Christiania celebrates 50 years of social experimentation as a free municipality in Copenhagen

Christiania, a famous free commune in a central area of ​​Copenhagen, celebrates half a century as a social experiment that overcame resistance from the authorities and despite the problematic relationship with the sale and consumption of cannabis.

At the height of the spirit of May 68, a group of young people occupied just 50 years ago a former military barracks and proclaimed the free city of Christiania, of anarchist inspiration.

The state was quick to react, and after a trial, the court ordered his deportation in 1978; Massive protests corrected the authorities, who then recognized their right to live there.

Parliament approved the “Christiania Law” in 1989, which retained the colony and spoke of future legalization and normalization. It was reformed in 2004, canceling the collective usufruct right of a pretty 34 hectare estate located along the canal.

The Christians sue the State for the property and use of the land, but lose in court: when the disappearance threatens, a long negotiation ends with the purchase of the land by a fund, which cedes it to the municipality.

“The management of the fund does not intervene in the decisions of Christiania, it is the general assembly which continues to decide”, explains Hulda Mader, member of the secretariat of the municipality.

Christians, about 900 people, contribute a minimum amount to the common fund per house; the rest of the rent is calculated according to the size of the apartment. But houses are collectively owned: they cannot be sold, but they can be traded.

The complications linked to the creation of the fund, both for the repayment of loans over 30 years granted by the State and for the respect of town planning rules, have not taken away its essence. The general assembly is the supreme body and decisions are made until the highest possible consensus is reached.

“This is Christiania: talk, talk and talk. Our structure is very solid, although that also creates problems “says Emerick, a Christian who works in the maintenance and construction office.

PUSHER STREET, THE MOST FAMOUS STREET AND THE SUBJECT OF DISCORD

The name Christiania appears associated with cannabis and Pusher Street (Camel Street), the largest center for the sale and consumption of cannabis in Northern Europe.

Legalizing cannabis has been a collective slogan since the origin of Christiania, which created a market, more or less agreed to by the authorities according to the times, initially controlled by Christians but managed for years by outside gangs. On the street side, the inhabitants ask all tourists to refrain from photographing the stands where they sell the goods.

Christians temporarily closed the streets after violent episodes, but the shooting death of a young man in July prompted nearly two hundred residents to promote a manifesto to shut it down permanently, a proposal that did not flourish in the city. ‘Assembly.

Some voices suggest that the closure of Pusher Street would mean the loss of an important source of income for the town’s shops, bars or restaurants which are full of people, including tourists, who come to consume cannabis.

A CULTURAL AND TOURIST REFERENCE

Others point out that the sale of cannabis has no direct impact on Christiania, and that it is based on the contributions of its inhabitants, in addition to denying that it is identified as a miniature Amsterdam.

In addition to having its own bakery, restaurants or nursery, Christiania – one of the city’s major tourist attractions – has a dimension that extends to many other spheres.

The bikes made there are an indispensable part of the cityscape, like the sweatshirts with the slogan “Bevar (protect) Christiania”; and its Christmas market is one of the most popular.

Through some of their concert halls, they have gone from Bob Dylan to Rage Against the Machine, Patti Smith or Metallica. And was born and raised in the town, Lukas Graham, leader of the successful pop-soul group of the same name.

Christiania is a melting pot of people of various nationalities and social classes, who each year celebrate a free New Year’s Eve dinner for those who have no one to spend the evening with.

And it is also a hotbed of inventiveness which is reflected in the design of houses or in activities such as theater, circus, plastic arts or other manifestations of creativity.

“I cannot imagine a Copenhagen without Christiania. Christiania helps make Copenhagen more diverse “, summarized a few days ago the mayor of the capital, the social democrat Lars Weiss, when he received in front of the town hall a caravan of hundreds of people who toured the center to celebrate the anniversary.

Weiss hoped he would survive another half a century despite “tensions and friction” and called for the inseparable union with the commune, as his iconic song recalls: “You can’t kill us because we let’s be part of you “

(with information from the EFE)

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