Two extra letters

Town name misspelled on street sign

Who knows Weißenkirchen an der Traun? There are two letters too many on this signpost, the place is called Weißkirchen.

(Bild: Matthias Lauber)

Two extra letters cause amusement and annoyance in Marchtrenk (Upper Austria). A road sign points the way to "Weißenkirchen a. T.", although the municipality on the River Traun is actually called "Weißkirchen", i.e. without the "en". However, the expensive signpost does not have to be completely replaced.

After the stolen town sign of Stein (Linz-Land), which was temporarily replaced by a real stone, another street sign is now causing a smile: a spelling mistake has crept into a newly erected sign.

E and N were not noticed
Just 20 minutes' drive from Stein, on Marchtrenker Straße, a brand new sign points the way to "Weißenkirchen a. T.". In fact, however, it should read Weißkirchen an der Traun, i.e. without the "en". Only concentrated road users became aware of this. It is unclear how this mistake "slipped through" and what will happen next: no one from the responsible road maintenance department in Wels was available for comment on Saturday.

Doesn't have to be expensive
What some people find amusing is not funny at all for others: after all, traffic signs cost a lot of money, so a sign this big is all the more expensive. However, the sign does not have to be replaced in its entirety: "It is possible to partially correct incorrect signs, for example by pasting over the mistakes," says Christoph Pollinger, ASFINAG press spokesman for Upper Austria. In this way, this costly mishap could still be averted.