Tuesday, March 13, 2012

New Money Eclipses Old: Denmark's New Land Owners



The winds of change abound, but will they be meritocratic or oligarchic? Will one pine for the days of noblesse oblige, with the monarchy and the nobility playing starring roles? Or will the captains of industry who can now afford to buy up estates and some of the many castles that dot the Danish landscape be benevolent caretakers of a valuable past? Or is it that simple? The Danish monarchy today is stubbornly resistant to change, but with the entrée of an Australian bogan, has inadvertantly pried open the cracks in its facade as opposed to the new member helping to heal those fissures.

The nobility's younger generation, in turn, while steadfastly playing the part of the long-suffering, unpaid servants to their royals (somebody please send Caroline Heering a fruit basket), have also been circling the wagons as the aforementioned cracks are enlarged by bad royal behaviours. But these same folks, while still proud of their heritage, have to by and large work for a living. The new money members of the ruling class are taking over where the nobility has become impoverished and we have folks like the Lego heiress Sofie Kirk Kristiansen lending her private jet to the royal heirs for international travel. How long before the monarchy is sponsored by various corporations and Derfie and Yrma will have to walk around with sponsor patches sewn onto their clothing? Hey, there's a great idea!

The article is short, but the accompanying slide show is lush with many Danish estates, some still inhabited by the descendents of the nobility, and others bought up by the country's new wealth, including the Lego family digs since 1989 (Slide 4); the estates of two Lego daughters (Slides 11 & 12); a couple of Prince Joachim's "5 Farms" partners (Slides 6 & 7) and a partner in the Schackenborg Castle Inn (Slide 9); and Rigmor Zobel's father's estate purchased in 1996 for 50 million kroner (Slide 1) who has been "knighted" by Daisy. Interesting peek into the changing Danish power circle.

Article: Berlingske

Photo Gallery: Berlingske

A number of Denmark's millionaires and multi-millionaires - both the newly rich and heirs to large fortunes - have dropped luxury villas and moved on from estates and manors.

They move away from, among others, places like Charlottenlund, Hellerup and Vedbæk in Gauteng, the area near Vejle Fjord, Silkeborg and Risskov and Skåde Bakker at Aarhus.

Industrial barons and their wealthy families, especially in the last 20 years, have bought estates as housing or accommodation. Here they can enjoy hunting, horses, bridge, beautiful gardens, tranquility and conviviality.

They are becoming invested in mansions and estates with large acreage which once belonged to the Danish nobility.

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