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This tiny town in Lapland is paying families to move there

Glommersträsk in northern Sweden is home to just 200 people, but families are being offered €880 to up the population

Liv Kelly
Written by
Liv Kelly
Contributing Writer
Church and park in Glommerstrask, Sweden
Glommerstrask, Sweden | Photograph: Shutterstock
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What kid doesn’t want to go to Lapland? With vast, snowy landscapes, magical pine tree forests and the fact that it’s literally Santa’s home, duh, it’s got all the components of a twinkling wintery getaway. 

However, Lapland holidays during the peak festive season can be pretty pricey. thankfully, there’s an alternative on offer. Fancy relocating?

No, you didn’t read that through snow-covered goggles: the chance to relocate to Lapland is officially on offer. Glommersträsk, a tiny town in northern Sweden, is offering families with children aged between six and 15 years old 10,000 Swedish Krona (€880) to move there. 

Back in 1950, the town was home to around 1,000 people, but that’s now down to just 200 with only 23 primary school-aged children living there. Glommersträsk high school closed in 2009, and now the primary school is at risk of closure, too. 

Small-town living isn’t for everyone, but as unique childhoods go, Glommersträsk has got it all goin’ on. The town is a two-hour drive from the coastal city of Luleå, and from there, visitors can go island-hopping around the Nordic archipelago. 

Local authority Glommersbygdens Framtid Group described Glommersträsk as ‘a safe space where your children can grow up in a nice community’, according to euronews – and Sweden is one of the world’s best countries, after all. 

You better get your reindeer together though – the offer is only available to the first five eligible families, and the children will need to spend one academic year in primary school to qualify. Read more on the town’s official website here

For some more motivation, we have a handy guide on the very best things to do in Sweden

Did you see that the trending European destinations to visit this winter have been revealed?

Plus: The best European city breaks reachable by train from the UK

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