Damsko, Roffa, Agga: Do you know the nickname for your Dutch city?

You won’t find these on an address 🤯

Let’s say you’ve lived in the Netherlands for a couple of years now — you’re fairly local, you’ve been around. But are you on first-nickname basis with Dutch cities? This is your chance to find out!

For such a direct society, Dutch people really don’t like to call things by their names.

Not only do they often give themselves official nicknames that they use instead of their real names — they also do it do their cities.

And while some of these city nicknames are just affectionate short versions of the original, others are quite obscure, if not downright ridiculous — let’s talk about the best ones. 👇

1. Den Haag (The Hague): Agga

photo-of-den-haag-binnenhof
Building all those fancy skyscrapers probably took less time than learning how to say “‘S-Gravenhage” 🫣. Image: Dreamstime

Sorry, we just started, and we’re already cheating: technically, Den Haag is also a nickname.🤯

Officially, the city is called ‘S-Gravenhage, “the count’s lodge”, a fancy name given to the city in the 17th century to make it sound more prestigious.

READ MORE | These are the 10 most popular Dutch cities for a day trip (and they might surprise you)

The name refers to the city’s history: back in the 1200s, when it was called Die Haghe (the enclosed), it used to be an actual count’s lodge — Count Floris IV of Holland’s, to be precise. 

Nowadays, the city is known as Den Haag, or, more affectionately, Agga.

Agga

The nickname Agga is an example of straattaal (street language), a Dutch urban slang heavily influenced by other languages, such as Turkish, Moroccan, and Surinamese languages. 

Specifically, the word Agga comes from modifying “Den Haag” according to a grammar pattern typical of Sranatongo, a Surinamese language.

Through the same process, Scheveningen becomes Skiffa, and Rotterdam becomes… wait, we’re not telling you yet!

2. Amsterdam: Damsko, Mokum, Venice of the North

photo-of-amsterdam-rijksmuseum
Hello, I AMsterdam and I have three nicknames 😎. Image: Dreamstime

Everybody knows that capitals are obnoxious, but three completely unrelated nicknames? Come on, doe normaal, Amsterdam.

Damsko

Yep, you’ve guessed it — this nickname is just another example of a straattaal word derived from mixing Dutch vocabulary and Surinamese grammar. We’re experts by now.

Mokum 

This nickname is older: it comes from Amsterdam’s history as the home of one of the biggest Jewish communities in Europe. 

READ NEXT | These are the most OVERRATED Dutch cities (no, Amsterdam doesn’t top the list!)

In Hebrew, “maqom” means “place”, and was often used in combination with a single letter to indicate a city — Amsterdam, for instance, was “mokum Alef”, “city A”. 

Now, the A has dropped, but the nickname has stuck, as have several other Dutch words derived from Hebrew. 

Venice of the North

Amsterdam has canals, Venice has canals, and Amsterdam is geographically north of Venice — ja hoor, it’s that straightforward. 

What’s funny about this nickname, though, is that Amsterdam shares it with Groningen and Giethoorn — but also dozens more cities worldwide: there’s Chinese Venice, Portuguese Venice, Russian Venice… you get it.

Basically, every time that two large puddles merge into each other, residents start claiming an uncanny resemblance between their city and Venice.

3. Rotterdam: Roffa, Rotown, Potterdam

rotterdam-skyline-at-night
De mooiste rotstad die er is 🥰 . Image: Depositphotos

Rotterdam’s nicknames perfectly capture the humble, genuine, and humorous charm of their city.

Roffa

This one, once again, finds its origins in Surinamese-infused straattaal.

Rotown

Ah, yes, Rotown! Or, in its less flattering Dutch version, Rotstad — literally, shitty city.

Potterdam

This nickname, much like the humourous nickname “Rotstad”, refers to the city’s reputation for having comparatively high crime rates.

However, both Rotstad and Potterdam are often used by residents themselves quite affectionately — as heard in the popular song referring to Rotterdam as “de mooiste rotstad die er is”, the most beautiful shitty city that there is. 🥰

4. Maastricht: Paris of the Netherlands 

photo-of-maastricht-in-the-Netherlands-Dutch-city-suggested-by-mortgage-experts
Ah yes, Maastricht’s famous Eiffel Toren. Image: Freepik

Whoops, they did it again: another city, another bold international comparison.

Maastricht, with its Burgundian style and cute terraces, has a reputation as a popular destination for couple getaways.

READ NEXT | 16 captivating things to do in Maastricht in 2024

Apparently, that’s enough to earn the nickname “Paris of the Netherlands”.

5. Breda: The Hague of the South 

photo-of-a-sunny-day-in-breda
Posh or not, Breda is really cute 🥰. Image: Depositphotos

The debatable inter-city comparisons don’t only happen across borders: Breda, for example, is known as the “Hague of the South”.

Why? Well, it’s simply a way to convey that the city is a little posh.

READ NEXT | 12 thrilling things to do in Breda in 2024

The Hague, being associated both with the government and the House of Orange, carries somewhat of an aura of sophistication — and who would expect any less from the city of Haagse Harry

Breda, however, shouldn’t feel too special: it shares the title with “the Hague of Limburg” (Roermond), “Frisian Haagje” (Heerenveen), and “the Hague of the East” (Arnhem). 

6. Delft: The Prince City (Prinsenstad)

A-panoramic-photo-of-Delft-on-a-sunny-day
I’d live here too if I were a prince 🫅 Image: Depositphotos

Speaking of the House of Orange: any guesses on why Delft is called “The Prince City”?

Yep, Willem van Oranje has graced us with one more piece of Dutch trivia: Delft takes its nickname after him. 

READ NEXT | 17 fabulous things to do in Delft in 2024

Waarom? After rebelling against King Philip II of Spain, Willem took refuge in Delft.

There, he resided inside the Prinsenhof for twelve years, until 1584, when he was murdered in that very building — now a museum

7. Eindhoven: The City of Light (Lichtstad), Los Eindjeles

picture-of-eindhoven-city-centre-blue-skies-netherlands
The City of Light is extra bright when it’s sunny ☀️. Image: Depositphotos

Eindhoven really said: if you don’t believe in yourself, who will? — and proceeded to give itself some very self-confident nicknames. 

The City of Light 

Wipe that sceptical smile right off your face! This Noord Brabant star has several solid reasons to wrestle the title of “city of light” from Paris. 

It all started in the 19th century when Eindhoven was the Dutch capital of matches and candle production.

READ NEXT | 24 fascinating things to do in Eindhoven in 2024

Come the 20th century, both industries dwindled out, but Eindhoven continued to light up the country: it gave birth to NV Philips, and became the Dutch hub of light bulb manufacturing. 

The city remains a fundamental electronics hub to this day, hosting an international light art festival, GLOW, each year.

Los Eindjeles

In light of all these prestigious achievements (hehe), locals often affectionately use another nickname to refer to the city, which also conveys self-made grandeur: Los Eindjeles.

8. Groningen: The gem of the North, City (Stad) 

photo-martinitoren-groningen-seen-from-skyline
Nothing says “Groningen” like the Martinitoren 😍 Image: Depositphotos

Another double-nickname alert! These two, however, carry very different attitudes. 

The Gem of the North

Here’s another Dutch city bragging about its beauty and comparing itself to some sort of precious stone. B-boring!

READ MORE | The gem of the north: 7 free things to do in Groningen

City (Stad)

Groningen is also humbly called “stad” — city. And that’s iconic

This is because this Northern beauty is the only urban sprawl big enough to deserve that title in its region: its surrounding areas of Friesland and Noord Drenthe don’t really offer a comparably large city. 

9. Alkmaar: Cheese City (Kaasstad)

photo-of-alkmaar-cheese-market
Those iconic Gouda wheels are not going to carry themselves! 💪🧀 Image: Dreamstime

In this cheese-obsessed nation, the nickname of kaasstad would have fit any city — but if we really have to choose, Gouda makes the most sense, right?

Wrong. Alkmaar proudly holds the title of the city with the oldest and largest cheese market in the Netherlands. 🧀

READ NEXT | Let’s talk kaas: cheese tourism in the Netherlands

In fact, cheese is so important to the city that its inhabitants are called kaaskoppen, cheese-heads — proudly, we’re guessing?

10. Leiden: The Key City (Sleutelstad)

photo-of-leiden-coat-of-arms-keys
Now you know why you can spot keys everywhere in Leiden! Image: Dreamstime

Leiden is known as “The Key City” because it holds the keys to…our heart? The huge warehouse where Dutch men store their collective hair gel stash? Nope — it’s the keys to heaven.

According to an old Christian bestseller, God gave heaven’s keys to Saint Peter, who happens to be the patron saint of Leiden.

As a result, keys can be spotted on everything Leiden-themed, from the city’s flags to fridge magnets and university logos.

11. Doesburg: Mustard City (Mosterdstad)

Once upon a time (around 1457), a Dutch man called Gosen Momme created a mustard recipe so divine that it managed to win over the palates of a mayo-obsessed people — and is still being produced 500 years later. 

photo-of-doesburg-mustard-factory-museum-entrance
Imagine how many mustard jars must have crossed these doors 🤯 . Image: Dreamstime

Momme’s factory, now also a museum, achieved more than just longevity: it also gave Doesburg its nickname, making the Gelderland town of 11,000 souls a national treasure. 


That’s the end of our journey into Dutch city nicknames — for now.

Should the Dutch come up with more ridiculously self-confident international comparisons, or should a local industry suddenly shoot another obscure town into national fame, we’ll alert you promptly. 

Do you know any other Dutch city nicknames that should make the list? Help us enrich our knowledge — write them in the comments below!

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Beatrice Scali 🇮🇹
Beatrice Scali 🇮🇹
Five years after spreading her wings away from her beloved Genova, Bia has just landed at DutchReview as an editorial intern. She has lived in China, Slovenia, Taiwan, and — natuurlijk — the Netherlands, where she just completed her bachelor’s in International Studies. When she’s not reciting unsolicited facts about the countries she’s lived in, she is writing them down. Her biggest dreams include lobbying the Dutch government into forcing oliebollen stands to operate year-round, and becoming a journalist. In this order.

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