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Founded in 1971 when a group of hippies took over an area of abandoned military barracks and developed their own set of rules, completely independent of the Danish government, we take a look at Christiana thirty-eight years on
So how did this micronation come to establish itself? On September 26, 1971, Jacob Ludvigsen, a young editor at the underground weekly Hovedbladet, 'The Main Paper' invaded an abandoned army installation for a photo shoot. In the next weekend’s edition, he wrote that the barracks had been taken over and summoned readers to "emigrate with bus number 8."
The commune was able to establish itself quite quickly and quietly because at the time Denmark was between governments. This meant that with more on their minds, politicians ignored what was going on for several weeks. Ludvigsen declared the area as the 'land of the settlers... where all the seekers of peace could have their grand meditation and yoga center. Halls where theatre groups can feel at home. Buildings for the stoners who are too paranoid and weak to participate in the race...Yes for those who feel the beating of the pioneer heart there can be no doubt as to the purpose of Christiania.'
Named Christiania after the bohemian, pre-1924 Oslo, it was soon attracting squatters, artists, actors and DIY activists. Their mission statement, co-authored by Ludvigsen, called for a 'self-governing, self-sustaining community where the individual takes care of the collective.'
Ludvigsen didn't stay long enough to see his vision realised though. He left in 1972 after being discouraged by the lawlessness demonstrated by the new settlers who were stealing and generally disrespecting their surroundings, leading Bob Dylan to comment “To live outside the law, you must be honest,” Ludvigsen says today that there was no honour among thieves when he left.
Gradually though, everything settled down and the settlers and the government negotiated a compromise that saw them sanction Christiana as a 'social experiment' in return for payment for utilities and upkeep of the area.
A system of self-governance was formulated that saw the most important decisions made by consensus, reached at meetings between all members of the Christiana society and nearly forty years on the same system is used to resolve disputes and debate issues. There is no real property market. Change of residence is transaction-free with the right to occupy a given residence is decided by vote. No matter how much money a person has spent on a particular residence, they leave it all behind and they start again if they choose to leave it. For decades, building at Christiana was as simple as going to buy the building materials and getting started. Now a system of planning is in place and all new designs must be approved though imagination is not stifled and builders are encouraged to think creatively.
Each resident pays a monthly fee to the state, upkeep expenses, utilities, municipal taxes, and fees for some social services normally covered by the city. They’ve invested their own funds for the maintenance of the grounds, reconstruction of buildings, and modernisation of the sewerage system, adding value to the area.
Christiana doesn't tolerate violence, theft, weapons, gangs or hard drugs though cannabis is accepted. No outside authority is recognised either though the police were consulted in the 1980s when some violent incidents, including a murder required assistance. There were moves through the late seventies to force full vacation of the area but the commune stood defiant and still stands today as the second most popular tourist attraction in Denmark.
There are clubs, galleries, a women's ironworks, a restaurant and bakery and a bicycle factory. The micronation has also benefited the wider community too. They sponsor a free health clinic staffed by resident doctors and provide an annual Christmas dinner for hundreds of the city’s less fortunate. By sheltering and aiding addicts, alcoholics, homeless and unemployable people, they save the state millions of kroner in social welfare payments annually. There are no cars in Christiana other than delivery vehicles coming in from Copenhagen, making this a peaceful and safe environment for children to grow up in. By residents own admission, people living there either love or hate the life the micronation gives to its inhabitants but those that have been their since the seventies and eighties feel that what they set out to achieve has happened and they have a life that couldn't be achieved in the 'outside world'.
The future still isn't secure for Christiana though. A law in 1999 was passed to grant the community an ongoing 'social experiment' status effectively protecting it, however it was overturned in 2004 and the 900 residents are keen to ensure that their way of life will survive. Despite residents striving to keep the ethos of the dream alive, elements of the community have changed and not for the better. Pusher Street, named to embrace the many stalls selling cannabis is now more intimidating than it was in previous decades. The stalls were closed in 2004 and since then the drug scene is now aligned with that in any other society. By driving the cannabis trade underground the line between the sale of cannabis and harder drugs has now blurred.
However this is still a town where families try to bring up their children in the spirit of love, peace and understanding. It isn't possible to spend the night in the Freetown of Christiana but it's s easy to reach from downtown Copenhagen on the subway, it's eight stops to Christianshavn. Book your accommodation in Copenhagen at Hostelsclub, a selection of budget accommodation here.
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