In March this year I travelled to Copenhagen, Denmark and found the best little community, nestled in the heart of the city.
Freetown Christiania is an anarchist community, completely independent from the Danish government, located in the centre of Copenhagen. It was founded by a group of hippies in the early 1970's who, frustrated with housing problems in Copenhagen, began squatting in an abandoned military base.
Over the years, more people have taken up residence in the area, building their own homes and working within and for the rest of the community.
Of course it hasn't been easy, for decades the Danish government refused to recognise Christiania, going to so far to remove residents by force and destroying a number of homes. Only in 2011 after years of violence did the government finally agree to recognise Freetown Christiania.
I immediately felt at home in Christiania, the positivity and general atmosphere is infectious. People are warm and friendly, the the restaurants (while dubious from the outside) are fabulous, there are galleries, shops and even a hash market. We spent almost 3 days wandering around taking it all in. It's an amazing place and a perfect example of how the world could work.
You can no longer build or buy a house in Freetown Christiania, but you can apply for one and if successful, you are given it until you choose to leave.
I wonder how long the application list is... 🤔❤️
