Danish style.
After my canal tour, I scurried back over to Christiania for a guided tour. Communes have always been fascinating to me so there was no way I was going to miss getting a peak inside this one.
Quick background info: In the 1970s citizens of Copenhagen broke into the old military barracks in Copenhagen and declared it a free state. The citizens of Christiania established their own rules and run the commune via a consensus system. Although the inhabitants are technically living there illegally, they pay double taxes to the state. First they pay as a citizen of Denmark, then they pay as the community of Christiania. Christiania even has it’s own postal system.
I highly recommend learning more about their living experiment.
While Christiania has historically been famous for selling hash, its other industries are receiving attention as well. For example, Christiania bikes are gaining popularity all over the world.
In addition to living in the old military barracks, some of the early residents built their own homes. Building is no longer allowed inside Christiania in and effort to protect the natural environment.
The weather during the tour was a bit rainy. Fortunately, it cleared up for this shot near the lake:
As you leave Christiania, you’ll notice this sign:
I chuckled.
At this point, my transit pass had expired so I decided to head back to the hostel. I muddled through the instructions at the laundromat across the street in pursuit of clean clothes and spent the rest of the evening in. I was the only person in my hostel that night so it was a good opportunity to rest before heading to Sweden the next morning.
xo, jill
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