There is a small lovely village called "Fucking" in western Upper Austria. This is no joke or vulgarism. The village Fucking has a very rich and long history in itself.
Traffic sign at the entrance to the village of Fucking. Fot. Tobias "ToMar" Maier.
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The village was first mentioned in written sources in 1070. Many Austrian villages and towns that end on the suffix of "-ing" or "-ig" has the etymological origins from Bavaria. This suffix refers to "community" or "people". One of the Bavarian noblemen migrating into Austria was a man called Focko. The settlement that he ruled over referred to him as the landlord in its name: "Fockoing" therefore meant "community or people of Focko". This is the etymologic origin of Fucking.
The villagers a long time did not understand what means "fucking" in English-speaking world. The problems started after II WW by American servicemen from across the border in Germany that drove to the region just to be photographed in front of traffic signs.
Over the years the road signs were commonly stolen as souvenirs. In 2004, owing mainly 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 ones, welded to steel and secured in concrete to prevent them being stolen.
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Fucking, an Austrian village in the municipality of Tarsdorf, in the Innviertel region of western Upper Austria. The village is 33 kilometres north of Salzburg, 4 kilometres east of the German border. Population of only 104 in 2005.
Traffic sign at the entrance to the village of Fucking. Fot. Tobias "ToMar" Maier.
The villagers a long time did not understand what means "fucking" in English-speaking world. The problems started after II WW by American servicemen from across the border in Germany that drove to the region just to be photographed in front of traffic signs.
Over the years the road signs were commonly stolen as souvenirs. In 2004, owing mainly 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 ones, welded to steel and secured in concrete to prevent them being stolen.
