FACT! France has no New or Old towns

Culture
21

Even more weirdly no placename in the USA is called xyzzy or plugh despite these words existing in Crowther and Wood’s “Colossal Cave” for nearly 50 years.

Please share, I’d actually really like to know what this was all about.

2 Likes
22

But there is one called ZZyzx - I’ve been there!

23

Because Old is derived from Germanic languages and New is German/Dutch? English is rich in such words whereas French has very few.

24

Nonono surely not, there will be some esoteric explanation to do with the golden section, Avogadro’s number, Avebury Ring, the alignments de Carnac and the Ramesseum at Edfu, mark my words.
Or mark my weirds, whatever.

3 Likes
25

You forgot the Ley Lines…

In France recently I made a couple of amazing discoveries. I’d been following another ley line, one that I believe has never been mapped out before. It connects Glastonbury Tor with Mont Saint Michel in France.

I am astonished that there is a line that connects those two.
Oh wait - I’ve just looked at a map and drawn a line that connects me with Buckingham Palace that is parallel to the Mont St Michel/Glastonbury one . What can it mean?

3 Likes
26

Doesnt begin with New, but presumably Port Nouvelle (Aude) means New Port.

27

@Peter_Whitfield
Sorry but no, it doesn’t, it is le port so can’t be be nouvelle.
And it’s Port la Nouvelle anyway.

Possible explanations below
Plusieurs propositions quant aux origines du nom de "La Nouvelle " ont été évoquées : elle pourrait aussi bien provenir de l’expression "novas bellas” (“nouez les voiles”), nou vella ( nouvelle voile en catalan) utilisée par les marins que du latin “navilla” (canal maritime).

28

As Elsie has pointed out - Neuf Brisach, for example, literally was a new town.
Neuf-Brisach, ville créée ex nihilo en 1697 dans la plaine d’Alsace

29

There is, unsurprisingly, a considerable overlap between place name elements in Brittany, Cornwall and Wales, including ‘hen’ (old)…

1 Like
30

It is wonderful, very well preserved, if in the area people should go and see the Haut Koenigsbourg too.

1 Like
31

Harlow was once depicted as New Harlow until they dropped the new and it became a training ground for urban terrorists.

32

Ironically, we have previously stayed in Alt Brisach, which was an equally nice little German village, and only skirted around Neuf-Brisach on our way back home - one to visit for the future on our trips to/from further afield in Germany.

1 Like
33

Built as an extension of Breisach on the other side of the Rhine.

I’ve stayed several times in Vogelsheim , on the Île du Rhin (both between the two Breisachs) and in Breisach stadt in Germany.

2 Likes
34

My parents play golf at Chalampé on some Rhine island or other - they live in Freiburg though. I love that bit of Germany.

1 Like