German city offers free stay – for a strange reason 2026

30. Mai 2025, 14:33 Uhr | Lesezeit: 3 Minuten

The city describes itself as “the ideal place to make plans” – after all, people here are very familiar with “iron, steel and visions”. Has the penny dropped? Eisenhüttenstadt is behind the campaign. The fact that the planned city from GDR times invites anyone interested to stay for free may seem strange at first glance. But the idea has a very serious and far-reaching background.

Why Eisenhüttenstadt offers free stays

According to the city, the “Make Plans Now” campaign is aimed at both those who want to return and those who want to make a fresh start. Commuters should also be addressed. The non-binding trial living offers the opportunity to test everyday life in Eisenhüttenstadt. Ideally, those affected would then want to move there – this would be in the spirit of the planned city.

Eisenhüttenstadt is, as you can find out on the city's online presence, "the first completely planned and organized city founded in the GDR". After its founding in 1950, the socialist model city was called Stalinstadt for more than ten years. The setting of the area monument, which was more than suitable for the film “The Silent Classroom” (2018), is now a popular excursion destination. But only a few want to stay.

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The population of Eisenhüttenstadt has been declining for years

In other words: Eisenhüttenstadt wants to attract new residents with free stays. Since reunification, the population has more than halved. Today, according to the population register, around 24,000 people live in the city in the Oder-Spree district. Various circumstances contributed to this, including job losses at the steelworks. Young people in particular are moving away from the city due to a lack of prospects, so that they have long been affected by aging - statistics show a so-called excess death rate. Securing skilled workers is an important concern for Eisenhüttenstadt.

Details about the campaign

The campaign could succeed in attracting more (trained) residents to Eisenhüttenstadt. Guben, 28 kilometers away, serves as a model and has already been able to attract new residents several times with comparable programs. According to a report by rbb, out of 16 trial residents last year, at least 10 stayed in the city permanently.

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Anyone interested can apply for a free stay in Eisenhüttenstadt until July. The exact number of places available and the selection criteria are not known. Those chosen should then be allowed to live in a furnished apartment free of charge for 14 days. In addition, they can take part in various activities, such as tours of the city or visits to companies. Sunnytrips wanted to know from the city administration what exactly the whole thing would look like; also how many applications have already been received and who exactly runs the accommodation. A response is still pending.

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