Till WWI, the Austro-Hungarian empire ruled most of Central Europe.
The disintegration of the empire led to the formation of several countries in the region, all with independent governments.
Present-day Croatia and Hungary became neighbours, and the town of Legrad—once the second-biggest population centre in Croatian territory—was reduced to a border town.
Legrad had very few transport connections to other places in Croatia, and so, over the last 100 years, its population declined at a steady pace.
E.g., around 70 years ago, the total population of Legrad was around 5,000 people, and today it stands at 2250 people.
And some of those who migrated left their houses, which the municipality has decided to sell to attract people to the town.
These abandoned houses are on sale for one kuna (INR 12 or 16 US cents).
In the first attempt, the municipality had advertised 19 abandoned houses for this price, and 17 of these have already been sold.
These houses are in bad condition, and 25000 kunas (INR 300,000 or US$4000) are being offered for repair.
However, there are a few conditions that the buyers have to meet to be eligible.
E.g., the buyer has to be less than 40 years old and should commit to staying in Legrad for at least 15 years.
There has been a lot of interest from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Argentina, or Colombia, but the migration to Croatia is complex, and so, the town is keeping the offer open only to Croatians at this stage.
Another challenge is the job opportunities— the newcomers will likely have to work in food production, wood processing, or metal processing industries.
