Freetown Christiania is located a short walk from the centre of Copenhagen. It’s bright colours and psychedelic art will draw you in, a contrast to Copenhagen’s clean and modern architecture. With a population of almost 1000 residents, ‘Free town’ Christiania is a way of living, and the members have agreed upon a set of regulations to live by – no taxes, fairness, equality and having their own laws which are completely separate from the Denmark Governing Body. Christiania even has a flag of its own!
Every year 500, 000 tourists visit Christiania, making this a vibrant hotspot when visiting Copenhagen. You will find a variety of galleries, music venues, workshops and restaurants, making it a great place to swing by if you a spare few hours.
HISTORY
Christiania was founded in the 1970’s by a group of hippies that cut a hole in the fence of the military barracks. This was the beginning of ‘Pusher Street’, which has also been known as ‘the Green Light District’, famously selling various strands of hash and pot (despite this being legal in the rest of Denmark).
CHRISTIANIA RULES
Travellers to Copenhagen should definitely stop by, but there are rules and regulations that you should be aware of. Being a ‘free town’, or a self-governing body, Christiania has it’s own flag and it’s own laws which are completely separate to the Denmark Governing Body. The purpose of the bohemian idealistic rules is to keep the peace in Christiania, which the members strongly advise tourists to follow.
No violence – Christiania is a peaceful communtiy that encourages autonomous living. No guns, no bulletproof vests, no knives, no hard drugs, no theft, no gangs.
No photographs – Up until recently, no photographs were allowed to be taken on Pusher Street. This was due to cannabis being illlegal in Denmark. However, this has apparently changed since I visited Christiania and is not as regulated as it previous was due to cannabis no longer being sold. Photographs are welcomed in other areas of Christiania, particularly the street art and the architecture.
Do not run – Running causes panic amongst the members as it is associated with police raids and violence.
HOW TO GET THERE
From Copenhagen, you can very easily get to Christiania either by bus, metro or by foot. Cross the bridge from Nyhavn Harbour and continue to walk – until you come across Christiania.
I would love to hear what you think of Christiania, and if you have any suggestions of things to do from your experiences! It has been many years since I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Christiania, but I would love to return some day!
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and TikTok for more travel and wellbeing content.
