Christiania was founded in 1971 when a group of (mostly) young people squatted in a closed-down military base in southeastern Copenhagen. There were occasional squabbles with the government over this, but the government wasn't actually using the land, so they decided to officially leave Christiania alone as a "social experiment." Their relationship with the government has been more or less peaceful over the years, with the exception of drug issues. A more detailed history can be found on wikipedia (for the lazy) or on the Christiania info page.
Nowadays, the average student (Danish or American) knows Christiania as "that place where you can buy pot." Much in the same way that they think of Jamaica as "that country where you can buy pot" or of Amsterdam as "that city where you can go into a coffee shop and buy pot." The point I'm trying to make is that while all these places contain pot, they are not defined by it (except among the narrow-minded).
During the first couple weeks here, some people I talked to were saying that they went to Christiania, and I was intrigued. I asked them what they saw, what the people were like, and if the infrastructure and art was as amazing as I had heard. The universal response was "I don't know, I only saw Pusher Street. There was some guy selling hash pipes, but I already had one, so I bought some weed." So, realized I wasn't going to learn anything without going there on my own.
I've been there twice now, and it's awesome. Yes, there's weed if you want it, but there's also a whole town. People often think of some kind of 30-person hippie commune, but this is a 750-person community. They have a bike shop, a day care, playgrounds, several cafes and restaurants, a workshop (where people do metalworking and other crafts), and a big general store/warehouse where you can get everything you need to build your own house (which is what most people there have done). They've got working plumbing and electricity which they set up themselves. It's a great place.
Drugs tend to be the public focus, but what I really appreciate is the community. People came together and created a social structure that worked, and although people come and go, the nature of the place has stayed the same. People don't come just to squat and avoid rent. These are not lazy people. They created the place they wanted to live in, and they did it themselves.
The first time I went, I got a guided tour as part of a class visit (we were ostensibly learning something about Danish culture). The second time, I went with one friend a few days later to see Christiania's Birthday Party (anniversary of the initial entry/squatting in September 1971). There was a ton of music and art (more than usual), people setting up shop selling whatever they felt like selling (clothes, paintings, CDs, drugs, whatever). A lot of people in elaborate red and yellow costumes, in honor of Christiania's flag:
Some of the costumes reminded me less of Christiania and more of Hulk Hogan:
But that's neither here nor there.
To summarize my feelings, Christiania as a cool community that happens to also have narcotics. However, the narcotics distract the world-at-large from the main purpose of the community. They didn't spend years building an entire town just to have a place to sell weed. They also:
- Work towards a more equal society
- Built and sustained a community that cares about each other, and where all voices are respected
- Collectively embrace non-violence (including evicting a biker gang that took up residence in the 80's)
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