Free Town of Christiania

Despite the rain and the hang over I pluck myself outside and into the world of Christiania.
http://www.christiania.org/

Christiania is a small commune type village on the reclaimed island of Christianhavn, just off the center of Copenhagen. It started life as an abandoned military building in the early 1970s. The gov was too lazy or otherwise occupied at the time to clean it up in time before it was squatted by hippies, artists,´activists, nutters and the likes. They soon turned it into a bit of a utopia and `independent state´of self governance, alternative lifestyle and free flowing drugs. Built cabins, planted gardens, erected tents, canteens and places for spiritual meditation.

There´s been many threats from the gov to shut the place down but so far it hasn´t completely taken place but the drug scene has toned down quite a bit. They once threatened the residents to move out by 1 April 1976 OR ELSE but it never happened, and since then Christianians have been celebrating April Fools Day as the biggest party of the year. Despite this, the government is still threatening to claim back the land and forcing the villagers to `normalise´. Its verz possible that in five or ten years time Christiania, this space for alternative existence and creativity will be gone. Go to the website every one, bye a ´Bevar Christiania Tshirt.

The locals take visitors on guided tours at 3pms on the weekends, and with the rain I am the only person that turned up.My guide Ami was a small chilled out woman with no hair who speaks like an elf and walks like she´s dancing without the limbs. She takes me through the village to the shared spaces of the 900 residents. There was the great hall where the parties and the community meetings (ie. decision making on stuff like rubbish collection, allocation of public spaces, child care) take place. When we were there there was a soccer game happening. Ami tells me that the European Hacky Sack Championships were held there a few years ago and the locals cleaned out. Then there was the local blacksmith who makes stuff for the locals. A bike store, a gigantic warehouse selling recycled timber and other building materials for local building maintanance. Although the land is being squatted, the locals still build on it, but must leave the building to the community once they leave. There´s also the`Put and Take´gazebo, ie. trash and treasure clothes swap sort of thing. A temple dedicated mostly to Tibetan Buddhism, and igloos made by Greenlanders (who by the way are very interesting looking people that always surprises you on the streets), and of course what´s a hippy village without the vegetarian restaurant by the rolling river?

Its kinda crazy to find a space like this in the middle of plush and aristocratic Copenhagen, but that´s what makes it so rebelliously appealing. The Danish people seem to support this space and stand up for the freedom to be different and a little loopy. I can´t take pictures here unfortunately as the gov may use them to close the place down, but if you go to the òfficial´website there are some stuff there you can see. Highly recommend a visit here.