Look inside one of richest gastarbeiter villages in Serbia: Branded villas, frescoes - but no people

The villas and "castles" are almost empty, with only about 20 permanent residents

The village of Bugarine, not far from Sabac, under the Pocerina village of Sinosevic, is known as one of the richest Romani villages.

The Joksimovic family opened the door of her home in the village of Bugarine to the media, after deciding to spend New Year holidays in their home village rather than in Vienna.

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Hundreds of square meters of magnificent houses - but almost no people. Luxury villas of Serbian gastarbeiters (guest workers abroad) at best have somebody living in them twice a year, around New Year's and in the summer. There are no more than 20 people in the whole village at this time of year, while only about 10 houses have permanent residents, and it is easy to guess who is not a gastarbeiter.

A report about the richest Romani village of Gomilica was carried by media around the world, but only 30 kilometers from Gomilica is another village, competing in wealth.

Dusko Nikolic drives a bus twice a week on the Bugarine-Vienna line. Prior to that, he lived in Austria for years and did a similar job. But it didn't feel right until he returned to his native place.

"Everyone is high-strung there"

"My father fought for me, took care of my house, now it is up to me to fight for my son. And so, new generations and newer homes are coming. I love Serbia more than anything. We (gastarbeiters) see each other more often in Serbia than in Vienna, like late Ekrem used to say, it's 'home-work', everyone is high-strung, everyone is in a hurry, people are more relaxed here..."

Is there a competition in the village over who has more squares meters, whose house is nicer?

"We don't have that. Everyone is fighting to have as nice a home as possible," says Dusko.

"We're a stupid people"

For the first time in 15 years, six members of the Joksimovic family are spending winter in their home in Serbia. In Vienna, they pay 850-euro rent for a 55-square meter apartment, electricity bill is 262 euros, internet 30 euros - utilities come to about about 1,500 euros. Mother Dragica works eight hours as a cleaning lady in a hospital, and has a second job working another four, five hours each day for 12 euros per hour. Unlike many others, they recently "halved" the house because they say it's too big and too expensive to maintain.

"When you get home you don't know what to do first, take care of the kids or cook..."

When asked if he would return to Serbia, Sinisa, the head of the Joksimovic family, thinks for a short while, and says, "I don't think so." And when asked why, in that case, they don't buy some real estate in Austria instead of investing here, he says:

"Well, that's a good question! We're a stupid people, I have to say so, our grandfathers began to build here and then, to make sure it doesn't go to waste, so do we."

According to him, in Vienna, a house like his here with less space - some 200 square meters - would certainly cost about one million euros.

There are not that many lions and similar garden ornaments any  longer - now, Dusko says - people are a little more contemporary.

"It's not easy there, either, it's a foreign land," said one of the locals, whose family has no gastarbeiters.

Watch TV Prva's video report HERE

(Telegraf.rs/Source:Exploziv, Prva Tv)