According to the city, the call for trial living in Guben has already attracted great interest. “So far we have received a consistently positive response,” said a city spokeswoman when asked. The inquiries are increasingly coming from the Berlin area. Although the number of applicants is still in the single digits, the number of inquiries is significantly higher. The application deadline for trial living runs until April 28, 2024.

With this campaign, the small town wants to make itself known as a residential location. You can use a fully equipped apartment in the city alone or even with your family for a period of two to four weeks. Only the additional costs have to be borne, the spokeswoman explained the concept behind the trial living. With this model, Guben is following other cities such as Eberswalde, Frankfurt (Oder) and Görlitz. A call for trial housing has already been made in these cities too.

In Eberswalde, the last trial housing activities were a while ago. “The project was last implemented in 2019,” said a city spokeswoman. At that time, the local housing company made their guest apartment in the old town available. Despite positive feedback and satisfied "short-term residents", the trial living is currently at a standstill. This is because the vacancy rate has been significantly reduced, the spokeswoman explained. “It is uncertain at the moment whether the trial living in Eberswalde will be continued again.”