Free trial living in Eisenhüttenstadt: Your chance for a fresh start!

Free trial living in Eisenhüttenstadt: Your chance for a fresh start!

An exciting project is opening in Eisenhüttenstadt, a small town near Berlin, that offers people the opportunity to live for free from September 6th to 20th, 2025. The aim is to attract new residents, especially skilled workers, who have recently been lost to the city. The population has fallen dramatically - from 50,000 to around 24,000. This trial living could be the answer to the city's demographic challenges, where population numbers outside of metropolitan regions often stagnate or shrink, as the Federal Institute for Building, Urban and Spatial Research (BBSR) states.

The project entitled “Make plans now – trial living in Eisenhüttenstadt” is aimed at people who already live in Germany or the EU and have a valid work permit. As the website jetzt-plane-schmieden-izb.de explains, participation is tied to certain criteria. Applicants must seriously consider moving to the city permanently and the documents must be completed in German. A language level of at least C1 is also required, which slightly increases the requirements for those interested.

Insights into the city and its companies

Participants can not only look forward to the fact that they will be staying for free, they will also gain insights into local companies and a varied leisure program. This could be particularly important for those interested in returning, commuters and self-employed people who are looking for a new living environment. The city has already carried out comparable projects; in Guben, for example, a total of 100 applications were received, resulting in 16 selected trial apartments.

A word of warning: This residential trial is not an immigration or visa program and does not offer visas or residency permits. It is aimed strictly at potential new citizens who are allowed to live and work in Germany. This means that requests that fall outside this framework will not be taken into account. Despite only two furnished apartments available, the project shows that Eisenhüttenstadt wants to take an active role in combating demographic change.

Demographic challenges in Germany

In many regions of Germany, especially in structurally weaker areas such as parts of Saxony-Anhalt or Thuringia, the demographic trends show a worrying development. Communities with unfavorable demographics are often affected by a stagnating economic situation. This can also be observed in the case of Eisenhüttenstadt. According to BBSR, the challenge for many cities is to repatriate the population and create new incentives for the local economy.

The trial living in Eisenhüttenstadt could be a first step in the right direction to promote urban restructuring and the settlement of new citizens. The application phase for this unique program runs until the beginning of July, and after the first round of applications it could become clear how great the interest is in this very attractive project. For everyone who is thinking about looking for a new home in Eisenhüttenstadt, this is the opportunity to experience the city up close.