Fugging good idea

The 106 residents of Fucking have had enough of their involuntary fame. Instagram tourists enjoyed poking fun at the name of the village and posing for amusing selfies by the town sign. They, along with bad jokes, ridicule and sign thefts, are now a thing of the past: Fucking is now called Fugging. But will it Fugging work?

In France, the people of Condom valiantly support its name. In 1995, the town opened the Museum of Condoms to reflect their name. Chapeau! They certainly don't mind a bit of ribbing! French people associate something else with the city of Condom, namely Armagnac. The popular brandy is produced there. And there is, of course, a museum for this, too.

English ears only hear the vulgar term for breasts in Titz. The inhabitants of Titz in North Rhine-Westphalia, near Jülich, don't. That's because here they have other more pressing concerns: The Garzweiler 3 opencast mine is on their doorstep and has considerable consequences for the community.

The name of this locality, Petting, has nothing to do with what many people think. It originates from the 6th century and goes back to a Bavarian chief named "Petto." But visitors don't really care about that! The road sign is regularly stolen even though legal souvenirs have been available in the village for many years. Like skimpy underwear with the inscription "I mog petting" (I like petting).

Batman is the name of a province in southeastern Turkey, which has so far been little developed for tourism. Its silhouette on the map resembles a lopsided hourglass. In 2018 a petition made headlines. The provincial borders were to be given the outline of Batman. Nothing changed, but at least some people now know the province exists.

Who would have thought that Hell can be found in Norway. It is located 35 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of Trondheim. The place is very popular, especially with English speaking tourists. Who can resist sending a postcard from Hell? Hell, by the way, comes from Old Norse and means overhang or cliff cave: hellir.

The city was named after the river Sille that flows through it. A popular pastime for tourists is to take an obligatory selfie picture at the entrance of the town. Afterwards, they usually head straight to the first brewery on the town square. After all, Belgian beer is the most varied beer in the world. The Brasserie de Silly is well known to beer connoisseurs: it's home to the classic Sour Ale.

Boring, Oregon, isn't boring at all — it joined forces with the Scottish village of Dull in 2012. In 2017 the Australian community of Bland joined them to create the "Trinity of Tedium." But they're far from tedious, as they jointly celebrate "Bland, Dull and Boring Day" on August 9.