Talk Elections

THE 104 RESIDENTS of the Austrian village of Fucking are to vote on changing the village’s name later this week, adopting an older spelling in a bid to escape international ridicule.

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The villagers – known as Fuckingers – are to consider whether the settlement should have the spelling of its name changed to ‘Fuging’, reflecting the way the town was named until the middle of the 16th century.

The Daily Telegraph summarises how the northern Austrian village, about 20 miles north of Salzburg and close to the border with Germany, had enjoyed obscurity until it was discovered by US servicemen at the end of World War 2.

Amused at the village’s name – and the obvious double entendre involved – they shared news of the town and prompted a wave of tourism that hasn’t stopped since.

Some in the village (and elsewhere) have capitalised – with a German brewery being given permission to sell a light lager legitimately called ‘Fucking Hell’ (hell being German for ‘light’ or ‘bright’).

There is also a decent trade for Fucking postcards, and there used to be an online shop which sold T-shirts bearing the slogan, “I like Fucking in Austria” – but the joke has now worn thin for locals.

“The Germans all want to see Mozart’s house in Salzburg,” a tour guide told the Daily Mirror in 2005.

The Americans want to see where The Sound Of Music was filmed. The Japanese want Hitler’s birthplace in Braunau. But for the British, it’s all about Fucking."

Although tourism does bring its perks, there are other more practical difficulties – like the fact that the town’s four signs, each simply bearing the word ‘Fucking’ and costing €250 to replace, were regularly stolen by anglophone visitors.

In 2005 the village invested in newly-reinforced concrete signs in order to stop thieves from nabbing them.

It’s possible, however, that this week’s vote may see the Fuckingers opt to keep the name: a similar vote was held in 2004 when villagers decided instead to hang onto the historical name, derived from a Bavarian nobleman Focko who lived 1500 years ago.

As a local police chief observed when the signs were replaced in 2005: “It may be very amusing for you British, but Fucking is simply Fucking to us. What is this big Fucking joke?”

http://www.thejournal.ie/austrian-village-to-vote-on-changing-its-fing-name-421041-Apr2012/

[color=black] looks more natural than italicizing.

Also for the headline ?

I don't think it works for topic titles, but you can also use Cyrillic "с" like so: fuсking.

I hope it is still there for my trip!

Hope they keep the name. Rude in Norway also considered changing their name, but kept it. There are lots of towns around the world whose names are funny in English. But Ill admit this is one of the more memorable.

And it's all the Interweb's fault! Pre-1995 nobody outside of Austria would have known this place even existed.

No, the article says the US soldiers after WW2 were responsible for all the tourists later.

Don't know though what weighs more:

The tourists coming to town and sleeping in the town and spending money there on food etc. or the tourists who steal the town signs so they have to be replaced ... :P

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/714925-w-k-tells-f-king-to-get-a-grip


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:D

NOOOOOOO I FUCKING LOVE FUCKING, AUSTRIA :'( :'( :'(

That is an awesome town name. The only towns of similar caliber in the United States seem to be Heaven Michigan, Hell Michigan (the towns are less than 200 miles away from each other), and South Murderkill, Delaware.

There's a place called Weed in California. I drove through there once (well, twice I believe but only stopped once). I stopped for some Burger King and saw someone taking their picture with the sign. I'm sure that happens a lot. Not sure about theft.

I don't think there's even 100 people here but:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankers_Corner,_Oregon

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As far as I know, there haven't been any complaints by the inhabitants of this Swiss village yet.

Nice one! Its a family name too. I actually had a classmate in the 8th grade called Randi Bitsch ;) I hope she never has to live in an English speaking country.

Then of course, there's Intercourse PA

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I've always liked New Invention, which is in the Clun Forest.

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What, you are tempted to ask, is this 'new invention'? Is it fire? The wheel? It's unlikely to be electricity as they don't have it yet.

How does F-u-cking vote? Hopefully not for the F-u-cking far-right.

Right next to Blue Ball, no less.

Water power apparently, or so says wikipedia. There is another place of the same name, in the Black Country.

Let's check it !

Fucking isn't a town on it's own, it's a part of the town of Tarsdorf in the county of Braunau am Inn (sounds familiar ?).

The result in 2008 was:

39% ÖVP
21% FPÖ
14% SPÖ
13% BZÖ
  8% Greens
  1% LIF
  1% RETTÖ
  1% CPÖ
  1% FRITZ

So, 76% for the Right (ÖVP+FPÖ+BZÖ+RETTÖ+CPÖ+FRITZ) and 23% for the Left (SPÖ+Greens+LIF).

http://wahl08.bmi.gv.at/gm_40443.htm

Well, that's the semi-official explanation. But I remain sceptical that they've actually invented water power in the place yet.

Incidentally, the Clun dialect word for mole, I think I may have mentioned this before but whatever, is 'oonty'.


Also appropriate.

In the 2010 Presidential election, the town voted about as strongly for Barbara Rosenkranz (FPÖ) than Austria as a whole, but more strongly for the Christian fundie Gehring:

75% Fischer (SPÖ)
16% Rosenkranz (FPÖ)
  9% Gehring (CPÖ)

http://wahl10.bmi.gv.at/gm_40443.htm

Austria:

79% Fischer (SPÖ)
15% Rosenkranz (FPÖ)
  5% Gehring (CPÖ)

http://wahl10.bmi.gv.at

On this side there are some odd city names (it is in german):
http://www.fernwehpark.de/deu/events/kurios/index.htm

It  is from the Traffic-Sign-Park in Hof/Bavaria

Well, those are, probably, originally just stations for tractor repair. Fairly standard Soviet nomenclature :))

Blödesheim, Killer and Pissen are original ;)

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I live on the border with New Invention in Wednesfield, went there for my Sunday roast beef yesterday!
They certainly invented a fine Yorkshire pudding!

They missed out on my absolute German favorite. :(

http://www.hodenhagen.eu/

Don't forget its American sister city... Ballstown, Indiana.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballstown,_Indiana

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I'm surprised I only learned of Butts County, Georgia a few weeks ago.

And speaking of Georgia, the worst county in it and possibly the country has a county seat named Cumming.

I don't know about you, but I find "Testicle Grove" (about as good an approximately equivalent translation to Hodenhagen as can be come up with) to be far funnier than "Ballstown".

Gives new meaning to the phrase "When hell freezes over".

Sexbierum (http://maps.google.nl/maps?q=sexbierum&hl=nl&ll=53.218985,5.492134&spn=0.040702,0.111494&sll=52.469397,5.509644&sspn=5.301933,14.27124&hnear=Sexbierum,+Franekeradeel,+Friesland&t=m&z=14)

Hongerige Wolf (http://maps.google.nl/maps?q=Hongerige+Wolf&hl=nl&ll=53.215079,7.131672&spn=0.081412,0.222988&sll=53.218985,5.492134&sspn=0.040702,0.111494&oq=hongerige+wol&hnear=Hongerige+Wolf,+Oldambt,+Groningen&t=m&z=13) (Hungry Wolf)

Muggenbeet (http://maps.google.nl/maps?q=muggenbeet&hl=nl&sll=53.215079,7.131672&sspn=0.081412,0.222988&hnear=Muggenbeet,+Steenwijkerland,+Overijssel&t=m&z=15) (Mosquito Bite)

Rectum (http://maps.google.nl/maps?q=rectum&hl=nl&ll=52.328258,6.569223&spn=0.041544,0.111494&sll=52.74098,5.989929&sspn=0.020578,0.055747&hnear=Rectum,+Wierden,+Overijssel&t=m&z=14)