This month we left the European Union… kind of.
We visited the partially autonomous community, Freetown Christiania, in Copenhagen.
Christiania is built on an old abandoned military base that was taken over by hippie squatters in 1971. The community quickly turned into a hippie, anarchist and collectivist community. After forming a collective fund in July 2012, Christiania residents officially purchased the land Christiana is on from the Danish government.
Today the 900 people that live in Christiania govern themselves and set their own rules/laws. A few examples of these rules include: no cars, no bulletproof vests and no hard drugs. Additionally, taking pictures and videos is prohibited.
Christiania is most known for “Pusher Street,” which is the street filled with marijuana vendors (also known as the Green Light District). While marijuana is technically illegal in Denmark, there is an understanding that the government will allow marijuana to be sold in Christiana but cannot be taken out of the area. Christiania is still subject to raids from the Copenhagen police from time to time.
While there has been conflict around Christiania, specifically around the Green Light District, for the most part the area is an interesting and eclectic place that is the fourth largest tourist attraction in Copenhagen.
The Jo Show 