What Europeans Really Call Their Capitals When Nobody’s Listening
Europeans often have their own ways of referring to the places they live—nicknames that don’t show up on road signs or official websites. These aren’t just shortened versions for texting. They’re everyday names locals use with friends or in online conversations. You’ll hear someone in Warsaw say they’re heading to “Wawa,” or someone in London mention “The Smoke.” Outsiders might miss these entirely, but for many locals, they feel more real than the full city name.
Reddit user topherette put together a clever map showing these lesser-known nicknames, based on deep dives into Twitter threads, Facebook posts, subreddit discussions, and even Quora. It’s a great example of how cities are not just geographic places—they’re social spaces shaped by language.
Some of these nicknames are light and affectionate. Others carry a lot more meaning—or controversy.
London, for example, has “The Big Smoke,” which goes back to the days when coal fires and factories filled the air with thick smog. But then there’s also “Londonistan”—a name often used with a political edge, usually by critics pointing to the city’s multicultural makeup (growing Muslim population). It’s not exactly a term of endearment, but it’s widely used online and even has its own Wikipedia entry.
Moscow has a few layered nicknames too. “Moskvabad” adds a Central Asian twist with the Persian suffix “-abad,” hinting at the city’s large migrant workforce. “Moyshkva,” meanwhile, plays on “Moisha,” a common Jewish name—another example of how nicknames can reflect ethnic presence, sometimes with mixed intent.
Paris has its own version of this trend with “Paristan,” using the same “-stan” suffix. Like Londonistan and Moskvabad, it’s often used in commentary about immigration and cultural shifts. But there’s also the older English nickname “Gay Paree,” which romanticizes the French capital in a more playful, theatrical way.
Some names are harder to pin down in terms of meaning or tone. “Mandril” for Madrid literally means baboon in Spanish. Whether it’s a dig, an inside joke, or something more affectionate likely depends on the context, and who’s saying it.
In Poland, “Wawa” for Warsaw is short and sweet. It makes the capital feel a bit more down-to-earth, like a local hangout instead of a big formal city.
Stockholm is often just “Sthlm” these days, especially online or in texts. It’s clean, minimal, and very Scandinavian in style. Older Swedes might remember “Storhackent,” which roughly means “Great Market,” a nod to the city’s old trading days. That name has mostly faded out of use, but it still pops up in historical references.
In Amsterdam, the nickname “Damsko” seems to split people by age. Some younger Dutch folks use it casually, but others find it unfamiliar. It’s a reminder that nicknames often travel within subcultures—not everyone’s using the same slang, even in the same city.
Scandinavian capitals tend to lean toward shortened versions. “Køben” (shortened from København) is how many Norwegians refer to Copenhagen, while in Helsinki, there’s an ongoing debate between “Stadi” (from “stad,” meaning city) and “Hesa” (a phonetic abbreviation). Both are informal alternatives to the official name, and both have their fans.
What all these nicknames have in common is that they’re personal. Official names show up on documents and tourist brochures. Nicknames come out in everyday speech—used with friends, in memes, in jokes, in music. They carry emotion, attitude, even politics. And they’re often more revealing than the names you’ll find on a map.
