“We turned into a border town with few transport connections to other places. Since then, the population has been gradually falling,” Mayor Ivan Sabolic told Reuters.
Legrad has a population of 2,500 people, half of what it was 70 years ago.
But town officials are on a mission to grow the population of the town by listing abandoned houses and construction sites for just one kuna (16 cents). Seventeen of the 19 properties listed have been sold. The town has also offered to put up 25,000 kunas ($3,983) toward repairs. And if you’d prefer to purchase a private home, it will cover 20 percent of the house, up to 35,000 kunas ($5,570).
There are a few caveats. New residents must stay in the homes for at least 15 years, so the houses are only being sold to people under 40. The listings are currently only open to Croatian residents, but with Croatia being open to vaccinated US travelers, you never know what a trip to Croatia may lead to. 