The Wiik-Thalbitzers at their house in Sweden. From left: Henrik, Anne, Katrine, Anna Sophie and Tobias. Photo: Odd Iglebaek
he Wiik-Thalbitzers own houses in four different places. The family's main base, the primary home, is a villa in Virum, some 20 kilometres north of central Copenhagen. Here the family spends weekdays for most of the year except during summer. Weekends are often spent at their property in Laholm municipality in Southern Sweden which was originally a small farm with a main house and a barn.
– The most important thing about Laholm is that we have the ability to live a different kind of life from that which is possible in Denmark. The area is characterized by extensive woodlands and few people, so we are very close to nature. I also have my education in agriculture and forestry and this gives me the potential to enjoy such activities. I am particularly engaged in hunting and forestry development, explains Henrik, adding: – It only takes two hours from leaving Virum until we are installed in Laholm, in other words, a much shorter time than it would take to drive to a similar remote area of Danish countryside.
Also Sjælland and Provence
When Anne and Henrik established their relationship, some fifteen years ago, she already had a summerhouse at Udsholt, on the north coast of Sjælland: – It is very close to the sea and very good for bathing, sailing etc. It is also situated on a relatively large property, so there is no lack of privacy, this type of life is more social, with friends and family, but there is little opportunity to attend to my hobbies and interests, says Henrik.
The compromise is therefore that each summer the whole family spends two or three weeks in Laholm and the equivalent, or more, at Udsholt. During the later period Henrik drives into work in Copenhagen each morning and comes back in the afternoon. It usually takes less than an hour. Anne and the children might be at the beach or involved in other activities. As a teacher she has seven weeks holiday and can therefore relatively easily organize her life in this manner.
The family also owns an old stone-house in Provence in southern France: – Usually we go there at Easter, but generally we do not spend so much time there though friends and family often borrow it. We, especially the kids, just love this place, though in reality we keep this house mostly as an investment, says Henrik adding: – To secure our future, I prefer to invest in property than, for example, in shares.
To South Africa
Siren Skeie Vassbotn is 46. She works in the graphical industry in a family-owned company in Kristiansand in southern Norway. It is a full-time job. Neither she nor her family has an economic interest in company: – I am one of the 30 employees, she explains. Siren has two sons aged 19 and 17 and is married to Thorbjørn Vassboth. He is currently a full-time student studying religions, arts and ethics. The family lives in a villa some ten kilometres from her workplace. This is her story:
– It happened more or less by accident. We have some friends who live in Johannesburg in South Africa, and through them we were introduced to Phalaborwa. From Johannesburg you can fly there or drive. The latter takes five hours. The area is naturally very beautiful and the wild-life is just magnificent. In fact it is only a ten minute drive to Krüger National Park, the largest game resort in Africa. In four hours you can also drive to beautiful beaches in Mozambique. I should also mention the fact that Phalaborwa has an 18-hole golf course.
– We have just finished building our secondary home there. It is a house of 100 m2 with an annex of 25 m2 plus a small pool. In other words, something similar to what many people build here in southern Norway. The difference is in the cost. The total price for us is approximately 600 000 NOK, perhaps a quarter of what we would have paid here. So we also think that it is a good investment, Siren says. She explains that the house is part of a so-called 'lodge development' with seven houses in total. In terms of second homes the house at Phalaborwa is the only one for the Vassbotn family.
Family Youth Hostel
Påhl Ruin (44) is a journalist married to carrier-diplomat Cecilia Ruthström-Ruin (42). They are both Swedish and have two children, nine and four years old. Their permanent base is a semi-detached house in Lindingö 10 km from the centre of Stockholm. What is their relation to second homes?
– In my family we have two traditions in this respect, explains Påhl. – First we have what we call 'the youth-hostel'. That is a large house in Halland in the southern part of Sweden. This is owned jointly by the extended family on my mother's side, and everybody can use it. It is organised like a kind of co-operative and everyone pays 50 SEK per night per person to stay. In particular, it is a nice place if you want to arrange a large party. For example we celebrated our marriage here.
– The second place is located in some small islands in the archipelago of southern Finland, approximately 50 km west of Helsinki. This is a property bought by my father's family back in the 1890s. It was expanded in 1930s. At present, we are in the process of building our own house here, and I guess you could say that this is really our second home, he underlines.
– Of course this is a place for holidays and recreation and to some extent also an investment. But what is quite important for us, is also to have a place to stay, near friends and family, if we decide to live abroad again due to my wife's work. He explains that from 1998 to 2002 she worked at the Swedish embassy in Japan. The family also lived there. Påhl was a correspondent for the Swedish media, and their house in Stockholm was rented out. It is not unlikely that something similar will happen in the future.
Four in total
– I guess it is correct to say that we now have four houses, explains Paula Asikainen (52) from Finland. – First, there is what we call the main house. That is approximately 200 m2 and is located in the village of Nakkila outside Pori (Björneborg) on Finland's west coast. It is here where we reside most of the time.
In another village, Luvia, also very close to Pori, you will find our summer home. In fact, we often live here during the week and travel to and from work from here. In total we have 60 m2 there. In addition to the buildings, the property in Luvia consists of a 3000 m2 island. Two other families also have houses on the island.
The third home is a 45 m2 flat in Turku (Åbo). Mostly it is used at weekends. Turku has a university and is traditionally more of a cultural centre than Pori, which instead is best known for its industrial rather than its academic heritage. The drive between the two towns takes around one hour.
– Our fourth place is a new
kesä mökki (summer cottage) located near Kangasniemi, 350 km from our home. It is quite a long drive, so we use this mostly for holidays. The size is approximately the same as the summer house in Luvia. We are still building it, and thus far we have not been able to finish the steam sauna, Paula explains. The actual house is very close to a lake.
Paula works as a head administrative nurse. She has three children 16, 25 and 27 years old. Her husband is a physician. Why own so many places? – It is a combination of things; to be close to nature, to relax and to invest in the future particularly for our children, she says.
Siren Skeie Vassbotn and Thorbjørn Vassbotn in Phalaborwa. Photo: Private
The Vassbotn's second home in South Africa. Photo: Private
By Odd Iglebaek