Freetown Christiania is a green and car-free district in Copenhagen, best known for the mentality and way of life of its inhabitants.
In 1971 this was an abandoned military area in the Christianshavn district, where squatters started to settle down in the old barracks. They claimed the area as a free city with their own set of rules independent of the Danish government and of course also free of taxes. This social experiment became a permanent feature of the city and it still survives, today there are around 1000 people living permanently in the area.
In Freetown Christiania you find a mix of homemade houses, workshops, art galleries, music venues, cheap and organic eateries and most of all beautiful nature. If you plan to visit Christiania be sure to read and follow the Do’s and Dont’s signs by the entrances to the town, for example it’s ill advised to take photos inside Christiania or to even have a camera on you. There’s also a lot of hash trading going on inside Christiania and the police don’t have free and open access to the Freetown so, you might want to avoid certain areas like Pusher Street.
The freetown is open to public so feel free to take a visit, you can even do a guided tour with a local through Christiania.
