Fading Austrian towns look east for revival

By Sylvia Westall

WOLFSTHAL, Austria (Reuters) - Wolfsthal, about 50 km (30 miles) from Vienna, is the end of the line.

When the train from the Austrian capital pulls into this silent village on Austria's eastern border with Slovakia, only a trickle of people alight and head home past a closed cafe and empty soccer pitch.

Many of its young people have been drawn to Vienna in search of work, leaving a dwindling, predominantly older population.

But some small towns like this have seen a glimmer of new life since the European Union's Schengen zone expanded a year ago, allowing passport-free travel to and from eastern Europe. By offering cheap land and easy development, they have been tempting young Slovakians to move in.

Most Austrians were hostile toward the Schengen expansion last December: 60 percent opposed the move on security grounds at the time, said market research group OGM. Now some towns hope to become quasi-suburbs of the Slovakian capital Bratislava which is just a 20-minute drive away.

"We started to clear spaces for building because it was very important for the village that we could change the make-up of our population," Wolfsthal Mayor Gerhard Schoedinger told Reuters.

"When the people came, land was bought, and the price of land started to rise, there was an uncomfortable feeling among some people. But...when people could put a face to them, most of the reluctance went away."

Schoedinger, who is married to a Slovakian whom he met while he was working as a border guard, said those who move in are educated to university level and an asset.

Dennis Span has bought some land in Hainburg, a pretty Austrian town down the road from Wolfsthal, after finding it hard to get planning permission in Slovakia.

The 31-year-old Dutch systems engineer currently lives in Bratislava with his wife, who works for an information technology company.

"The main reason is the price in relation to the quality," he said. "We couldn't wait any more and there are lots of good reasons to move to Austria. The services are much better, the infrastructure is very different than in Slovakia and a small town is much more comfortable."

Hainburg sold 53 land plots this month, with three-quarters going to buyers from across the border.

"The main reason for this is that property in Austria is cheaper than around Bratislava, but better legal protection as well as schools and kindergartens also play a big role," said Erich Rieder, the town's administrator.

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Some town authorities have been working hard on cross-border ties. Wolfsthal's school gives Slovak lessons and holds joint cultural events, Hainburg welcomes Slovakian health workers into its clinics and care homes.