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East German cities offer free stays to fight depopulation

Towns and cities in eastern German states are inviting people to come and stay in the hope of encouraging more people to move there long-term.

Driving through Brandenburg with only local radio for company, she heard about a "trial living" ("Probewohnen") scheme offering people the chance to stay for up to four weeks free of charge in Guben, on Germany's far eastern border with Poland. "It's always quiet here, there's no noise pollution, there's less litter on the streets, and you always run into people you know, which I find quite nice," she explained on a whistle-stop tour of the city that included a quick trip across the river to eat fancy cake in a Polish cafe. "From an economic perspective, we need to ensure that locations remain attractive, that incentives are created for businesses to settle there, but it's about much more than that, for example, a welcoming culture and social interaction," said Susanne Schultz, an expert on migration policy at the Bertelsmann Foundation.

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