Fucking, Austria

Fucking (IPA2|ˈfʊkɪŋ) is an Austrian village [ [http://www.gisdat.at/website/tarsdorf/main_content.html Tarsdorf Official map] ] in the municipality of Tarsdorf, [ [http://www.tarsdorf.at/ Official governmental Homepage of Tarsdorf Municipality] ] in the Innviertel region of western Upper Austria.

The village is located 33 kilometres north of Salzburg, four kilometres east of the German border and half an hour by car from the town of Petting, in Bavaria.

The name of the village is a swear word in English.

History

The settlement Fucking has existed since at least 1070 and is named after a man from the 6th century called Focko. "-ing" is an old Germanic suffix indicating the people of the root word to which it is attached; thus Fucking means "(place of) Focko’s people." [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/15/austrian_signs/ Brits steal carloads of Fucking Austrian roadsigns] ] The village has a population of 104.

Fucking's most famous feature is a traffic sign with its name on it, beside which tourists often stop to have their photograph taken. It is a commonly stolen street sign. [ [http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/austria.asp Urban Legends Reference Pages: Welcome to Austria ] ] Significant public funds have been spent on replacing the stolen signs. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/09/02/1125302734420.html What’s the F---ing joke?] ]

In 2004, mainly due to the stolen signs, a vote was held on changing the village's name, but the residents voted against doing so. In August 2005, the road signs were replaced with theft-resistant signs welded to steel and secured in concrete to prevent further chances of the sign being stolen. Few thefts have since occurred, but it remains a problem.Fact|date=September 2008

Pop culture

* The village was mentioned on an episode of "Rove".
* The village was mentioned on an episode of the "AFL Footy Show".
* The village was mentioned on an episode of the "Graham Norton Show".
* The village was mentioned on an episode of "The Hour", but was incorrectly referred to as "Fucking, Australia".
* The village was mentioned on an episode of "The Backpackers"

References

ee also

* Place names considered unusual
* Hucking
* Fjuckby, Sweden

External links