During one of our days in Copenhagen, we toured the funky independent community known as Freetown Christiania. The history of this community dates back to the early 1970s when people with anarchist tendencies started occupying an old military base. The history of this little area is turbulent. The occupants/residents have mostly tried to exist separate from the government, but for years struggled to keep a handle on violence stemming from a drug trade that centered around cannabis and brought in unwanted gangs. There have been numerous efforts to close the famed “Pusher Street” which is the central point of the drug trade, but between locals using concrete barriers to block entrances to the street and Copenhagen police conducting frequent raids, some dealers have still found ways to continue pushing their product through the years.
Thankfully on our visit, the only trade we witnessed was vendors selling things like clothes and food. We spent a couple hours wandering through the streets of the nearly 20-acre plot of land that was officially and collectively purchased by the 1,000-or-so residents in 2011/2012. A few of the most interesting sights that stuck out were:
- A kids-only zone leading into a dark trail with scary doll heads and other nightmarish decorations (couldn’t quite tell if this was a joke)
- A faux-electric chair constructed of a stationary bike hooked up by cables to a chair that faced a large mirror
- A sign at the entrance/exit that reads “Christiania” on one side and “You are now entering the EU” on the other
Pusher Street warning sign prominently displayed near the entrance to Christiania
Thankfully no passport control to re-enter the EU when leaving Christiania
The entrance to the “kids zone” had a number of decorations like this charming and inviting doll head
Just because anarchists are anti-ruler doesn’t mean they are anti-rule
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