Austrian village finally changes its eyebrow-raising name

The Austrian village of Fu**ing has had enough of being the butt of the joke, as well as the behaviour of some visitors. Located approximately 35 kilometres north of Salzburg, in recent times the village’s popularity has grown with tourists who have been traveling there to snap pictures of the amusing sign. Antisocial behaviour and even theft have been issues, and now, Fu**ing has decided to put an end to it by officially changing its name.

The village has a population of approximately 100 people, and has attracted tourists from all over the world due to its unique name, which is spelled in an identical way to the curse word in English. According to local lore, the village has existed under the distinct moniker since 1070, and is named after a man from the sixth century called Focko. While amusing to some, the name has caused problems, with media reports stating that the town has had its sign stolen multiple times, leading to special concrete being installed. A vote was held in the past about changing the town’s name, but the residents decided against it.

As reported by The Guardian, the published minutes from a recent municipal council meeting showed that the village has opted to change its name to Fugging from 1 January 2021 onwards.

In a statement to the regional paper Oberösterreichische Nachrichten (OOeN), the major of Tarsdorf, the municipality that overlooks Fu**ing, Andrea Holzner confirmed that the villagers have had enough and have taken the decision to change the name, adding that she did not want to comment further or add to the media coverage on the matter.

Across the border in Bavaria, Germany there are towns called Petting and Kissing.

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