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France Facts. There is a place in France called Misery

The Local France
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France Facts. There is a place in France called Misery
The village probably loves company. Photo: Google Maps

Most people we know in France are pretty happy to be here, but some 137 people can truly be said to be living in Misery.

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In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais area of northern France there is a small village which proudly bears the name of Misery.

Home to approximately 137 people it looks a pleasant enough place and not too miserable.

For the French inhabitants its name would have a slightly different meaning, but still negative - in French misère does have a sense of misery about it, but also means poverty or destitution. So in Victor Hugo's 1862 classic Les Misérables, the characters are generally poverty stricken (although I don't remember a lot of laughs in the book either).

Perhaps influenced by this, the inhabitants of Misery in 2019 decided that for official purposes their commune would merge with a neighbouring one, so they know officially live in the commune of Marchélepot-Misery, which sounds a whole lot cheerier.

For more of the best place names in France, including the villages of Anus, Stains and Dole - click here.

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Anonymous 2020/02/06 18:16
And in Provence there is a town called Die. <br />

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