Share prices may have made many billionaires sweat this year. Real estate investors hardly felt the effects of the crisis.
This year, for example, a number of billionaires residing in Switzerland and dealing in real estate benefited. The business magazine “Bilanz” brought together the wealthiest property owners in the country in its annual special issue about the 300 richest people in Switzerland.
richest heirs
According to the balance sheet, the total 33.2 billion francs of the wealthiest property owners in Switzerland are on the high end. The richest of these was August von Finck (1930-2021). The heir to the German private bank Merck Finck resided in the Swiss castle Weinfelden TG.
It is unknown how his wealth was divided between his wife Francine and their four children. But the family must be worth 7 to 8 billion francs today. August von Fink had increased his fortune primarily through real estate in the best locations and various corporate investments.
Climbers and self-made millionaires
The estate climber of the year is Beat Frischknecht (61). His fortune today is estimated by the “balance sheet” at 250 to 300 million francs. Frischknecht began humbly. The banker began his career as a commercial apprentice. He later became an independent asset manager. Being a self-made millionaire, he built his real estate portfolio from the side. This includes commercial buildings and several hundred rental apartments located in the city of Thurgau and Zurich. According to the balance sheet, Frischknecht delisted real estate company BFW Liegenschaft two years ago.
Guido Fluri (56) also started with zero. He completed his apprenticeship as a gas station attendant, where he set aside his tips. It is said that with his savings of 5,000 francs and a bank loan, he bought a plot of land at the age of 20, built a house and sold it profitably. It was the beginning of his career as a real estate tycoon. He built a large real estate portfolio in the 1990s and sold part of it to Swiss Life in 2020. Today, Fluri’s fortune is worth between 350 and 400 million francs. He lives in Zug with his wife, Tânia.
Women with a large real estate portfolio
Some women also made it to the list of the wealthiest property owners in Switzerland. For example, Amag heir Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner (66). He has a large amount of concrete gold in his portfolio. Bucher-Haefner has launched major housing projects since selling half of the family business. These include the Sagenmatt residential development in Ebikon LU and a settlement of micro-houses in Zurich. According to the balance sheet, Bucher-Haefner has assets of between 4 and 4.5 billion francs.
Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen (67) is also one of the real estate billionaires. In 2003, she gave up her stake in the automaker Fiat, and in return she received a large fortune consisting of prestigious real estate and paintings by the great masters. She lives on Lake Geneva with her second husband, Serge de Pahlen (67), and is said to have a net worth of between 2 and 2.5 billion francs.
Billionaires in the mountains
The heirs of shipowner Stavros Niarchos (1909-1996) are now in St. They live in the third generation in Moritz GR. The family has already left the maritime business behind. His two sons, Philip (69) and Spyros (67), are among the largest land and property owners in the Engadin and became honorary citizens in 2018. They own luxury hostels as well as ski areas and employ more than 1,000 people there, according to “Bilanz.” The Stavros clan is said to be worth between 3 and 3.5 billion francs.
Christian Constantin (65) was a property developer long before he became president of FC Sion. According to the “balance sheet”, the real estate business is extremely bearable for Valais. Constantin initiated several construction projects last year, including Crans-Montana and Montreux. Constantin is said to have a fortune of 300 to 350 million francs.