this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2024
310 points (98.1% liked)

196

16597 readers
1668 users here now

Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.

Rule: You must post before you leave.

^other^ ^rules^

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Excuse me, but Burg is a castle build for defence. People of the area could get behind their walls in a case of attack, so many settled in close proximity for safety. The resulting town was often called Burg in the middle ages, but thats not true for today.

In todays language Burg does not mean town anymore. It is only used for a kind of castle. You can't ask "In welcher Burg wohnst du?"

Unless you still live in the middle ages of course.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Thanks for the clarification.

For anyone wondering, the story is a little more muddy:

Old Frisian burich "castle, city," Old Norse borg "wall, castle," Old High German burg, buruc "fortified place, citadel," German Burg "castle," Gothic baurgs "city"), which Watkins derives from from PIE root *bhergh- (2) "high," with derivatives referring to hills, hill forts, and fortified elevations.

In German and Old Norse, chiefly as "fortress, castle;" in Gothic, "town, civic community."

https://www.etymonline.com/word/burg