Depopulated towns in Germany’s ex-communist east have come up with a novel scheme to bring back life: offering people several weeks of super-cheap housing to give would-be residents a taste of the place.

The “trial-living” scheme aims to revitalise half-deserted communities as Germany nears the 35th anniversary of its reunification on October 3.

One of those giving it a shot is Weslawa Goeller, 50, a kindergarten educator with a two-year-old daughter who is getting to know the small town of Guben on the Polish border.

Hailing from the much bigger western German city of Mainz, she said she found the quiet streets unsettling at first: “Since I arrived, I feel like I never see anyone.”

“But it’s green and quiet,” she added, warming to the town’s tranquil charms, as well as the free childc

See Full Page