F---ing Town

“All F---ingers have to agree on whether want to change it or not.”

Franz Meindl, Mayor of F---ing, Austria

Warning: Today’s story is R rated. All because of an F---ing town in Austria.

Don’t get me wrong—I have nothing against the town and its 104 residents; it’s just that the name of the town is F---ing, and has been for centuries.

Named after a sixth-century Bavarian nobleman, the town was originally called “Focko” but morphed into the modern day F-word during the 18th century. Residents lived in happy ignorance of the infamous obscenity until after World War II when British and American soldiers passed through town, and folks have been snickering ever since.

Finally fed up with the ridicule, pranksters and repeated theft of their town sign, citizens voted last month to change the name to “Fugging.” Sadly, they’re too late. The name is already taken. A town in Lower Austria changed its name from F---ing to Fugging in 1836.

So the town is stuck with its unfortunate moniker. But it’s not all bad news. Local merchants have sold a buttload of novelty postcards, Christmas cards and beer. And that has them laughing all the way to the F---ing bank.

Read more:

■  Matthew Day, Austrian village F---ing to vote on name change, The Telegraph, April 17, 2012.

■  Nina Mandell, Austrian town with obscene name voting for change, New York Daily News, April 18, 2012.

■  No Fugging chance: F---ing village told they can't be renamed Fugging because name is already taken, Mirror News, April 20, 2012.