The residents of the Swedish village of ‘Fucke’ have decided to change its name after they became fed up with being censored when writing about their lives of Facebook.
Found on Sweden’s High Coast, the small hamlet is made up of just 11 properties.
It sits on the banks of Fuckesjön (‘Fucke Lake’) and is within walking distance of another small settlement – ‘Hump’ – found on the banks of Humpsjön (‘Hump Lake’).
The residents of the Swedish village of ‘Fucke’ (pictured) have decided to change its name after they became fed up with being censored when writing about their lives of Facebook
According to the Institute for Language and Folklore, the earliest records of Fucke date back to 1547, where it is described as being ‘by a lake, situated very high up on a hillside with very steep fields’.
But despite its historic roots, homeowners in Fucke are fed up – especially with their posts being censored by Facebook when they try to write about their village on social media, or when they try to sell things online.
Now, they have united in sending an application to The National Land Survey of Sweden to change the village’s name to Dalsro (‘quiet valley’).
However, according to Sweden’s STV, the process could take some time and the residents of Fucke are unlikely to have an answer before the summer.
First, the board must consider the matter along with the Institute of Languages and Ancient Monuments.
Place names are regulated by the country’s Cultural Environment Act, and the law’s rules governing good place name practice.
‘Place name customs according to this law mean that, among other things, place names must be written according to accepted norms for written Swedish, as well as the fact that place names currently in use cannot be changed unless there are exceptional reasons,’ the National Land Survey of Sweden told STV in an email.
‘If new names are created, the effect on previously existing names must be considered. Therefore, if a place already has an established name, there need to be strong reasons for changing it.’
In 2007, 15 residents of the Swedish village of Fjuckby – a village in Uppsala home to a mere 60 residents – tried and failed to change their town’s name to Fjukeby.
Found on Sweden’s High Coast (pictured), the small hamlet is made up of just 11 properties. It sits on the banks of Fuckesjön (‘Fucke Lake’) and is within walking distance of another small settlement – ‘Hump’ – found on the banks of Humpsjön (‘Hump Lake’)
Instead, the National Land Survey chose to follow the advice of Institute for Language and Folklore to the keep the original name.
There are a number of other Swedish villages with eyebrow-raising names.
In the ski town of Mora, there is a place christened Rövhålet that literally translates as The B***hole.
Whilst Djupröven also causes much embarrassment for its locals as it means Deep A***.
In northern Sweden, about 150km from Skellefteå is the welcoming region of Sexträsk, otherwise known as Sex Swamp.
And for those venturing north of Stockholm, keep a look out for a place called Bögs Gård which also means Gay’s Farm.
Animal lovers might take offence with the aptly titled Kattsjärten in Värmland, which has a local translation of Cat’s Bottom.
Meanwhile, Snormossen is otherwise known as Snot Bog, with Varberg in Halland County referred to as Puss Mountain.
Residents in a town in Austria had more luck than those in Fjuckby, when in December 2020 they successfully petitioned for their town called ‘F***ing’ to be changed to the less rude ‘Fugging’.
Residents in a town in Austria had more luck than those in Fjuckby, when in December 2020 they successfully petitioned for their town called ‘F***ing’ (pictured in a road sign) to be changed to the less rude ‘Fugging’
Local residents, of which there are only 100, endured decades of jokes from English speakers and the frequent theft of their signs by visitors.
Tourists often made a point of stopping to take selfies in front of the signpost at the town entrance and posting them on social media.
In 2018, the pornographic website Pornhub said it was offering premium access to F***ing residents.
The town council of Tarsdorf decided that, after existing for nearly 1,000 years, the town of F***ing will be renamed Fugging from January 1, 2021.
Announcing the name change in November, municipal mayor Andrea Holzner said: ‘I am confirming that it has in fact been decided by the local council. I will not say any more about it.’
However, when the new signs were put up, unhappy locals smeared them with black spray paint to show the original name of ‘F***ing’.