Trouble with Fúcking

[Tender Branson]

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.



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/

[wormyguy]

[color=black] looks more natural than italicizing.

[Tender Branson]

[color=black] looks more natural than italicizing.

Also for the headline ?

[wormyguy]

[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.

[clarence]

I hope it is still there for my trip!

[politicus]

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.

[Old Europe]

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.

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

[Tender Branson]

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.

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 ...

[Leftbehind]

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

Fed-up residents of the Austrian town of F**king are being offered a helping hand by their German neighbours in a town named W**k.

The people of F**king have grown tired of English-speaking tourists acting out their village's name (and also, no doubt, of amused British journalists writing stories about it.)

But now residents of the German town of W**k have told them grasp the opportunity.

Juergen Stoll, who runs the W**k guest house, said: 'The people in F**king should cash in on their fame.

'I have so many visitors here at the W**k guest house that we have the mattresses all in a line in one big room for people to sleep on. Otherwise we couldn't fit everybody in.

'If the name helps to bring the tourists in, then why not cash in on it? In these credit crunch times every little helps,' he added.

In summer visitors can take hikes up the 1,780 metre W**k Mountain, or, if they prefer, take it easy in the four seater W**k cable car that goes all the way to the peak.

There are numerous opportunities to enjoy paragliding at W**k, and in winter it's possible to go skiing on the W**k piste.

Local tourism chiefs say they realised that although the name meant nothing in German, it was a goldmine when it came to attracting English-speaking visitors.

A W**k tourism spokesman said: 'There are W**k postcards on sale although many people prefer to take their own W**k holiday snaps standing beside Welcome to W**k signs.'

F**king recenty announced plans to install CCTV to deter tourists from lewd behaviour beside their roadsigns. The mayor of F***ing, Franz Meindl, previously complained: 'We don't find it funny. We just want to be left alone. We don't harm anyone and just want to live in peace.'

[Pacific Councillor Big Wiggly Style]

NOOOOOOO I FUCKING LOVE FUCKING, AUSTRIA

[Zioneer]

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.

[Senator Sbane]

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.

[greenforest32]

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

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

[ZuWo]

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

[politicus]

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.

[Grumps]

Then of course, there's Intercourse PA

[Sibboleth]

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



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.

[PASOK Leader Hashemite]

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

[asexual trans victimologist]

Then of course, there's Intercourse PA

Right next to Blue Ball, no less.

[Vasall des Midas]

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



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.

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

[Tender Branson]

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

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

[Sibboleth]

Water power apparently, or so says wikipedia

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'.

There is another place of the same name, in the Black Country.

Also appropriate.

[Tender Branson]

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

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

[Ethelberth]

In Russia (near Rostov) there are :

Remontnoye
Balshaye Remontnoye

Remont is fake French word for repair, so the place is called Repairville and Greater Repairville.

[Hans-im-Glück]

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