Fugging, Upper Austria

Fugging, formerly called Fucking (German: [ˈfʊkɪŋ] (listen); officially renamed in 2021), is an Austrian village in the municipality of Tarsdorf, located in the Innviertel region of western Upper Austria. The village is 33 kilometres (21 mi) north of Salzburg and 4 km (2.5 mi) east of the Inn river, which forms part of the German border.

For the Lower Austria village with a similar name history, see Fugging, Lower Austria.
Fugging
Village
The village of Fucking in August 2015, with the frequently stolen traffic sign before the name change
Nickname(s): 
Fucking
Fugging
Location in Austria, 4 kilometers from the German border.
Coordinates: 48°04′02″N 12°51′49″E
CountryAustria
StateUpper Austria
RegionInnviertel
MunicipalityTarsdorf
Named for6th century nobleman named Focko
Population
 (2020)
 • Total106
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
5121 Tarsdorf
Area code(s)07940
Licence plateBR

Despite having a population of only 106 in 2020, the village has drawn attention in the English-speaking world for its former name, which was spelled the same as an inflected form of the profane English-language word "fuck".[1][2] Its road signs were a popular visitor attraction, and were often stolen by souvenir-hunting vandals until 2005, when they were modified to be theft-resistant. The name change to Fugging, which is pronounced the same in the local dialect, was rejected in 2004 but passed in late 2020.[3][4]

Former name

The settlement is believed to have been founded in the 6th century AD by Focko, a Bavarian nobleman. The Austrian region during this century was mostly under the domain of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths, and was populated by a mix of Christians and Pagans. The existence of the village was documented for the first time in 1070, and historical records show that some twenty years later, the lord was recorded in Latin as Adalpertus de Fucingin. The spelling of the name, which is pronounced with the vowel oo as in book,[5] evolved over the years; it is first recorded in historical sources as Vucchingen in 1070, as Fukching in 1303,[6] as Fugkhing in 1532, and in the modern spelling Fucking in the 18th century.[7] The ending -ing is an old Germanic suffix indicating the people belonging to the root word to which it is attached, thus Fucking means "(place of) Focko's people".[3]

Demographics

The Austrian census of 2020 recorded that the village had a population of 106.[8] The Age reported in 2005 that it had 104 people and 32 houses.[7]

Popularity and notoriety

Fugging is best known for the four traffic signs at the entrances to the village, beside which many English-speaking tourists have had their photograph taken because of the profane English word with the same spelling as the former name.[9] British and US soldiers based in nearby Salzburg noticed the name after World War II, and began to travel to the village to have their photos taken beside the signs. The local residents, the Fuckingers, were bemused, as they had not previously been aware of the meaning of their village's name in English.[7] During the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, the number of tourists visiting the village increased, including the occasional tour bus.[5]

Street map of Fugging

The village is especially popular with British tourists; as a local tour guide explained: "The Germans all want to see Mozart's house in Salzburg; 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."[10] Augustina Lindlbauer, the manager of an area guesthouse, said that the area had lakes, forests, and vistas worth visiting, but there was an "obsession with Fucking", and she had to explain to a British tourist "that there were no Fucking postcards".[11] The English meaning of its name also resulted in the village being the butt of jokes in popular media. The Grand Tour featured the village in the 2017 episode "[censored] to [censored]", as part of a road trip from Wank via Kissing, Petting, and Fucking to Wedding.[12] In 2019, Norwegian broadcasting company NRK Sport produced a comedic tourism video on Fucking. Released on YouTube, the video consists of reporter and former Melodi Grand Prix Junior presenter Nicolay Ramm both advertising the village's attractions and listing off a large number of double entendres based on its name.[13]

The road signs were commonly stolen as souvenirs,[5][9] and cost some 300 euros to replace.[7] In 2005 theft-resistant welded signs were installed, secured in concrete.[7] The Mayor of Tarsdorf said that tourists were still welcome,[14][15] though the local police chief emphasised that "we will not stand for the Fucking signs being removed. It may be very amusing for you British, but Fucking is simply Fucking to us. What is this big Fucking joke? It is puerile."[5][16] One resident set up a website selling T-shirts featuring the signs, with the slogan "I like Fucking in Austria", but shut it down after other residents disapproved.[5]

In 2009, the village said it would install surveillance cameras to deter tourists from filming themselves having sex in front of the signs.[17] The mayor said that he would prefer not to see the village featured in the press any more: "Just leave [us] alone".[18]

Also in 2009, the European Union's OHIM trademarks agency forbade a German brewery to market a beer called "Fucking Hell". They appealed, and were granted permission in January 2010.[19] (The second part of the name is the German term for pale lager, Hell.)[20]

Name change

A 2004 vote on changing the village's name failed;[3] the mayor pointed out that the name had been Fucking for 800 years:[3] "Everyone here knows what it means in English, but for us Fucking is Fucking—and it's going to stay Fucking."[21]

In April 2012, rumours spread through international media that villagers had been thinking about changing the name of the village or had actually voted to change it. The satirical website The Spoof! published a story[22] that was expanded in the British tabloid The Daily Mirror.[23] The story was then reported elsewhere as news, including by The Guardian and The Huffington Post, who said that a vote had taken place to change the name to Fugging, but it was discovered that a village with that name already existed in the municipality of Obritzberg-Rust just west of Herzogenburg.[24][25] The mayor denied these rumours.[26]

The council of Tarsdorf voted in their 17 November 2020 session to have the village's name officially changed to Fugging (pronounced the same as Fucking in the dialect spoken in the region), effective 1 January 2021.[4][27][28] The last straw was a YouTube video tour of the entire village, including the school.[29] The following month, signs with the new name were vandalised to read "Fucking".[30]

In literature and film

Bad Fucking, a 2011 satirical mystery novel by the Austrian director and novelist Kurt Palm, is set in a slightly renamed Fucking; it won the Friedrich Glauser Prize and was filmed in 2013 by Harald Sicheritz.[27][31][32]

See also

References
  1. Parker, Quentin (18 July 2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-4405-0739-7.
  2. Bain, Andrew (2009). 1000 Ultimate Experiences. Lonely Planet. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-74179-945-3.
  3. Haines, Lester (15 August 2005). "Brits steal carloads of F**king Austrian roadsigns". The Register.
  4. Dallison, Paul (26 November 2020). "Austrian village of Fucking to be renamed Fugging". Politico Europe. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  5. Harnden, Toby (28 August 2005). "No, there are no F***ing postcards". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  6. Etz, Albrecht (1971). Die Siedlungsnamen des Innviertels als lauthistorische Quellen. Volume 53 of Dissertationen der Universität Wien. Notring. p. 212.
  7. "What's the F—ing joke?". The Age. 3 September 2005. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  8. Statistik Austria: Bevölkerung am 1.1.2020 nach Ortschaften (Gebietsstand 1.1.2020) Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  9. "Urban Legends Reference Pages: Welcome to Austria". Snopes.com. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  10. Parsons, Tony (29 August 2005). "This Town's A F****** Joke". The Daily Mirror. London. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  11. "Brits driving Austrians bonkers over rude village name". London. Agence France Presse. 28 August 2005. Archived from the original on 11 September 2005. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  12. "The Grand Tour Season 1 Episode 12". 27 January 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  13. Ramm, Nicolay (24 February 2019). "Welcome To Fucking". YouTube. NRK Sport. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  14. "F***ing signs now theft-proof". Ananova. Archived from the original on 30 September 2005.
  15. "Austrian town uses concrete to block cursed sign thefts". The Ottawa Citizen. 23 August 2005. p. A8.
  16. "Austrians Not Amused". BanderasNews.com. AFP. November 2006.
  17. "Finger weg von Fucking!". Ärzte-Zeitung (in German). 5 August 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  18. Schmidt, Axel (25 March 2008) [24 March 2008]. "Die Ortstafel als Souvenir". Augsburger Allgemeine (in German). Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Er würde am liebsten nichts mehr von dem kleinen Ortsteil der Gemeinde Tarsdorf in der Presse lesen ... 'Lasst's das Dorf halt in Ruh'.
  19. "Decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal in Case R 0385/2008-4 – Fucking Hell". The Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union. 21 January 2010.
  20. "German beer can call itself F**king Hell". Radio Netherlands. Hilversum. 19 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  21. Haywood, Anthony; Walker, Kerry (2008). Austria (5th ed.). Lonely Planet. p. 217. ISBN 978-1-74104-670-0. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  22. Bollocks, Sidney (18 April 2012). "Fucking Village To Change Name". The Spoof!.
  23. "No Fugging chance: Fucking village told they can't be renamed Fugging because name is already taken". Daily Mirror. 18 April 2012.
  24. Meltzer, Tom (25 April 2012). "Silly placenames: welcome to Dull, twinned with Boring". The Guardian.
  25. Phillips, Tony (6 December 2017) [20 April 2012]. "Citizens Vote to Rename Austrian Town From F—ing to Fugging". Huffington Post.
  26. Shields, Michael (18 April 2012). "Nothing profane about our name Austrian hamlet says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012.
  27. "Fugging Hell: Tired Of Mockery, Austrian Village Changes Name". Barron's. Agence France-Presse. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  28. "Kundmachung Gemeinderatssitzung" (in German).
  29. Brunner, Lea (13 November 2020). "Es war einmal ein kleines Örtchen namens 'Fucking'". Tarsdorf Aktuell (in German). Municipality of Tarsdorf. p. 5. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  30. Nagl, Lisa (8 December 2020). "Unbekannte beschmierten Ortstafeln in Fugging". meinbezirk.at (in German). Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  31. Brown, Todd (24 December 2013). "Austrian Cinemas Experience An Outbreak Of BAD FUCKING. Check A Quintet Of Teasers". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  32. McNally, Frank (20 July 2017). "At Swim-Two-Cultures – An Irishman's Diary about the Austrian director who filmed an unfilmable Flann O'Brien novel". Irish Times (opinion). Retrieved 21 December 2020.
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