THIS Croatian town is selling houses to new residents at Rs 12; here is the reason

A border town in northern Croatia is selling off its jilted houses for just one Kuna (11.83 Indian Rupees). While the coastal country has seen a spike in tourism in the recent past, the town of Legrad, situated just a few miles away from the country’s border with Hungary, has seen its population half in just 70 years. Once the second-most populous city, Legrad saw an exodus following the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire about a century ago.

Now, to reinstate the town’s population, Croatian authorities are selling off the houses at a minimal price. Not only that but they are also paying for the renovation of each of the houses to the individuals who buy them. However, the deal has a few conditions. Firstly, all individuals interested in buying the houses should be below 40 years of age. Secondly, they should be committing to staying at Legrad, the Croatian town, for at least 15 years.

"We turned into a border town with few transport connections to other places. Since then the population has been gradually falling," said the town's mayor, Ivan Sabolic.

17 properties sold

So far, the town has been able to sell 17 properties. Since these houses would require repair works, the municipality says it will pay 25,000 kunas towards any refurbishments needed, and for new residents wishing to buy a privately-owned home, the town will cover 20% of the price or up to 35,000 kunas, the mayor further added.

Meanwhile, Croatia has continued its battle with the lethal coronavirus contagion. The country has recorded more than 358,504 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, of which over 8,132 people have lost their lives. Although the daily infection rate in Croatia has significantly dropped from its peak in early December, authorities don't want to take any risk by easing restrictions because of the new emerging variants. Croatia started its vaccination drive last December with other EU members and has administered 23,160 doses in the last week. At that rate, it will take a further 36 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.

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