Christiania, also known as the Freetown Christiania, is a small neighborhood in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a state of about 850 people, spanning 85 acres which has established semi-legal status as self-proclaimed independent community.
Christiania was founded in 1971 by a group of hippies, anarchists, and idealists after they started occupying abandoned military barracks in Copenhagen. For years the legal status of the region was in limbo, as the Danish government attempted, without success, to remove the squatters.
The neighborhood is accessible only through two main entrances which are blocked by road block robots to prevent cannabis customers and other visitors from driving into Christiania and park their cars in its narrow streets. Locals have also claimed that taxis and police vehicles add to the traffic problems. Cars are not permitted. Only cargo transport is allowed through these gates.
The people in Christiania have their own set of rules, completely independent of the Danish government. Having no cars is one of these rules among others such as: No stealing, No Guns, No Bulletproof Vests, and No Hard Drugs.
Because of Christiania's self-proclaimed "freetown" status, Danish laws banning smoking in public places (workplaces, restaurants, bars and clubs) are not enforced in Christiania.
The Copenhagen police are not allowed to arrest anyone there but if they want someone they drag him out and arrest him on the Danish side.
Christiania is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Copenhagen, and abroad it is a well-known "brand" for the progressive and liberated Danish lifestyle. Many Danish businesses and organizations also use Christiania as a show place for their foreign friends and guests.
CANNABIS TRADE
One of the features of the town’s special laws is their ability to legally trade cannabis. Since its opening, Christiania has been famous for its open cannabis trade. Cannabis trade takes place in a funny named and centrally located 'Pusher Street' where cannabis was sold openly from permanent stands until 2004. On Pusher Street, cameras are not allowed and, apparently, even the dogs in Christiania are trained to bark if they see a camera. Christiania’s open cannabis trade is one of Copenhagen's major tourist attractions.
The commerce is controversial, but since they require a consensus they can't be removed unless everybody agrees. Since its opening in 1971, the open drug trade of Christiania has been a thorn in the side of Danish authorities, a constant source of public discussion and outrage for many Danish politicians. Although illegal, authorities were for many years reluctant to forcibly stop the hash trade. The authorities tolerated this for over 30 years, but there have been constant efforts to try and normalize the legal status of the community.
The first step in this process was the police crackdown on the drug trade. In response, the locals seem to fight back with humor and persistence, For instance, when authorities in 2002 demanded that the hash trade be made less visible, the sellers covered their stands in military camouflage nets. On January 4, 2004, the stands were finally demolished by the owners themselves. Before they were demolished, the National Museum of Denmark was able to get one of the more colorful stands, which is now part of an exhibit.
On March 16, 2004, the police conducted their first full-scale raid on Pusher Street. This caused cannabis traders to move out of Christiana and spread the hashish trade into the rest of Copenhagen. According to both police and other sources, the number of marijuana clubs in Copenhagen grew rapidly to at least five times as many as before the police crackdown on Pusher Street,
The open cannabis trade in Christiana has since returned back to the way it was before the 2004 raids. Today, both police and politicians admit that, despite an expensive and brutal crackdown, the trade still thrives on the Pusher Street, if in a somewhat more discreet fashion.
The only real change that can be said to have occurred is that the booths are gone in Pusher Street. Those booths have instead been replaced by fold-up tables and wooden blocks featuring the various types of hashish and pot on display. People know that Pusher Street is still alive and functioning today.
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