An aerial view of Götene
The Swedish town of Götene has a population of about 5,000.
  • A small Swedish town is trying to boost population numbers by selling cheap land.
  • The lakeside town of Götene has received thousands of calls from prospectives buyers for 30 plots.
  • Local authorities have paused the program until early August, when it will likely reopen as a bidding war.

An idyllic Swedish town may have gotten more than it bargained for after thousands of interested would-be residents responded to authorities' efforts to boost population numbers in the picturesque locale.