BROADCASTS.com

Denmark is a rich country, but does it have rich people? It does, but Denmark\u2019s wealthy tend to keep a low profile, due to the informal Jante Law in Denmark that prohibits too much showing off.\xa0

That said, spring and summer is great time to see Danish rich people in their natural habitat. That\u2019s when they put the roof down on their expensive German cars and drive through the medieval old towns, drink ros\xe9 chilled in silver buckets at fancy outdoor caf\xe9s, or sail through the harbor on their personal boats of various sizes. In the summer, Denmark\u2019s rich come out to play.\xa0

There are two types of wealth in Denmark, old wealth and new wealth. Old wealth is the leftovers of Denmark\u2019s nobility, Dukes and Counts and Barons, 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, very romantic.

And then there\u2019s new wealth. Denmark\u2019s richest man owns Bestseller, a fast fashion chain that owns names like Vero Moda 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 richest people in Denmark. Every year, one of the local newspapers publishes a list of Denmark\u2019s top taxpayers \u2013 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. \xa0In 2021, the list featured a man who got rich selling COVID quick tests.\xa0

While there are small wealthy neighborhoods in Odense and Aarhus, most of Denmark\u2019s rich live in the Whisky Belt, which is the area along the coast north of Copenhagen. It\u2019s called the whisky belt because back in the day, whisky was the most expensive alcoholic drink. Poor people drank beer and schnapps.

\xa0

This is the 122th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023.

Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.