"Depopulated towns in Germany's ex-communist east have come up with a novel scheme to bring back life: offering people several weeks of super-cheap housing to give would-be residents a taste of the place. The "trial-living" scheme aims to revitalise half-deserted communities as Germany nears the 35th anniversary of its reunification on October 3rd. One of those giving it a shot is Weslawa Goeller, 50, a kindergarten educator with a two-year-old daughter who is getting to know the small town of Guben on the Polish border."
"Goeller was among 16 people who came over the summer to discover the town and its services under a scheme run by local authorities, a tourism agency and real estate companies. They paid just 100 euros in weekly rent for a maximum of four weeks, with a view to settling there. While finding a reasonably priced flat in Berlin has become a real struggle, many properties in Guben can be rented for just five to seven euros per square metre."
Trial-living schemes offer super-cheap short-term housing to attract prospective residents to half-deserted eastern German towns. Local authorities, a tourism agency and real estate companies ran the summer programme in Guben, drawing 16 participants who paid 100 euros per week for up to four weeks to assess housing and services. Guben features low rents of five to seven euros per square metre and benefits such as free childcare. The town suffered post-1989 economic collapse, factory closures, unemployment and population flight. Economic scars and an east-west wealth gap are cited as factors behind increased far-right support in the region.
Read at The Local Germany
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