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A village near Salzburg in Austria is installing CCTV cameras to try to stop visitors from taking rude advantage of its name.

The problem is, you see – and there’s no way to put this politely – the place is called Fucking and it’s been plagued for years by people filming themselves in sexually explicit poses by the village sign.

“I’m sure they all think they’re the first to do it, but believe me they’re not,” said one exasperated resident of the tiny hamlet (population 104). “We’ve grown very tired of it and we’re doing something about it.”

It’s hoped the CCTV cameras will make people think twice about their actions and just pose for an innocent tourist snapshot instead.

The village’s name is believed to come from a sixth century noble called Lord Focko, with ‘ing’ being old German for ‘family of’.

In 2004, residents voted against changing the name, despite the rising costs of replacing the Fucking signs every time souvenir-hunting tourists stole them.

by Andy Moreton

Check Luxique’s varied selection of luxury hotels in Vienna, boutique hotels in Salzburg and other regions of Austria.

The latest character created by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is about to hit the big screen … and Austrians are bracing themselves.

After Ali G and Borat comes Bruno, an outrageously camp fashion reporter who wants to be the ‘most famous Austrian since Hitler’. The movie is, according to one reviewer in the UK ‘deeply offensive and very funny’.

Austria, however, might not see the joke. There are fears that the country could have a similar experience to Kazakhstan, which is still recovering from the cruel satire directed at the nation by Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2005).

“Kazakhstan is still suffering enormous loss of identity… Austria could soon be going the same way,” says the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF). Other commentators there have labelled the film ‘dull’, ‘insulting’ and ‘a threat to the country’s world image and economy’.

by Andy Moreton

If you want to see the real Austria, check out Luxique’s selection of luxury hotels in Vienna, boutique hotels in Salzburg and great hotels in other Austrian cities.

In May, I wrote that the former home of the Von Trapp family – made famous by the film, The Sound of Music - was to open as a hotel - Trapped In Your Hotel.

Salzburg, Austria

Sadly for lovers of the evergreen musical, the local council in Salzburg has now turned down the proposition. Residents of the Aigen area, where the villa is situated, had put pressure on the authorities, fearing they’d be overrun by fans.

The residents’ spokesman said the identity of Salzburg should be tied to its most famous son, Mozart, and not to what he called this ‘tacky’ musical.

But one of the entrepreneurs behind the project said it was folly to block a venture like this when the global financial crisis could reduce the number of tourists coming to Salzburg. According to one estimate, 40 per cent of overnight stays in the city are by fans of the film.

The developers plan to appeal and are also talking of court action because they’ve already reportedly spent €400,000 (£348,000 / $511,000) in adapting the 14-bedroom villa.

The von Trapp family lived in the house from 1923 until 1938 when they fled the Nazi takeover of Austria. Those years in the house inspired one of the most successful films of all time, in which an aspiring nun, played by Julie Andrews, charms the widower, Baron von Trapp, and his seven children.

by Andy Moreton

You may not be able to relax in the Von Trapp villa, but Luxique can offer four of the best luxury hotels in Salzburg.

I read that the former home of the von Trapp family – made famous by the film, The Sound of Music - is to open as a hotel.

From July, visitors to the Villa Trapp hotel just outside the Austrian city of Salzburg will be able to sleep in the family’s former bedrooms or get married in the chapel. Entrepreneurs plan to make no alterations to the building other than essentials such as painting and re-wiring.
The von Trapp family lived in the house from 1923 until 1938 when they fled the Nazi takeover of Austria. Those years in the house inspired one of the most successful films of all time, in which an aspiring nun, played by Julie Andrews, charms the widower, Baron von Trapp, and his seven children.
After the family fled, the villa was appropriated by the SS and Gestapo chief, Heinrich Himmler, who used it as a private home during the war. Later, when the von Trapps were building a new life in the United States, the villa was bought by a religious foundation, which has now agreed to lease it as a hotel because of the growing demand from fans of the 1965 musical.
According to tourism officials, 40 per cent of overnight stays in Salzburg are from fans of the film, although in Austria itself, the von Trapp villa isn’t that famous.

by Andy Moreton
Scheduled to open July 25, the team at Luxique will review the Villa Trapp hotel to see if it makes the grade to be included amongst our hand-picked Salzburg luxury hotels. Stay tuned.