The residents of a small village in Austria are adamant about changing their name by next year as they grew tired of the mockery, the unwanted tourists who visit them for pictures, and the sniggers that the village's name received.
Unusual name
Fu*king, Austria is located in the north of Salzburg, and it is near the German border. The original name of the village, Fu*king, dates back to the 11th century.
The inhabitants have finally grown weary of the mockery that it received in international media and online for its resemblance to the English swear word, not to mention the repeated incidents where tourists have stolen the village's signs.
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The decision to change the village's name was posted on the Tarsdof municipality website, which the village is a part of, and was confirmed by the village's mayor herself.
Mayor Andrea Holzner told The Guardian that she is confirming that the local council has decided it. She will not say any more about it.
Over the years, the village had become something of a pilgrimage site for tourists, who would take pictures next to the village's signpost at its entrance.
Vandals who are looking for souvenirs repeatedly go one step further and steal the sign itself. This forced the authorities to use theft-resistant concrete when installing sign replacements.
The original name has nothing to do with the English swear word used today, and it has been documented since 1070. Experts believe that it could be derived from Adalpert von Vuckingen, who lived in the region in the 11th century.
However, the name could still go back with records that a 6th-century Bavarian nobleman named Focko founded a settlement in the area. In a land registry map from 1825, the village is called Fuking.
It is not known when the "c" was later added, making it identical to the famous English word, according to regional daily Oberoesterreichische Nachrichten (OOeN).
Other villages that changed their names
In 2013, a consultation was held over 22 Welsh place names in the borough of Torfaen. This then led to proposals to change the name of Varteg to Y Farteg because there is no letter V in the Welsh alphabet.
But it faced opposition from locals who think that the new name would be mocked and ridiculed. Councilor Giles Davies told the BBC that non-Welsh speakers would see the term "Why Fart Egg."
A village in Oxfordshire has a signpost that says Bletchington at one side and Bletchingdon on the other. Even the parish council admits that it could get people confused.
According to the council's website, Don means on a hill, and Ton means village. It has been a centuries-old argument. But then it has also been Bletchingham and Bletchinghampton. As far as the official name, it is Bletchingdon. To most locals, it is simply 'Bletch,' which just means our village.
In 2012, a small town in Surrey changed its name to Staines-upon-Thames to change its image. According to the BBC, the councilors welcomed the news, saying that it would help attract new business and tourists.
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