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Home --> Photo Gallery --> Signs of the Times --> Welcome to Austria

Welcome to Austria

Claim:   Austria is home to a town called 'Fucking.'

Status:   True.

Example:   [Collected on the Internet, 2000]

Tourists are causing a lot of anxiety — and are costing money — to a tiny village where signs keep disappearing. What do the signs read? "Welcome to Fucking, Austria." Pronounced "fooking," the little hamlet of Fucking is named after the man who founded the village in the 6th century. His name? Focko. The town sign has been stolen seven times in the last few months. With signs costing several hundred dollars apiece, much of the tiny town’s budget is being spent replacing the signs, says Siegfried Hoeppel, the Mayor of Fucking. He went on to express his hope that further thefts will be avoided through the use of increased concrete and . . . bigger screws.

Origins: We don't know how severe the stolen sign problem there really is, but Austria is indeed home to a town called 'Fucking' (48' 03"N 13' 51"E). Here are a few photos of the reportedly hard-to-keep signs:

I said, 'Duck'

I said, 'Duck'

The second sign carries the hilarity even further: "Bitte — nicht so schnell!" is German for "Please — not so fast!" (Evidently this type of sign is a commonplace reminder in those parts for drivers to keep their speed down to protect children, but the unintended double meaning in this case is particularly amusing.)

Last updated:   18 October 2004

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/austria.asp

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