Live in Switzerland and get paid for it. Here's how
What's the story
This might be for you if you've always dreamed of living in a picturesque, pristine mountain hamlet. Trying to revive its local population of just 240 residents, Albinen, a remote town in Switzerland, is inviting people to live, offering each family up to Rs. 45.8 lakh (53,188) should they take up the offer. Though a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it does come with a catch.
Backstory
Albinen has never had more than 380 residents
With seven children living in the town, its only school shutdown recently, forcing the locals to petition the council for a housing subsidy to repopulate the dying village. The council has now decided to offer each new adult resident Rs. 12.4 lakh (£18,900), and Rs. 5 lakh (£7,600) per child. Albinen has always been sparsely populated. It's highest people-count is 380, recorded in 1900.
Criteria
Not everyone can avail the scheme
The lucrative offer comes with its conditions. To avail the scheme, you need to be younger than 45 years, and build or purchase a property worth at least Rs. 1.3 crore (151,900) in Albinen to live full-time for minimum 10 years. Since Albinen is located in the German-speaking part of Southern Switzerland, the new residents will have to be fluent in German.
Features
What is there in Albinen for you?
Little happens in Albinen. Huddled between mountains at 1,300m and overlooking the Rhone valley, this idyllic village is spread across six square miles of farmland and forest. Albinen has clean mountain air, old timber houses, cobbled streets, a church and a shop. The popular thermal resort of Leukerbad is nearby, and the towns of Visp and Sion are only a half-hour drive away.
Other examples
Dying European towns offer monetary incentives to attract new residents
Albinen is hardly the first European town to offer people incentives for living there, in a desperate attempt to save its flailing economy. People of Switzerland's Inden have granted discounts in village shops to retain families. Another Swiss town, Safien, gives free public-transport passes to young people. Last month, Italy's Candela announced it would give up to Rs. 1.5 lakh to new residents.