Here is how a Dutchman bought up an entire Hungarian village: you can rent it
The astonishing and mindblowing story of a Dutch national who fell in love with Hungary in the 1980s. In the last couple of years, he bought up an entire village where he would like to invite his friends from the Netherlands. He believes Hungary is much more liveable and cheaper than their country and plans to move here with his Dutch-Indonesian wife. Here is his incredible story.
According to 24.hu, Elroy was only 20 years old when he somehow sat down in a small Hungarian pub in Kecskemét. It was 1987, the end of the Socialist era in Hungary and Elroy fell in love with our country. He made friends here and regularly came to hike in the Hungarian hills or bathe in Lake Balaton.
After the regime change, he came more frequently and fell in love with the landscape and the people of Hungary. He liked that the air is cleaner than in the Netherlands and there are villages hidden in the valleys. In Holland, such settlements no longer exist because cities and villages expanded, and where one ends, the other begins.
He worked long hours in Amsterdam. He had a kid with a woman who chose drugs instead of feeding the baby. He remained alone with him but provided him with everything. He worked in the docks and bars, and later sold Sziget Festival tickets to Dutch youngsters. That business flourished. Years later, more than 15 thousand locals came to celebrate and party in Budapest.
He bought up an entire village in Nógrád County
When he acquired the needed money, he started making his dream come true. He thought about buying a house in a Hungarian village. That is because he said keeping animals or bees means obtaining an endless list of permissions, while doing such things is much easier in Hungary.
Thus, he went to Nógrád County with his old friend from the ancient Kecskemét pub, Sajt (Cheese). There they saw poor families in devastated houses but found Bedepuszta. He searched for cheap properties in better condition in the nearby villages to help local families move away somewhere where there are schools, shops, work opportunities. After a couple of years, he could buy up all the houses, so Bedepuszta went into his ownership. He says Gyöngyös and Miskolc are close, but even Budapest is not far away.
He began to renovate the houses and actively took part in the work. For example, he did carpenter work, painted, and built stoves and bathrooms. Finally, he got what he dreamt of when he was young and could move into his family house in Bedepuszta with his loved one. That was the first renovated house with an astonishing view of the nearby Mátra hills. More followed.
Currently, the couple spends half a year in Amsterdam, the other half in Hungary. But they plan to move here.
They welcome guests from all over the world. Their slogan is “Rent an entire village”. And people come for a couple of days or even weeks.
Read also:
- 20 Dutch families move to a tiny Hungarian village: what do they know? – Read more HERE
- Why do these two Hungarian regions have so many Dutch expats? – Details in THIS article
Here is a video of the village: