Instead people smuggling gangs have switched to more dangerous routes across the Mediterranean to Italy, Spain

Recent jaw-dropping photos of sites that only months ago were packed with refugees show how tide has stopped

But since February this year many countries along the route have closed or


This time last year hundreds of thousands of migrants were making their way to northern Europe through the so-called Balkan route.

They would often make life-threatening boat journeys to Greece and then walk hundreds of miles across eastern Europe to get to their chosen destinations and start their new lives.

But since February this year Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia have all shut or significantly tightened their borders and Austria has introduced a cap on the number of asylum seekers allowed to stay.

Politicians in these countries have triumphantly proclaimed the route is well and truly shut.

In the words of Austria's interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner: 'It's impossible to get through the Balkan route anymore. The Balkan route is closed.'

Recent jaw-dropping photos of sites that only months ago were packed with refugees seem to prove she is right.

Corn fields, once marched through by thousands, are now serene. Train platforms, once awash with refugees, are now so quiet the station clock can be heard ticking.

But where have the refugees gone?

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2015 (top): Migrants are escorted by police through fields towards a holding camp in the village of Dobova on October 26 in Rigonce, Slovenia. Today (bottom): The sun shines on the same field, but now it is empty

Map showing how the Balkan route has been cut off. In the words of Austria's interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner: 'It's impossible to get through the Balkan route anymore. The Balkan route is closed.'

The numbers travelling through the Balkans have slowed to a trickle.

Even in January this year around 4,000 asylum seekers a day were still arriving in Germany.

But by April that daily average had fallen to just 183.

In January there were up to 1,200 migrants a day arriving in the German town of Rosenheim on trains from Austria. By May that figure had fallen to 80.

This may have due to a number of factors, including the deal done with Turkey in March.

Under the controversial deal the EU promised to give Turkey €3bn (£2.5bn) - and also allow Turkish citizens to visit Europe without visas. In exchange Turkey would stop migrants travelling to Greece and accept those who had made it and were being returned.

But there remains huge numbers of migrants who want to get into Europe, where the streets are figuratively paved with gold.

Earlier this month it was reported that the number of migrants reaching southern Europe by sea had soared by more than 60 percent in a year.

An estimated 227,316 migrants arrived on the continent from Africa and the Middle East during the first six months of 2016.

This is an increase of around 85,000 – 60 percent – on the 141,969 who made the trip during the same period last year.

In the first six months of 2015, 1,838 migrants died attempting the journey to Europe by boat, according to the figures from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

This year the death toll is in excess of 3,000.

By far the largest source of migrants is Syria, where the civil war between President Bashar al-Assad, ISIS and various other rebel groups continues unabated.

But there are also huge numbers coming from Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Eritrea, Nigeria and Iran.

2015: Migrants board trains in Keleti station after it was reopened in central Budapest on September 3. Today: Local residents amble aboard the train

2015: Migrants who have crossed the border from Serbia to Hungary walk along a railway track that joins the two countries and is being used as route by migrants close to the village of Roszke on August 28, near Szeged, Hungary. Today: The tracks are empty

2015: A large crowd of migrants wait for authorities to allow them to board a train leaving for the Austrian border at the Keleti railway station on September 10, in Budapest, Hungary. Today: Travellers check trains

2015: Migrants who have just crossed into Hungary wait for buses to take them to a reception camp on September 7 in Roszke, Hungary. Today: A empty road runs besides the railway tracks

2015: Migrants are escorted by police through fields towards a holding camp in the village of Dobova on October 26, 2015 in Rigonce, Slovenia. Today: The sun shines on fields besides the small church

2015: Migrants wait at Tovarnik station to board a train bound for Zagreb on September 17 in Tovarnik, Croatia. Today: The tracks are bare

2015: Hungarian riot police fire water cannon as they repel an attempt by migrants to break the border gate and pull down the razor wire fence on September 16 in Horgos, Serbia. Today: A car passes the Hungarian-Serbian border fence

2015: Migrants are escorted through fields by police as they are walked from the village of Rigonce to Brezice refugee camp on October 23 in Rigonce, Slovenia. Today: A woman cycles through the same field

2015: Migrants enter the doors of Keleti station after it was reopened in central Budapest on September 3. Today: Passengers prepare to catch their trains

2015: Migrants sleep in the transit zone of Keleti station which was closed to them in central Budapest on September 2. Today: The underpass lies empty

2015: A woman sorts through clothes at Keleti railway station on September 14, in Budapest, Hungary. Today: A man walks through the empty space

2015: Migrants wait for the arrival of buses to take them to Austria outside Keleti station in central Budapest on September 4. Today: People walk in the bare underpass

2015: Migrants gather in the transit zone near Keleti station in central Budapest on September 1. Today: The station underpass is almost empty

2015: A Syrian migrant is assisted by Hungarian police after passing out while waiting in a large crowd to board a train leaving for the Austrian border at the Keleti railway station on September 10. Today: Passengers look bored waiting for trains

2015: Migrants force their way through police lines at Tovarnik station to board a train bound for Zagreb on September 17 in Tovarnik, Croatia. Today: The fence stands alone

2015: Migrants gather in the transit zone near Keleti station in central Budapest on September 1. Today: The street lamps exude a yellow glow

2015: Migrants force their way through police lines at Tovarnik station to board a train bound for Zagreb on September 17 in Tovarnik, Croatia. Today: Not a human in sight

2015: Migrants sleep in the transit zone of Keleti station which was closed to them in central Budapest on September 2. Today: The area is clear

2015: Migrants who have just crossed the border from Serbia into Hungary walk along a railway track that joins the two countries close to the village of Roszke on August 28 near Szeged, Hungary. Today: The tracks are empty

2015: Migrants protest outside Keleti station which was closed to them in central Budapest on September 2. Today: A couple strolls by

2015: A migrant family prepares to board a train leaving for the Austrian border at the Keleti railway station on September 10 in Budapest, Hungary. Today: A lone passenger prepares to board

2015: Hungarian police guard the main entrance as migrants protest outside Keleti station in central Budapest after it was closed to migrants earlier on September 1 in Budapest, Hungary. Today: No need for guards

2015: Migrants who have refused to travel to the Roszke registration centre walk along the nearby motorway on September 7 in Roszke, Hungary. Today: A car passes by

Dangers: The closing of the Balkan route has meant that new options for migrants are to sail to Italy or to Spain. But this can be very dangerous. Pictured: A boat capsizes on the way to Italy

Where are they now? Syrian refugee families arrive at their new homes on the Isle of Bute on December 4, 2015 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland

The alternative route: As the Balkan route became more difficult people smuggling gangs have switched their attention to the Mediterranean. But the boats used are often flimsy or overloaded. Two groups of migrants are pictured (left) on the hull of their capsized boat off the Libyan coast and (right) having been rescued by a Spanish frigate

New start: Kosovan refugees arrive at Prestwick airport and walk off the plane and into Scotland where they will be given a fresh start in life

Risky journey: Migrants from Africa are pictured clinging on to their overloaded dinghy off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. The rescue ship Aquarius, run by the charity SOS Mediterranee can be seen in the background. It rescued them

New life: Migrants wait for a bus outside the Migrant Receiving Camp on the outskirts of outside the German city of Giessen

New city: Romany immigrants sit on benches and gather in Sergels Torg public square near Stockholm Central Station, Sweden

Transit: Many migrants have not yet made it to their destination of choice and are staying in camps such as this one dubbed the Jungle near Calais