Kay Xander Mellish explores wealth in Denmark, where the rich stay quiet because of jantelov, a cultural norm against standing out. The country's wealthy include old noble families and new money from Bestseller, Lego, and ECCO. Every summer, 50,000 affluent Danes gather in Skagen for Week 29, a festival of yachts and exclusive parties.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. Denmark is a rich country, but does it have rich people? It does, but Denmark's wealthy tend to keep a low profile due to the informal jentelov in Denmark that prohibits too much showing off. That said, spring and summer is a great time to see Danish rich people in their natural habitat. That's when they put the roof down on their expensive German cars and drive through the medieval Old Town. That's when they drink rosé chilled in silver buckets at fancy outdoor cafés, or sail through the harbor on their personal boats of various sizes. In the summer, Denmark's rich come out to play. There are 2 types of wealth in Denmark: old wealth and new wealth. Old wealth is the leftovers of Denmark's nobility. Dukes and counts and baronesses. Even though noble privileges were officially abolished in 1849, many of these families still own their old castles and country houses, some of which have been turned into hotels or fancy restaurants. You can stay there for a weekend with your sweetheart. It's very romantic. And then there's new wealth. Denmark's richest man right now owns Bestseller, a fast fashion chain that owns brands like Veromoda and Jack Jones. The heirs to Lego, which is less than 100 years old, are also quite well off. And so are the heirs to the ECCO shoe fortune. Finance types and entrepreneurs also figure on the list of the richest people in Denmark. Every year, one of the local newspapers publishes a list of Denmark's top taxpayers, the people and companies who have paid the most taxes. In 2020, the top individual was a successful hedge fund guy who somehow ended up paying more taxes than Danske Bank, Denmark's largest bank. In 2021, the list featured a man who had gotten rich selling COVID quick tests. While there are small wealthy neighborhoods in Odense and Aarhus, most of Denmark's rich live in the Whiskey Belt, which is the area along the coast north of Copenhagen. It's called the Whiskey Belt because back in the day, whiskey was the most expensive alcoholic drink. Poor people drank beer and schnapps. The Whiskey Belt is a lovely area full of parks and forests and yacht clubs along the seashore. Fine restaurants, spas, wine shops, and a few plastic surgeons. This is where you'll find Denmark's elaborate villas, often painted the sort of bright white that needs to be repainted quite frequently, surrounded by lush flower gardens and sculpted iron gates. Denmark's most expensive villa is here. It was recently listed at 68 million kroner. Or about $10 million. It's very pretty and bright white. It's on the water and looks out at Sweden. If you haven't been invited to one of these houses for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, you can take a tour on your bicycle on Strandväg along the water, or in parts of towns like Hulta or Charlottenlund or Klampenburg. Even from the street, these are very pretty villas. Klampenburg is near the royal hunting grounds and the Dårhavn amusement park, which features a theater with a revue where comedians do short sketches. One of the most popular sketches are the recurring characters called Fritz and Poul, the snobs. Fritz and Poul are a satire of Denmark's rich. They're a silly and pompous pair who are always seen wearing pastel cashmere sweaters and silk ascots around their necks. drinking Campari out of expensive glassware and complaining about the au pair situation— au pairs being the only kind of servant commonly found in Denmark. You can see Fritz and Poule on YouTube. Remember, Poule is spelled P-O-U-L. So while the uber-rich have their private planes and private getaways, the best place to see Denmark's medium-rich, or nouveau riche, in one place is the otherwise sleepy resort town of Skagen. at the very tip of Jutland up by Norway, in week 29 of each year. Week 29 is kind of in mid-July. Now, for most of the year, Skagen is a backwater where the chief entertainment is going out on a huge sandbank and seeing where the waters of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet. Super exciting. But in week 29, 50,000 of Denmark's rich and famous descend on this town of 8,000 residents. Fabulous sports cars cruise the streets past the little red-roof houses. The harbor is full of yachts. And every restaurant and hotel is booked solid with CEOs, ambassadors, tycoons, and their badly behaved adult children. They drink heavily and stumble in and out of special discos and nightclubs that are set up just for that week. Crown Prince Frederik used to be a regular in his single days. His son Prince Christian is only 17, probably too young for this year's Week 29, but, uh, look for him in future years. Anyway, Week 29 has become a bit of a tourist attraction where other Danes go to check out their rich fellow citizens and especially their cars. Last year's informal parade of cars featured a turquoise Lamborghini. Imagine being able to afford that while still paying Danish taxes. Well, assuming they do pay Danish taxes. Anyway, ordinary Danes have to watch from the sidewalk because the outdoor cafes have been booked out for months in advance. One enthusiastic female spectator told the local news, I came to see the clothes and the shoes and the jewelry. You might not be able to become rich in Denmark, but you can enjoy watching the rich from a safe distance. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. We have transcripts of every single one of the podcasts going back 10 years. Yes, indeed, we started in 2013 on howtoliveindenmark.com. Kick your feet up, sit with your iPad, sit in the sunshine, and enjoy. Otherwise, you can always get our books at bookshowtoliveindenmark.com or follow us on social media. See you next time.
