We talk about people being heathens, opinionated and unique in their way. We also have heard people changing the world by bringing about revolutions and getting masses to follow them. But what if a whole bunch of people go outlawed, and they all unite and choose not to follow what the world calls “societal rules” or rather, Scandinavian laws.
There is this beautiful town, in the borough of Christianshavn in Copenhagen, Denmark, called Christania, free town Christania. A lot of you must have heard about it, visited or frowned upon it. Some of you might have adored it too. With a population of just about 1000, lies the free town in about 84 acres of land. Fenced by its bright graffiti-ed brick walls, the settlement is separated from the rest of the city, its laws, and well, Europe in general. Now before we talk more about this havn, let us go in a bit of flashback. Back in 1970, Christania, as we know it, was an abandoned military base in the Danish Province. A bunch of people who refused to follow societal norms or were too estranged to live by these norms had acquired the area. Some believe these people were protesting against the soaring housing prices in Denmark at the time. So, there is a bunch of people who walk into a military base and start living there. There was no formation of a group or party, just some peaceful people.
The police and the government opposed this settlement because of the way laws are created. They tried to ask these people to vacate these lands as the military owned it, even though abandoned. These efforts by the police kept getting violent over time. The people of Christania then declared themselves as self-proclaimed collectivist anarchy. The social democratic government, at the time, was fascinated by this and called it a social experiment. People who had squatted in Christania were backed up by a parliament majority, and in 1989 Christania and the squat were set in stone.
The beauty of this settlement is that it involves people who want to live freely and have their space. The beliefs of these people are more eco-friendly and work to channelize internal human energies towards non-violent and a collectivist way of living. They were offered to own private properties, but they instead hold them collectively. It is astonishing to see how they’ve managed to maintain old buildings, converted them into cafés, restaurants, art galleries, homes, schools, community halls, concert ground, and stores. The residents of Christania are so self-sufficient that they can thrive easily without support. However, they are paying for amenities like water and electricity. They pay collective taxes to the Danish government for these.
Imagine, an area invaded by hippies\junkies, high on marijuana, hashish, heroin, meth or smack and allowed to live free of societal or legal rules and policies. It might paint a picture of bloodshed, violence, crimes like stealing, assault, sexual offenses and god knows what not! Unlike any of this, the collectivist Freetown has laid down nine ground rules, which everyone follows peacefully. These rules are no weapons, no hard drugs, no violence, no private cars, no bikers’ colours, no bulletproof clothing, no sale of fireworks, no use of thunder flashes and no stolen goods. These rules are simple and easy to follow. Every member of this settlement follows these to the core. The no weapons, no violence, no stolen goods rules make the entire place peaceful. Biker colours have always been a symbol for groups that share a common belief, but in Christania, the people wish to have a shared understanding of the entire settlement. To avoid small groups or gangs getting formed, they have the rule for no biker colours. There was a time before the town was set in stone, when people who squatted in Christania were doing hard drugs, as a way of life. Hard drugs led to a few deaths because of overdose. Recognizing this as a problem, the collectivist brought in the rule for no hard drugs.
Ecologically, Christania is a heaven for people concerned about the environment. It is a private cars free zone, the inhabitants being hippies produce their organic food, there are no big factories, and everyone uses bicycles to go around the area. They even provide cargo bicycles where you can carry heavy stuff or even your friend or a family member for a ride across the town. This does not mean that the inhabitants do not own cars. They have built a parking space, right outside the area to park their vehicles. When one enters the town, there is this freshness in the air that you can breathe, along with the positive energy and a cool breeze from a vast lake, which is a part of Christania. Along with all this, there is a particular product which is sure to tickle everyone’s nostrils, that is the weed and hash.
Freetown Christania is a famous green light district! There is this entire street, called the Pusher Street where you get various strains of marijuana and hash. Marijuana, popularly known as weed or green, has majorly been a matter of conflicting ideas. Some people are entirely intolerant towards it, some accept it, some use it for creativity or its medicinal properties while some abuse it (or love it). Whatever the reason be, thousands of people visit Christania. Unlike the popular belief, cannabis is not legal in the Freetown. There are police raids from time to time. However, for most days one can find numerous stalls with the best and worst strains of weed and hash. It is quite common to get edibles like hash cookies and muffins too. Specific booths have a variety of cannabis oils as well. One can see people rolling their joints or buying pre-rolled and smoking up freely.
With Cannabis in the air, there is this relaxed and non-judgemental atmosphere around the entire place. Nobody looks at anybody. People are just free, and they let loose. One can see people dancing around, chilling with mates, singing, freestyling with football, skateboards, all in all just being themselves. Whilst all this, there are stores, stalls, and shops selling bongs, pipes, rolling paper, stash boxes, flags, reggae and hippie stuff, clothes, junk jewelry and a lot more. Majority of the things sold in these stores and stalls are produced locally by the inhabitants. Beyond the pusher street, there are tiny, cozy and cute cafés. Nemoland and Woodstock have a raw, rustic look to them which attracts a majority of people. Månefiskeren is another café which does not serve alcohol. They are known for organic drinks and food. Woodstock and Nemoland have a locally produced beer, called Christania beer which is made of hemp and is definitely worth a try.
It is fascinating how heathens, who would otherwise be thrown out of the society or frowned upon can build a settlement and run it so well. They have everything homegrown, from vegetables to home stuff. They live peacefully and have sheer creativity which is visible from the beautiful houses they’ve built or the buildings they’ve transformed or maintained since 1971. They are all so accepting of everyone who visits their town or lives in it. They have their currency, own laws, own beer and their way of life. Not to forget, their moral standards are way higher too. Every inhabitant feels it is their duty to keep everything clean. They have their fashion which is quite comfy in every way. They live in an environment-friendly way. When you enter the town, a huge arch tells you that you re exiting the EU (European Union), while at the exit, it says you are now entering the EU. Just to let people know that laws would differ now. What’s not to love!
One thing that irked about this entire town was the way tourists behaved. Christania is one of the most visited spots in Denmark. It attracts tourists from all over the world and welcomes everyone to buy their produce, smoke up, drink up, visit their farms, ride ponies, cycle across, sit around, view their art and have a good time. However, some tourists are inconsiderate towards the inhabitants and their homes. There have been instances of tourists harassing women, being too drunk and pissing outside homes, picking up fights with dealers or just not being human to each other. Yet there are others who feel at home and respect what the town has to offer.
All in all, the hippie town is worth a visit and should be on everyone’s bucket list.
Brightness In Dark 