Swiss city PAYS people £50,000 to move there
- At the end of 2018, only 238 inhabitants lived in the tiny village
- The beautiful village has been threatened with extinction for quite some time
Are you struggling with the cost of living? Tired of the miserable gray skies when we should be entering spring? A Swiss city may have the answer to ease your misery.
Located in the canton of Valais, Albinen offers families to pay more than £50,000 to move to the beautiful mountain valley village.
The beautiful area is located on the mountainside at 1300 meters above sea level. The traditional chalets overlook a vast area of snow-capped white peaks.
The small village has been threatened with extinction for some time now, as an increasing number of residents leave the rural, picturesque community in favor of surrounding towns.
At the end of 2018, there were only 238 inhabitants in the village. But the scheme, originally launched in 2018, hopes to break that trend.
Albinen, located in the canton of Valais, is offering to pay people more than £50,000 to move to the beautiful mountain valley village
The beautiful area is located on the mountainside at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) above sea level
The scheme was launched five years ago to reverse the trend of people leaving the city.
Despite the attractive village being just over four miles (6.8 km) from the spa town of Leukerbad and a 35-minute drive from both the Cantonese capital of Sion and the industrial town of Visp, the town has emptied over the years due to the lack of jobs.
Families of four will receive 25,000 Swiss francs (£22,440) per adult and an additional 10,000 Swiss francs (£8,975) per child.
While the £50,000+ deal in exchange for a move to one of the world’s most beautiful places is tempting, there are a few other requirements.
To counter the city’s exodus, Albinen is looking for people under the age of 45 to settle.
You must also be a Swiss citizen with a residence permit C.
If you are a citizen of an EU or European Free Trade Association country, or of the US or Canada, you can obtain this after living in Switzerland for five years. But for other countries, including us Brits, you would have to live in Switzerland for ten years uninterruptedly.
You then have to live in a house worth at least 200,000 Swiss francs (£180,000) – and then you have to live in Albinen for 10 years.
Albinen’s traditional chalets overlook a vast area of snow-capped white peaks
At the end of 2018, there were only 238 inhabitants in the small village. But the scheme, originally launched in 2018, hopes to break that trend
If you leave the quaint town before the term is up, you’ll need to pay back your £50,000 payout.
The council president Beat Jostin said in 2017 that Albinen was characterized by its tranquility, phenomenal views, great air quality and many hours of sunshine all year round.
Jost added some comments: ‘Second homes and large residential complexes of investor groups are out of the question.
‘Anyone who moves again ten years after the start of construction or after purchasing the house must repay the money.’
Despite the strict requirements, Switzerland does have one of the best education systems in the world, and air pollution isn’t much of a problem on a mountainside either.
Life expectancy is also relatively high and the country has a low violent crime rate.