Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Cracking the European monopoly

As you ‘pass go on the Monopoly board and collect €200’ Shane McGinley looks at what spot you may land on, depending on which country you are in, and how much you’ll pay if you actually decide to stop there permanently

In 1930s depression-hit America, unemployed Philadelphia heating salesman Charles B. Darrow created a game that became an instant hit with friends and family. By 1936 it was the biggest-selling game in America and Darrow retired a millionaire. A London version soon followed and very quickly the game’s popularity spread across the world with different themed versions and in almost every language, until now almost 750 million people have played it.

The game, of course, is Monopoly and here we take a tour around the European editions and look at some of the real property stories behind the first locations on each board. Located just after ‘Go’, these are traditionally the cheapest buys and American mathematician Truman Collins also worked out that they are also the stops players are least likely to land on – but isn’t that always the way?!

BELGIUM Leuven & Mechelen

There have been a few Belgian boards in various languages but the first stop after Go is usually the town of Leuven. A major university and artistic city, it is the capital of the Flemish province of Brabant and about 30 kilometres east of Brussels. Properties are quite cheap, starting at less than €29,000 for a small apartment and monthly rents start from as little as €290. The next stop is usually Mechelen, in the province of Antwerp, 25km from Brussels. This Flemish-speaking town is famous as the home of two of Belgium’s oldest football teams and as an early childhood retreat of Henry VIII’s luckless wife Anne Boleyn. Here properties cost from about €62,000 and monthly rents start at €550.

ENGLAND London

In this first European edition, the first and cheapest stops have traditionally always been Whitechapel Road and the Old Kent Road. The Old Kent Road in Southwark in southeast London is home to a number of large retail shops and reports show that the average price is €337,000 with prices in the area growing by 44% in the last five years. Whitechapel Road is a main market street in the famous East End and is home to The Blind Beggar, the legendary pub frequented by both the Kray Twins and William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. The average price is €475,300 and the area has seen 46% growth in the past five years. Rents are approximately €1,248 a month.

SPAIN Madrid

A version called El Palé appeared first, but in 1961 the official Spanish Monopoly board arrived with street names from Madrid. The first stop, Ronda de Valencia, is in the Ambassadors’ neighbourhood where, during the 17th century, Madrid’s embassies moved to when a plague hit the city. Property prices here start from about €250,000. Next stop is Plaza de Lavapiés, the city’s Jewish quarter, which fell into ruin until recently when it became a haven for artists and foreign settlers. Prices start from about €120,000 and monthly rents are in the region of €500.

FRANCE Côte d’Azur

Since the game was introduced in 1936 with Parisian street names, most French cities have had their own versions. In the Côte d’Azur edition the first two stops are La Ciotat and Cavalaire-sur-Mer in the eastern French Riviera. La Ciotat, meaning ‘The City’, is famous as the home of boules and of the first cinema. About 100km east along the coast, Cavalairesur-Mer was one of the sites of Allied landings during World War II. John Crawley from the Oui Can Do agency reports that a 50m2 apartment in La Ciotat and Cavalaire-sur-Mer will set you back from about €165,000 and €220,000 respectively.

ITALY Milan

The creator of the Italian board, or ‘Monopoli’ as it is known, made up some of the street names and the first two stops literally just mean Short Street and Narrow Street. As he lived in Milan, inspiration for some of the stops thereafter can be found here. Via Monterosa is located in Cornaredo, a municipality 11km northwest of Milan city and in the Lombardy region. With a population of just over 20,000, prices here start from €60,000 for a small flat and the monthly rent will set you back about €545. Via Vesuvio is located in the municipality of Nova Milanese, 13km north of Milan. While only half the size, it has a larger population of about 22,500 and has grown rapidly in the last century. Prices start from a reasonable €36,000 and monthly rents are about €500. The general region should see some future development as Milan has been chosen to host the 2015 World Expo.

HUNGARY Budapest

An early Hungarian version of the board game was called Capitaly and the streets were located in Budapest. First up was Angyalföld, or ‘Angel’s Field’ in District 13 in northern Pest, near the Danube.

A working-class area, it hit the boom in the 90s and prices start from about €33,000 with rents about €250 a month. Second along comes Kôbánya in District 10, one of the largest areas in southeast Pest. An industrial area, it suffered during the 90s but is trying to develop slowly. Prices and monthly rents start from about €22,000 and €215 respectively. A national version started off with Székesfehérvár, a former Hungarian royal residence, 65km southwest of Budapest.

Prices here start from a very reasonable €14,000.

PORTUGAL Lisbon & Porto

Portugal was one of the first countries to start a non-English game and the first two stops are Campo Grande in Lisbon and Avenue Fernão de Magalhães in Porto. Campo Grande is a beautiful green area in Lisbon’s university district and city dwellers still flock here on Sunday afternoons. Prices start at around €140,000 and rent on a furnished flat is about €900 a month. Avenue Fernão de Magalhães is near Porto’s old centre, is home to STCP, the city’s public transport company and starts in the parish of Bonfim, where apartment prices start at a rather accommodating €40,000.

SWEDEN Stockholm

Another early introducer of the game, the Swedish board has traditionally taken its street names from Stockholm, with Västerlånggatan and Hornsgatan the first resting spots. Västerlånggatan or ‘The Western Long Street’ is in the Gamla stan area, the oldest part of the city and, with its beautiful architecture, is one of the main attractions in Stockholm. Prices here are upwards of about €210,000.

Over the bridge, Hornsgatan is in the Södermalm district, which is one of the populated regions in Scandinavia and prices will set you back about €280,000.

Only question now is which edition do you play and where

FR Un tour européen du Monopoly

En 1930, alors que la dépression sévit aux EtatsUnis, un vendeur de chauffage au chômage de Philadelphie, Charles B. Darrow, crée le Monopoly. D’emblée, ce jeu captive ses amis et sa famille. Nous avons fait un petit tour comparatif des différentes éditions européennes, pour découvrir les villes qui arrivent en première position sur le plateau. Directement après la case ‘Départ’, ce sont traditionnellement les endroits les moins chers.

Parmi différentes éditions belges recensées, le premier arrêt après la case départ est le plus souvent la ville de Louvain où les prix des biens immobiliers démarrent à €29 000. Tout de suite après vient Malines, où une propriété revient à €62 000.

Dans la version de Londres (la première édition européenne), la Whitechapel Road dans le sudest de Londres et la Old Kent Road dans le quartier East End sont les premières villes par excellence. Ici, la valeur de l’immobilier débute à €475 300 et €337 000 respectivement.

Le Portugal et la Suède ont très vite introduit une version non anglaise du jeu. Campo Grande à Lisbonne – autour de €140 000 – et Avenue Fernão de Magalhães à Porto – à des coûts avantageux à partir de €40 000 – sont les deux villes qui inaugurent le circuit du monopoly portugais.

Le jeu suédois a opté pour des rues de Stockholm. La cotation des immeubles sur la Västerlånggatan tourne autour de €210 000 tandis que de l’autre côté du pont, à Hornsgatan, elle atteint les €280 000.

Le créateur de la variante italienne vivait à Milan, rien de plus normal donc que cette version soit inspirée des rues de la cité et des alentours. Le long de la Via Monterosa, les propriétés sont estimées à €60 000, et sur la Via Vesuvio, elles peuvent redescendre à €36 000.

Dans une version hongroise des débuts, le jeu s’appelait Capitaly et les rues se trouvaient à Budapest. En tête arrivait Angyalföld, où les premiers prix se montaient à environ €33 000. Suivait ensuite Kôbánya, avec des prix de départ fort bas, à €22 000.

NL Een toer door Monopoly in Europa

Charles B. Darrow, een werkloze verkoper van verwarmingstoestellen uit Philadelphia, was een van de slachtoffers van de depressie die in de jaren ’30 keihard toesloeg in Amerika. In 1930 bedacht hij Monopoly, een spel dat binnen de kortste keren razend populair werd bij vrienden en familie. We gaan in enkele Europese edities van het spel op zoek naar de echte verhalen achter de eerste locaties van elk spelbord. Net voorbij ‘Start’ vind je traditiegetrouw de goedkoopste plekjes.

In de loop der tijd zijn er verschillende Belgische spelborden de revue gepasseerd, maar meteen na Start komt meestal Leuven, waar een eigendom minder dan € 29.000 kost. De volgende halte is over het algemeen Mechelen, met prijzen vanaf € 62.000.

Op het Londense spelbord (de eerste Europese uitgave), zijn Whitechapel Road in Zuidoost-Londen en de Old Kent Road in East End doorgaans de eerste plaatjes. Percelen kosten er respectievelijk € 475.300 en € 337.000.

Zowel Portugal als Zweden introduceerde snel niet-Engelse spellen. De eerste twee stops op het Portugese bord zijn Campo Grande in Lissabon, te koop voor zo’n € 140.000, en Avenue Fernão de Magalhães in Porto, wat van eigenaar wisselt voor het schappelijke bedrag van € 40.000.

De Zweedse versie ontleent zijn straatnamen traditiegetrouw aan Stockholm. Västerlånggatan heeft prijzen van ten minste € 210.000, en eens over de brug in Hornsgatan heb je een minimum vermogen van € 280.000 nodig.

De maker van het Italiaanse spelbord leefde in Milaan, dus deden een aantal straten in en rond de stad dienst als inspiratiebron voor deze versie. In Via Monterosa kost een lap grond € 60.000, terwijl je er in Via Vesuvio slechts € 36.000 voor neerlegt.

Een van de eerste Hongaarse versies van het spel heette ‘Capitaly’, en de straten waren gebaseerd op die in Boedapest. Meteen na Start kwam Angyalföld, waarvoor je zo’n € 33.000 moest ophoesten. De tweede halte was Kôbánya, waar je al voor € 22.000 grondeigenaar kon zijn.

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