To keep up with its growing population, the Netherlands is building new villages. Eventually, the task (or golden opportunity) of naming the newly built districts will present itself.
This is exactly what is happening in Zuidplas, a municipality in South Holland. After seven years, the construction of more than eight thousand homes was finally agreed upon.
What took them so long? I have no idea. But now it’s time for the fun part: naming the new town.
The local municipality has asked the public for help — and the suggestions are nothing short of… interesting, as The Best Social Media writes.
The rules of the (name) game
Of course, a town can’t just be given any name (although somewhere in the Netherlands IS called The Stink Corner), so there have to be some ground rules for the naming process.
READ MORE | 17 Dutch towns with the funniest names
According to the municipality, the new town’s name must adhere to the following guidelines:
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It has to be Dutch,
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It has to be believable,
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It has to be easy to pronounce,
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It can’t have numbers in it,
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It has to be easy to remember,
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It shouldn’t be easily confused with another place.
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It has to be connected to the area,
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It must have a tourist value.
So, let’s see what people are coming up with. 👇
From Potato Village to Atlantis
Of course, the eager people of X did what they did best and got to work right away. Hundreds of name suggestions for the new town rolled in, including “Potato Village”, “Atlantis”, “It’s About Time-Town”, “Our Last Euro”, and “Newtown”.
Here are some more of our favourites:
Dystopia
— Rob P (@CryppelCrypto) June 4, 2024
Okay, we’re off to a great start. NOT.
Achtduizendhuizen
— Niels Eriks (@nielseriks) June 3, 2024
English: Eightthousandhomes. I mean… this one sure is connected to the area. 🤷
Plasdorp
— Folke (@folkemeulen) June 3, 2024
English: Pondtown OR Pisstown — pick whichever one you like best. 😏
Als het niet Dorpie-Mc-Dorpface wordt ben ik teleurgesteld.
— bart te riele (@btriele) June 4, 2024
English: If it doesn’t become Dorpie-Mc-Dorpface I will be disappointed. For context: Dorp is Dutch for town. ✨
Fruithap
— BRAADZAK (@FrisTuig) June 3, 2024
English: Fruit snack. This is probably a good time to share that the winning suggestion gets *drumroll please*… A year’s worth of free fruit!
Dorp
— Marlies Keizer 🐦 (@mikkeizer) June 5, 2024
English: Town. That’s it; that’s the whole suggestion.
Got an idea?
Do you have a great idea? Then, you only have this month to submit your idea here.
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All entries that comply with the rules will be assessed by a local committee. Once a top three has been established, local residents and people who work in Zuidplas can vote on them.
The winning name will be unveiled in the fall. Surely Dorp will be hard to beat. 😉
Do you have any ideas for the name of this new village? Leave your suggestions in the comments!
