Christiana (Denmark)

Birth of Christiana

The founder group comprised about fifty people. L’ experiment became famous when an article written by Jacob Ludvigsen, and entitled “emigrate with bus 8” was published in a newspaper underground called Hovedbladet . An acute crisis of then reigning housing with Copenhagen, in a few years the population exceeded several hundreds of people to stabilize itself in the neighborhoods of the thousand, l’ winter. Christiana is a very wide and very beautiful zone, a little as so with Paris the Invalides had been squattés; but it comprises a lake and many trees. More d’ about fifty various collectives carry on industrial activities, artisanal, commercial, cultural, medical, theatrical, etc Christiania has its garden d’ children, his Bakery, its Sauna, its unit of street sweepers/recycleurs, its bulldozers, his factory of bicycles, its printing works, its free radio, a workshop of restoration of old stoves, another of restoration of old cars, its own cinema (“Byens Lily”, “Lights of the City”) and a crowd of bars, restaurants and places of spectacles. The sewers of Christiana were renovated and increased by Christianites themselves.

At least around fifty d’ children were born in Christiania and were high there. Curiously, at least jusqu’ in 2006, the approximate proportion d’ a third of women for two thirds d’ men n’ changed forever. The strongest proportion d’ foreigners is of course made up of Scandinavians; it is necessary to note the presence of a few tens d’ Inuit S, explainable by the fact that the Greenland is a Danish territory. Though the population was marked d’ instabilities, the average d’ age is now raised, bringing the proof of persistence d’ an hard core of residents of very long life.

The contribution of Christiana to the cultural life of Copenhagen east out of any proportion with the number of Christianites; the Danes of more than 40 years remember l’ Armed with the Father Christmas created by the theater of street “Solvognen” (carriage of the sun) which, the Christmas Day 1973, invades celebrates it “Store of North” and started to distribute free books to the customers present. Posters of Christiana, d’ a very great beauty, were preserved in the book “Plakater” compiled by Fabbrikken, l’ one of the collectives d’ dwelling of Christiana. A great d&rsquo number; between them are due to Silketrykkeriet, l’ workshop d’ printing works on silk established in the building of Fabbrikken. More the beautiful book of photographs on Christiania “Christiana” was published per Mark Edwards with the editions “Information”. Danish television has hundreds d’ hours the documentary ones and emissions on Christiana. The Danish press published d&rsquo thousands; articles on Christiana, where a surprisingly complete collection of these articles is preserved. Many articles of the Swedish or Norwegian press include/understand factual errors due to political passion. The Royal Library of Copenhagen preserves very few documents on Christiania.

L’ structure of Christiana is famous, since the creation of “Pyramiden”, a construction material pyramid made by Helge, in Bananhuset (the House-Banana), built by apprentices German carpenters, while passing by geodetic domes and all kinds of constructions as heteroclite as poetic, and interiors d’ a great poetry, in particular the bar “Månefiskeren” (Fishing of the Moon). A made house of a boat cut into two s’ is found with the museum d’ modern art of Louisiania. L’ history of Christiana is agitated, l’ the most dangerous event having been the “JunkBlokaden” of 1979 during which Christiania expelled the salesmen and the users of hard drugs, the Héroïne mainly, which threatened its survival. The official plans of suppression or transformation of Christiana were numerous, but the majority n’ had any effect, at least jusqu’ in the middle of the Years 1990. Christianites insist on the fact qu’ no individual n’ is with him only responsible for survival or success for Christiana, but l’ communist lawyer and resistant Carl Madsen was entitled to their gratitude for the intelligent defense from which it made profit the squat before the courts and the Parliament. A long larval conflict opposed “pusher tractors”, the salesmen of Haschich, and “activists”, the militants, more political, about the sale of haschich and d’ alcohol. This conflict has several times carried out Christiania at the edge of the pit.

Christiana, mainly influenced by the thought Anarchiste even if today very few of its inhabitants s’ in claim, constantly succeeded in never not being directed by chiefs, even s’ it punctually happened that of Christianites are elected at the municipal council, even at the Parliament (a deputy christianite gave the center to it to its baby, creating a beautiful scandal). L’ “supreme” authority is exerted there by the “Fællesmøde” (general meeting), with this close qu’ no general meeting n’ , by far, the totality of Christianites gathered. The real capacity is exerted there, not without difficulty, by the assemblies of district “Områdemøder”, l’ assembly of the companies (lucrative or not) “Virksomhedsmøde”, and l’ assembled finances “Økonomimøde” which manages the resources of Christiana; payments of the commune under l’ social security, “rent of Christiana” poured by a big part of the inhabitants, voluntary contributions of the collectives with lucrative goal. In these assemblies, the decisions are never made with the vote, but when it seems with each one that a consensus was reached. Christianites consider for the majority qu’ is Christianite which sleeps in Christiania, but this point was the stormy debate object. There existed between new and ten districts with Christiania.

One does not find has Christiania of hard drugs, the individual cars are normally prohibited there. After the first two summers when Christianites felt overflowed by a tidal wave of campers, the Camping n’ there is more possible. Salesmen of Haschich, as long as Street Pusher tractor, the zone where they sold with l’ free air, existed, prohibited that they are photographed. Flag of Christiana, three points yellow on bottom orange (or conversely) representing three points out of three “I” of Christiana, would have be created by Viktor Essmann, which invented this name, which refers in the name of the district, “Christianshavn” the wearing of Christian; Christian IV, which was in Denmark what Louis XIV was in France.

The ordinary economic relations have course with l’ interior of Christiana, which n’ forever succeeded in becoming materially independent of the outside world. Several collectives d’ dwelling practice a moderate division of certain material resources, and many collectives d’ activity work non-profit-making, even without remuneration.

Christiana maintains a conflict dialog without end with the authorities to maintain its own existence. This one is largely due to the fact that to destroy Christiania would mean, for the authorities, to find a rehousing for a thousand of people. Moreover, several hundreds of Christianites profit d’ social security, which was fixed has a particularly low level for the residents of Christiana; if those were rehoused, the cost of the services which are versed for them would increase considerably.

Another conflict opposes the governmental authorities to the free commune: the free sale of Cannabis which would represent a market of 26,8 d&rsquo million; euros per annum according to the police force. January 4th 2005, the stands of sale of cannabis are finally destroyed by their owner (without to stop the trade which still continues aujourd’ today but person to person) to persuade the government to let the free city continue d’ to exist. Before the destruction, the national museum of Denmark could take one of the most beautiful stands which is from now on in exposure in this museum.

In 2003, the city counts more than thousand inhabitants, his own currency, all d&rsquo kinds; cultural activities and sporting, thus qu’ a vast agricultural space.

January 1st 2006, the city lost its special statute of alternative community. The May 19th 2007, 35 years after the birth of Christiana: a first house is destroyed. The demolition involved a sharp protest which degenerated into conflict with the police force, which had already had extremely to make at the time of the riots, two months front, following the demolition d’ Ungdomshuset.

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