My mother's family farm house became possession of local gmina many moons ago. All the surrounding farmlands were given back to the government while my grandmother was alive, for her to be able to collect 'rent' (government pension?). After her death, the neighbor wanted to buy the house, 'stodola' (feed house?) and chlew (animal house?) and the orchard, but they backed out due to price being to high.
I keep thinking about (and google-earth) that beautiful, fertile piece of land that I spent first 6 years of my life (bucolic, in my memory), and every summers until I was 16, and keep wondering if there is still a chance in hell that I can get it back into the family, with reasonable amount of effort and money (I know, that's a nebulous measure). The house is just about completely caved in, it never had any plumbing, the stodola has been taken apart by neighbors for fuel, as some of the most incredible selection of fruit trees in the orchard on the back of the house.
Anyway, I have no idea what I would do with it, except spend my summers there. If the law required that I build something up to the current code within two years, for example, I probably would not be able to do it, but considering what shape the property is in right now, I think I can do better than that. At least I would clean it up and clear enough land to pitch a tent there, to start. That's a joke... but not far from the truth, really. So, what do you think? Is it worth to get my family in Poland in uproar about it, or do you think it's just a stupid pipe dream? Oh, about 10 years or so ago, my father went there to see what can he do to keep the land, only to find, according to him, a long line of officials with their hands out, expecting heavy bribes from the "rich American". He left disappointed. I'm planning to travel there this summer. What should I expect? What is the best approach?
I keep thinking about (and google-earth) that beautiful, fertile piece of land that I spent first 6 years of my life (bucolic, in my memory), and every summers until I was 16, and keep wondering if there is still a chance in hell that I can get it back into the family, with reasonable amount of effort and money (I know, that's a nebulous measure). The house is just about completely caved in, it never had any plumbing, the stodola has been taken apart by neighbors for fuel, as some of the most incredible selection of fruit trees in the orchard on the back of the house.
Anyway, I have no idea what I would do with it, except spend my summers there. If the law required that I build something up to the current code within two years, for example, I probably would not be able to do it, but considering what shape the property is in right now, I think I can do better than that. At least I would clean it up and clear enough land to pitch a tent there, to start. That's a joke... but not far from the truth, really. So, what do you think? Is it worth to get my family in Poland in uproar about it, or do you think it's just a stupid pipe dream? Oh, about 10 years or so ago, my father went there to see what can he do to keep the land, only to find, according to him, a long line of officials with their hands out, expecting heavy bribes from the "rich American". He left disappointed. I'm planning to travel there this summer. What should I expect? What is the best approach?