The tranquil French commune of Arcis-sur-Aube, with its modest population of 2,785 residents, has unexpectedly become the epicenter of international attention due to an extraordinary electoral coincidence involving its mayoral candidates’ surnames. Current mayor Charles Hittler, seeking re-election in Sunday’s municipal runoff, finds himself at the center of a viral storm simply because of his family name’s phonetic similarity to the notorious German dictator.
The situation has escalated beyond occasional jokes that Hittler has endured throughout his life. Social media platforms have been inundated with satirical posts drawing parallels between the electoral contest and the historical conflict between Adolf Hitler and modern Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky—particularly since one of Hittler’s opponents bears the surname Zielinski.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, an exasperated Hittler revealed the personal toll of this unexpected fame: ‘The situation has gone completely crazy. My wife is in tears. We’ve seen online articles falsely claiming that 37% of Arcis residents are Hitlerites. People should be discussing our town’s policies, not our names.’
The mayor’s family history reveals why he never changed his controversial surname. His father, a shepherd from Alsace near the German border, was conscripted into Nazi Germany’s forced labor program during World War II. Despite recommendations to change the name in 1949, the administrative complexity and financial burden prevented the alteration. Today, only a few Hittlers remain in France, with most family members either altering pronunciation to ‘Hit-lay’ or adopting maternal surnames to avoid embarrassment.
Remarkably, Hittler’s daughter and daughter-in-law—both retaining the surname—are concurrently running for municipal council positions in other French towns. ‘Once you establish your reputation, the name becomes secondary. People eventually see the person behind the name,’ Hittler explained.
The electoral dynamics extend beyond nominal coincidences. While Hittler represents center-right policies, his opponent Antoine Renault-Zielinski belongs to the far-right Patriot movement—a significant detail in a region where the National Rally party traditionally performs strongly. The 28-year-old customs officer, whose Polish mother contributed the latter part of his hyphenated surname, maintains philosophical perspective: ‘I understand why people find this amusing, though personally it doesn’t make me laugh. At least our town is on the map now.’
Historical ironies abound: Arcis-sur-Aube’s name was adopted by a town near Odesa in Ukraine after German immigrants named their settlement Artsyz following Napoleon’s 1814 battle against Austrian, Prussian, and Russian armies. The French town also happens to be the birthplace of revolutionary leader Georges Jacques Danton.
As Sunday’s runoff approaches with Hittler maintaining a narrow lead over Zielinski and third candidate Annie Soucat, the world watches a municipal election that has transcended local politics through the unpredictable power of onomastic coincidence.