German town offers free 2-week stay to lure people to relocate there

A German town trying to beef up its population is luring in new residents by offering them a two-week trial accommodation — on the house.

Eisenhüttenstadt, around 60 miles from Berlin, was built in 1950. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

Eisenhüttenstadt, around 60 miles from Berlin, is accepting applications for the program — which will run from Sept. 6 to 20 — until the beginning of July.

“The project is aimed at anyone interested in moving to Eisenhüttenstadt—such as commuters, those interested in returning to the town, skilled workers, or self-employed individuals seeking a change of scenery,” the local council said in a statement, according to CNN Travel.

The initiative in the city, which now has a population of around 24,000, is part of an “innovative immigration project” named “Make Plans Now,” the council continued. 

Local businesses will offer internships and job shadowing. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

Those enrolled in the program will also participate in activities designed just for them, including a tour of Eisenhüttenstadt, home to historical buildings from the Soviet era.

One man was so captivated by its architecture that he had already moved there.

“We were traveling to Ratzdorf with friends and drove through Karl-Marx-Straße. And I saw these houses, this architecture that completely blew me away, and I said to my wife, ‘I’m going to move here,’” he wrote on the town hall’s Instagram account.

Eisenhüttenstadt, which means Steel Mill Town, was built around a steel mill. Guests will get the chance to explore its factories as well.

The town also houses the largest integrated steelworks facility in eastern Germany, which employs 2,500 people and acts as a metals processing hub.

Local businesses will also offer internships, job shadowing and conduct interviews with tourists, who can move there and join their labor force.

Founded in 1950, Eisenhüttenstadt was the first town built from scratch under then East Germany’s socialist government. At its peak, it boasted a population of 50,000.

It was originally named Stalinstadt, or Stalin Town, after the late Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, but was renamed after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the German reunification.