Riverside village where houses sell for 10p in bid to boost population - but there's a catch
24 January 2024, 18:58 | Updated: 24 January 2024, 19:06
A village in eastern Europe beloved by Brits is offering citizens the chance to buy homes for just 10 pence in a bid to boost resident numbers.
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Legrad, which is based in northern Croatia, started a campaign to boost resident figures six years ago, and is now home to around 2,000 people.
Its population had been falling following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire over one hundred years ago, but it is on the rise once again.
The Croatian government's latest initiative is to offer new residents the chance to buy homes for just 10 pence - but there's a catch.
Firstly, you must be under 45 to buy the house.
You must also be in a marital or extramarital relationship, and have no criminal history.
You must also be a first-time buyer.
Local officials and the Croatian government see the scheme as a big success.
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"A total of five houses ready for occupancy have been sold. Three families have already moved in, and what delights us is that all three families welcomed a new member during their move-in," Ivan Sabolić, the mayor of Legrad, told local outlet HRT.
"This has increased the number of children in the daycare centre."
Danijel Harmnicar is one of the young men who took up the initiative and bought a house for his wife and small children.
"It is much nicer to live in your own place than to be a tenant. Staying 15 years here is not a problem for us, we don't plan to move," he added.
