Christiania

• Address: Bådsmandsstræde 43, 1407 Copenhagen, Denmark
• Area: 34 hectares
• Phone: +45 32 95 65 07
• Website: http://www.christiania.org/
• Population: 878 people.
• Date of foundation: September 26, 1971

Planning a visit to Denmark , you can hardly do without visiting its capital - Copenhagen . There are many beautiful sights here , but the free city of Christiania is perhaps one of the most unique places in the world. Therefore, if you have the time and desire to learn more about the alternative culture of the country and expand your horizons, be sure to stroll along the streets of this quarter - this "city in the city".

A little about the history of origin

In 1971, during the heyday of the hippie movement, his adepts held an original exhibition and sale of their handicrafts in Copenhagen. However, since they were homeless, they had no time to spend the night. Therefore, having broken the fence, the "children of flowers" settled in the empty barracks of King Christian. Hence the name "free city of Christiania", which became a visiting card of Denmark. Local authorities did not particularly object to this, since it is easier to look after antisocial elements when they concentrated in one place.

Later, not only hippies began to settle here. Until now, people from all over the world come here with different purposes: someone dreams of gaining freedom from the standards of the Western world, and someone is tempted by the possibility of using drugs with impunity. Here you can meet the directors of independent cinema, anarchists, underground artists and musicians. In 2011, the state granted Christiania a semi-autonomous status granting its residents the right to buy land substantially below its cost.

What is Christiania in Copenhagen?

At the entrance to the quarter there are large stones, which were repeatedly cleaned by the authorities, but local residents return them to their places. There is one entrance and one exit, the rest of the territory is fenced. There are many small cafes, shops, music clubs, yoga studios, theaters and restaurants open in the commune, there are also places for rest thanks to several water reservoirs. The most important street of the city is Pusher Street. Here, the community's residents come to skimp: here you can buy both exclusive products that are produced by local aborigines, and Chinese counterfeits of Swiss watches and things of famous world brands.

The city is divided into 15 districts, in which 325 buildings are built (the date of construction of 104 of them - XVII - XIX centuries., And 14 buildings are classified as specially protected).

In the Spiseloppen Cafe you will be offered a delicious seasonal menu of Danish dishes , and lovers of good alcoholic drinks will find a direct road to the Nemoland Bar. The most famous venues for performances in the city are the Loppen rock club, which was opened in the building of the former military warehouse, and the club Den Gra Hal, who once honored with the presence of Metallica and Bob Dylan. In the store Christiania Bikes you can buy a sample of the famous Danish bicycle, the "highlight" of which is the availability of a stroller for children and a basket for food.

At first glance, Christiania looks unusual for Denmark with its dilapidated facades, decorated with colorful graffiti, but there are magnificent green recreation areas near the lake. Local aboriginals build their own houses from glass and old wood, and architectural solutions can be surprising: here you will find a house for the construction of which only old windows, a banana house, a dug house, a round house were used. After all, citizens of Christiania tend to express protest against standardization and excessive orderliness of society.

The way of life of the inhabitants of the "city of hippies"

Residents of the free city of Christiania in Copenhagen state that they do not obey the Danish laws. At the same time, according to the own code of this mini-country, its inhabitants and guests are prohibited:

• go by car: here they move either on foot, or on bicycles, or even quite exotic - on horses;
• steal;
• carry firearms and body armor;
• use heavy drugs.

This unusual commune has its own flag and currency - flax, although the Danish krone also has a circulation here. Also there are their legislative bodies, treasury, television channel, radio station, newspaper. The infrastructure is also well developed: to the surprise of many citizens of prosperous countries, a kindergarten, out-of-school educational institutions, a post office, a medical aid point and a social service are open here. In the community, governance is carried out through direct democracy, when all decisions are taken collectively at the community council.

The economy of the city of Christiania can be called prosperous: its inhabitants earn their living by making various works of art, as well as furniture and bicycles. A distinctive feature of this mini-state is the belonging of the entire business to the community, therefore each of its members takes an active part in making important decisions. But the main income, of course, is the profit from the sale of light drugs. So, on Pusher Street is located the world's largest market of marijuana, but do not take in head to photograph there: it is strictly forbidden.

You can settle in the city of Christiania only in two ways:

• having married a citizen of the commune;
• having received permission to settle in an empty building, issued by the district council.

If the crazy idea of ​​becoming a member of the community has visited you, do not forget that each of them is required to contribute about 1200 Danish kroner (160 euros) each month to the local budget.

Local residents are very concerned about the protection of the environment, so much attention is paid to recycling and recycling waste, installing biotoilets, growing organic food, installing windmills and solar panels to generate electricity.

How to get to the mini-state?

If you are in Copenhagen for the first time and do not know much about the city, do not worry: getting into paradise for all freethinkers is very easy. Any passer-by will tell you where the "free city of Christiania" quarter is and how to get there. You only need to get off at Christianshavn station. Here you can help orient the green lights with pointer attached to them, which will lead you to the right place. Orientation for tourists is the Church of the Savior, standing out with a high tower and leading to it a spiral staircase. The road to the city takes no more than 10 minutes from the center of Copenhagen.