Sunday 15 April 2007

Fucking

See the map here? It's about a small section of Austria, just north of Salzburg and near the German border. You should know Salzburg. That's where we had the Sound Of Music. The Do-Re-Mi stuff.


But do you see that tiny hamlet, with a population of around 90 people, called Fucking? Yes, there's such a place in Austria.

The village is known to have existed as Fucking since 1070 - that's already almost 1,000 years, if I count correctly - and is named after a sixth century Bavarian noble with the name of Focko. “Ing” is an old Germanic suffix meaning “people” and thus, Fucking means “place of Focko’s people”. In 2003, the residents were given a chance to change the village's name but they voted against it. Mmm .... I wonder what they call themselves. Fuckers?

There's this news item that says that the English-speaking people are awfully obsessed with stealing its name signs. I would too, if I were there but I'm not. So, I've got to be contented with stealing this picture instead.


And in case you are still wondering, here's what was mentioned in the news item about the English speakers ... and Fucking.


My thanks to my old school mate, Frusco, for sending me this little piece of Fucking news!

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