.

[jerzyblinowski]

The town of Mikołajki was so named because the church of St. Nicholas (Mikołaj). In 1515 a bridge was built here. A toll was charged for crossing the bridge. Taverns were built by the bridge. The town were built by by the taverns.
The name of the village 'Piekło' - 'Hell' comes from the word 'piec' - 'bake'. In the Middle Ages in Poland, a network of service villages existed at every stronghold. Such villages, instead of paying tribute in money or grain, produced various goods for the stronghold's crew or provided various services for the stronghold's crew. Many towns in Poland are named according to the activities that were performed in them for the benefit of the stronghold's crew. Bread was probably baked in 'Piekło'. And in Hell, souls were baked.

[karolz]

In Wrocław there is a street "Na ostatnim groszu" what can be translated as "on the last penny". And the story says that there was Inn where people returning from market in Wrocław spend them's last moneys.

[kotekmruczek]

The name "Łódź" comes from the river "Łódka", "a small boat". It is a fairly young city that expanded greatly in the industrial revolution. Łódka still flows in the underground of Łódź.