The richest selection of castles and manor houses are to be found in the eastern states of former East Germany, followed by more eastern countries, like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and others. It has been said that looking for castles in East Germany is equivalent to being like a small child in a candy store…the opportunities are rich indeed but great care is needed to make the right choice. This part of Europe is positively saturated with recent and not-so-recent history, bordering on the old Austro-Hungarian Empire with the great historic cities Prague, Vienna and Budapest within easy driving distance from any of the eastern Germany states. After the end of WWII and the introduction of the communist “Land Reform” laws in 1945, virtually all private castles and manor houses were confiscated by the authorities for municipal purposes. The bare minimum in repairs was carried out over the 40 some years of the GDR (German Democratic Republic.) The situation became worse after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of Communism. Many historical buildings were simply left standing empty and unattended for nearly 20 years, while others were sold to speculators in the early 1990´s who mostly did nothing to prevent further decay. - “FOR SALE”: Old Castles in Europe

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Real Estate In Hungary Real Estate In Hungary - Bargains - Farms, Islands, Enclaves, Riverfront Property, Sale by Owner, Current Listings 24 hours a day, seven days a week. - List Your Property In The Marketplace Also see Real Estate in Central & Eastern Europe Real Estate By Type - Islands, B&B's, Restaurants See Real Estate WorldWide

Articles on Living & Investing in Hungary

Expat Business Life In Budapest - One of Europes Great Destinations - Budapest is on a Roll - However, in practice, we all get drawn pretty quickly into a web of  expats with their own newspapers, bars, social clubs and - most importantly - networks. These groups are not cliquey at all, and are actually very easy to join whether you are just passing through or whether you are a new long-term resident. Budapest is no exception to this rule. Since absolutely no expat speaks the local language, and every one of the 40,000 expats speaks English even if not as a first language, they are bound to get together, share experiences and help each other out. This can be a very rewarding experience. Most expats in Budapest are of working age - many own or have high positions in companies here, others have fallen in love with the city or one of its inhabitants and come looking for a job.

“Strange and wonderful” Budapest - Where the living is increasingly pleasant ...and still very cheap - When living abroad, it is important to see local religious and cultural traditions with the proper reverence. This means that when the Hungarians parade a 1,000-year-old severed hand through Budapest as they do each August to honor St. Stephen, the founder of the Magyar nation, you should not drunkenly laugh among your friends and scream out, “Dear God, they’re carrying a 1,000-year-old severed hand through the streets of the capital!” You may think you’re being sly, by screaming this in English, but the people of modern Budapest frequently know English and a lot of other languages.

On The Road - Budoia To Budapest - For travellers who miss the pre-EU border checks and passport stamps as souvenirs, a trip to the edge of the Balkans should satisfy their nostalgia.  On a recent spur-of-the-moment, 5-day soggiorno intended to just explore the northeast corner of Slovenia, after Ptju (pt-ooey) we decided to keep on going.  Budapest isn't that far. We somehow didn't notice the route we took left us no choice but to cross into Croatia for a few kilometers, and then into Hungary.  The following are some road tips gleaned from making a 1500 km. odyssey into, around, and out of the Magyar Zone.  Politics have changed, but the old mentality and attitude lingers on in a lot of situations.  Switch off the naturally smiley, friendly American demeanor (with a language barrior, economic, and cultural differences, this can sometimes be wrongly interpreted as a lack of respect), and play the game.  Give them what they want and be on your way.

Living in Europe There's No Place I'd Rather be - For many Americans the best fringe benefit of a relocation to Europe is the opportunity for accessible travel through a continent with incredible cultural diversity. Of course, there are the destinations that anyone on a two-to-three year residency will have on their "must see" list, but few people will return to the US without some village, region, resort or city occupying a special place in their recollections of traveling through Europe. Those who stay a little longer often have the chance to range a bit farther and perhaps to form a long-term bond with a particular place. Clare Sievers asked six prominent US citizens resident in Europe to share their thoughts on a favorite holiday destination.

A Guide to Homologizing Your Car - Our tale begins in Moscow, early in this century. My wife and I, American expats working in Russia, were buying a house on the sunny, Mediterranean coast of Croatia. At that time, before a much-heralded “reform,” a foreigner wishing to buy real estate in far-away Croatia had to begin by sending an application to the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the capital city of Zagreb. After preliminary review, the application would be sent to the Ministry of Justice for further review and then back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for follow up review. The process took two to three years, depending on how much “review” was needed. That was okay with me. I knew that things take time in government. I had myself worked in Washington, home to the world’s only superpower bureaucracy. On some days, I knew, it could be very difficult to move a document out of the outbox of one civil servant and into the inbox of another civil servant. That was a universal truth. In Croatia, this truth came at you without mercy. At one point, after a year or so of waiting, we got word from Croatia that our application had reached the desk of the right Zagreb bureaucrat, but then the individual got sick (or was transferred, or got pregnant, I can no longer remember).

Roving Capitalist Shares His Secrets of Uncovering Gold Mines - Emerging market run-ups are being fueled by the trillions of dollars trying to find a temporary home. When that home starts growing mold, the trillions will pack up and head back to civilization (provided capital controls don’t stop them at the border). We have a long list of solid companies with solid management and sound business models that we are watching while we wait for the right opportunity to buy. If we recommend something along the way, it’s because a particular company or security satisfies our comfort level. But right now so few do that we are buying gold and real estate and husbanding cash for the big opportunity. Remember that the key to real success is to be bold when others are timid and timid when others are bold. Today, as we raise our field glasses to survey the investment and speculative battlefield, our helmets are pulled down low and our knees are trembling. We’re not just timid but downright cowardly. Our only boast is that we have the courage to admit it.

Beware the Swinging Pendulum: Understanding Inflection Points - As global speculators and investors looking to grow and protect our wealth, we are constantly on the look out for shifts in the social, geopolitical and economic landscape. As members of the Without Borders community understand, we have recently entered a period of change that will prove as significant as the end of the Cold War.  This seismic shift is one of four central themes we expect to influence every aspect of your and our lives over the next decade or more.  We call this shift the rise of the Politiconomy: the hostile merger of politics and economics. In the western world, there was once a clear distinction between politics and economics.  During the cold war if politicians were to even hint at state intervention in the economy they were branded ¨pinko¨ and their career ended shortly thereafter.

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