Field Study to Christiania

Yesterday I had my first field study of the semester. Basically, no one has class on Wednesdays, and instead, each class is assigned time slots throughout the semester to go on “field studies.” The field studies are an opportunity for experiential learning, so we aren’t just sitting in the classroom the whole time… which is nice :)

This particular field study was for my Danish Language and Culture class to an area in Copenhagen called Freetown Christiania. It is a large commune that began in 1971 when a bunch of hippies and homeless people took over an abandoned military area, and since then, they have created their own type of society. They each pay 1900 DKK per month to live there, and they make a living through working either in Christiania or outside in Copenhagen. About 1000 people live in Christiania, including children, and they all follow a “Common Law.”

The rules are: no weapons, no hard drugs, no violence, no private cars, no bikers colors, no bulletproof vests, no sale of fireworks, no use of thunderflashes, and no stolen goods. However, marijuana is legal, and is sold out in the open in a specific area called “Pusher Street.” One of the reasons this has been able to go on so long is because many people believe that if it is shut down, drugs will be sold all around Copenhagen instead of being more concentrated in this little area. Honestly, this place kind of creeped me out. It looks very run down, and I couldn’t imagine anyone living in some of the “houses” we saw. My teacher said it looks a lot worse than the last time she was there a year ago.

The picture above is of a mural of Christiania’s history that was painted by one of the men who lives there. It hangs in one of the cafes that is run by people from the town.

Our tour guide was a Swedish woman who has lived there since the mid-1970s, and she took us into a lot of the little shops they run. A lot of people make household goods, jewelry, clothing, etc. and they sell it to tourists for a living. The picture above is from one of these shops that was full of old restored ovens. They were fancy back then! After seeing a lot of the shops, she showed us a bunch of the areas where people live. Apparently many of the people built their own houses, which our tour guide seemed to be very proud of. I just had a hard time believing these people truly care about their town because it seems like it is falling apart, and there is trash and random stuff laying all over the place. I am also a clean freak, so that is just my opinion. I am glad I got to tour and learn about Christiania, but I doubt I will ever be back.

“You are entering the EU.”