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 Helpful map at Christiana
entrance by aaaarrgh
There are a wide variety of buildings in Christiania, some of them built from scratch with recycled materials. Others existed on the site, next to Copenhagens old ramparts, for many decades as warehouses or homes.
Christiania has a strong social conscience - they hosted the Danish gathering of the European Social Forum this year. Apparently every Christmas the residents also provide meals for the city's homeless.
Christiania is within the limits of Copenhagen's City-Bike network, so pedal across the harbour from the city centre and take some time to explore. The community seems to be the origin of many of the wierd and wonderful customised bicycles that you see around the city.
Nearby, in Christianshavn is The Church of Our Saviour, with the gold spiral tower, which is possible to climb up with views of Copenhagen. Leave a Comment
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christiania is a famous hippie community sitting right smack in the center of town.
it used to be a part of town beloning to the army but has for more than 30 years been occupied by hippies who live their own alternative lifestyle.
it's a nice place to go if you start to think that everything is a bit too organised and civilized in the rest of copenhagen.
the place has a lot of performing art and a very vibrant music scene.
there are often big bands giving concerts out there.
christiania is a place where the people try to live as organic as possible too and organic stores are all over the place.
the place has in recent years has a bit of friction with the danish goverment because of the precense of marihuana and the absence of tax paying and if the police comes by when you are there i advice you to take a step back as fights do occur from time to time between police and christiania residents.
having said that you should not worry about visiting though.
it's one of the safest parts of copenhagen and people are calm and friendly even if they look a little odd. Leave a Comment
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This area was one army barracks before the soldiers moved out in 1971 & it became home to young & homeless people. Declared a "free city" in September 1971, the residents have a community spirit when it comes to living & matters of importance. A problem created by allowing this free soceity is that it became a haven for petty criminals.
However many people support the good works done in Christiana, for example they throw a big free Christmas dinner for those who are homeless at Christmas when the city administration declined to do so - Anyone can go & according to Raz is quite an amazing experience. They have also been involved in weaning heroin addicts off their habits
There is roughly 1000 people living there in often basic housing paying a minimal DKK400 p/m to the government which includes water & electricity basics. There has to be feelings of resentment from those that are required to work hard to pay for rent in Copenhagen & cannot afford a house whilst Christiana residents live practically free.
Cannabis is tolerated by the government in Christiana & you may be quietly asked if you are interested but they are not blatant in what was formerly known as "Pusher Street"
Do walk around the area & see the artworks on the walls, crafts shops & perhaps stay for some food & beer, it is cheaper here as there is no tax to pay
There are guided tours which take 2 hours and are conducted by local residents daily 12pm - 3pm on the hour for DKK 30
I was fassinated walking around - thanks to Allan we saw a good deal of the town & learnt the background info
Please note NO PHOTOGRAPHS are to be taken in Christiana or you may have your camera confiscated there is a sign. I sneaked a few pics around the outskirts Leave a Comment
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We took the bus 2A to Christianshavn, getting off at Torvegade and walking the rest of the way to the former military barracks, now Christiania Freetown. I had wanted to visit for many years and this really was a highlight of this trip.
The history of the 30 years of Christiania is well documented and it is advisable to read a little about it before visiting - if you have some understanding of the background to this style of living you will definitely have a more enjoyable time there.
We visited on a quiet mid-week morning. The Spanish guy in the cafe had been up all night and hadn't yet gone to bed. We asked for coffee and cake if he had any... he asked what kind we would like, then disappeared for about 15 mins while he searched the neighbourhood for anyone selling cake. He then came back and was delighted to serve it to us. We shared our table with a resident having a beer and rolling his first joint of the morning.
So we proceeded to wander and explore and found that the area is vast, 85 acres - from the "city centre" of Pusher Street (Photography forbidden) to the beautiful green expanses beyond where the 1,000 tax-paying residents live as harmoniously as possible with the environment - there are no motor vehicles here, and also no street lighting.
Other rules include:
No hard drugs
No weapons or violence
No Rocker badges
One distinct *con* to this place was the HUGE dogs who seem to be allowed to wander freely without control. None appeared to be aggressive but there was dog mess everywhere. If you don't like dogs then think twice about visiting. Leave a Comment
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 by TNPETER3
A bunch of hippies took-over an abandoned military barracks back in the 70's and created the "Free State of Christiania."
It's a laid-back, self-governed community were soft drugs are not legal but "allowed" The week before I was there apparently the booths that sold the herbal varities on the main street called "Pusher Street" were closed down. You can still find what you're looking for inside some of the bars/cafes.
There is an outdoor stage where live music is played and you can get a bottle of Carlsberg for around 12 kroner. Go, sit down, listen to some tunes an just chill...
No pictures are allowed in Christiania, so I took this shot of one of their bikes in Copanhagen. Leave a Comment Address: PrinsessegadeDirections: Christianshavn
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Photos:
1. Entrance to Christiania
2. christianiabikes.dk
The shortest way to Operaen by bicycle is along the street called Princessegade, which takes you right past the entrance to Christiania, a "free community" with an alternative lifestyle which has been in existence since 1971 and is still there, despite occasional threats by the Danish government to close it down.
One of the innovative things about the Freetown of Christiania was that from the very beginning it was declared to be a car-free town, so one of the first companies started there was Christiania Smedie (The Forge of Christiania), which produced over ten thousand bicycle trailers in the 1970s and 80s. In the middle of the 1980s Lars Engström from Christiania Smedie produced the first "Christiania Bike" (second photo) which was such a great success that the workshop at Christiania Smedie soon turned out to be much too small for the production. So in 1989 they found a suitable place on the island Bornholm, and moved the production of bikes and trailers to that location.
But you can still buy a Christiania Bike in Christiania, or have yours repaired there. Leave a Comment
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 Symbol of Christiania by HORSCHECKLeave a Comment
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 by Sharna.
Your not supposed to take pictures, but your not supposed to sell drugs either! I took this photo, not out of disrespect but in support of what they stand for, the freedom to do as they please! Leave a Comment
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 by AnneblLeave a Comment Address: ChristianshavnDirections: The easiest way to get there is to take the metro to christianshavn station (from Kgs.Nytorv or Nørreport if you are downtown). From here it's only a couple of hundred metres walk, ask anyone for the way.
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In 1971 a group of hippies took to living in the barracks of Badmandsstraede, on the island of Amager in Copenhagen, they formed the free town called Christiania.
It practices an alternative way of living with a liberal view on drugs. It has a population of probably around 1000 people. The Danish Parliment legalized the city in 1989, this meant the hippies were exempt from the laws on heritage and environmental conservation. The society rules itself in it's car free zone. They pay just 215 Euro per person for all services provided such as electric, heating, land tax, child care centre etc.
The flag of the free town shows three yellow discs representing the three "i"'s in the name 'Christiania'. Leave a Comment
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