Set in the heart of Copenhagen, Christiania is a very interesting place. Perhaps more interesting to read about than visit it is still worth dropping by just to get a feel for the place.Reading the guidebooks prior to our trip to Copenhagen I got the impression it was a small, free thinking, hippy part of town. The kind of place that is full of handicraft workshops, organic cafes and eclectic displays of body piercing. Quaintly declaring itself apart from the rest of the country I thought it might be something a bit like Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod perhaps. The truth is very different, however, and Christiania's short and bloody history makes for strange reading
History ~ Up until the late 1960's when it was decommissioned the site of Christiania was a military barracks. Having lain derelict for a couple of years the site was taken over by a group of like minded locals with a mind to using it as a public open space and playground. Discussions continued over the future use of the site and being the late sixties the suggestion that it be used to provide cheap communal living for the young was made. This was all the encouragement those locals needed so in 1971 they put up the barricades, declared independence from Denmark
and named the area the Freetown of Christiania.
Not surprisingly this didn't go down too well with the authorities who promptly declared the action illegal and sent in the bulldozers. By this stage, though, the population had grown and become equally determined to stay so all attempts to remove them failed. Over the years the police and army have variously attempted to reclaim the land, often fighting bloody street battles in the process, but all to no avail. The population grew; housing was built along with schools, cafes and music stages. A local governance structure was formed and nascent schemes for recycling as well as solar and wind generated power were put in train but the baton charges were never far away. All this in Denmark's capital city remember.
The enclave grew in reputation and became a haven and poster boy for hippies and drop outs. It also became something of an underground draw for the cities mainstream youth, with its music festivals and freely available hash (no hard drugs were allowed apparently, a somewhat dubious claim) the sense of danger and counter culture was very alluring.
An uneasy truce was declared in 1991, the residents agreed to pay towards rent and the supply of water and power although they baulked at paying tax. In return the city council allowed it to continue as a social experiment. The sale of drugs, so prevalent before, was curtailed and now it is the restaurants and bars as well as the locally produced handicrafts that provide the residents with an income.
Around Christiania ~ If it didn't exist you'd have a hard time believing that a place such as Christiania could be found in a city like Copenhagen. This isn't some desolate homestead in the mid west of America, taken over by a bunch of wild eyed survivalists. This is in the centre of town, one stop on the metro from the main public square, Kongens Nytorv. One block away are the desirable and no doubt expensive watersideapartments of Christianshavn and yet this place does exist and has done for a generation.
The streets immediately around the site tell a different story, run down and grubby they are far from welcoming and on a Sunday morning were populated by a couple of stumbling men who had clearly been partying pretty hard. Approached from Christianshavn the small, arched entrance masks what's inside and is a little forbidding; as we made to enter two large, stray dogs ambled out.
Going through the archway things open up and you find yourself alongside the first of several large barracks buildings. This one holds the community centre with a counter selling coffee and cakes. Around the walls are flyers for upcoming events and more interestingly a wall length mural depicting the community's history; the battles with the police and army being particularly graphically represented.
Christiania is split into two areas by a moat, the main community area containing the bars and arenas on one side and to the east the area of Dysen which is more residential. In keeping with the free thinking ethos the self built homes include many tree houses, tepees and the like.
The overall sense I got of the place was still quite gritty. The locals who were out and about, leaning on oil drums and drinking from cans, looked more like homeless refugees than artistic drop outs and they eyed us and the other tourist stragglers dismissively. There was no sense of menace or threat just the impression that we were intruding on a place that was not meant for us. It was disconcerting in its own way.
The main area is navigated via a number of criss-crossing footpaths and we soon found ourselves by the, now empty, bars and arenas. Working our way round we came to the heart of Christiania, the self consciously named Pusher Street. Not surprisingly this is where you would go for drugs back in the wild days. Those have gone now as part of the truce and have been replaced by a few market stalls selling local art work, t-shirts and the ubiquitous head stall offering bongs and other paraphernalia.
Christiania probably comes alive in the evenings as people congregate in the central areas but the overall impression I got was very much that of the morning after the night before. This was both actual (this was Sunday morning after all) but also more generally. I got the clear sense that Christiania was not entirely comfortable with its new found respectability and acceptance and was struggling to come to terms with the outbreak of peace. You get the feeling that the residents enjoyed the kudos of being outsiders and the whole siege mentality thing.
Christiania is now a strange place to visit and it is sitting somewhat on the cusp. A couple of years ago a friend of mine was working in the city and then it was a lawless place, inadvisable to visit. Now it is firmly on the tourist trail and while it retains some its earlier edginess and sense of danger you can feel this drifting away and you sense that it could soon lose its hard won sense of independence. There is a sign on a gate as you leave the site that says: 'You are now entering the EU'. What was once a statement of fierce intent is now a quaint little joke that merely raises a wry smile.
Pictures of Christiania, Copenhagen
Nearly every wall is covered in murals
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