Christiania Freetown (or Christiania for short) was founded in 1971 on the site of former military grounds—founded being another way for saying squatted on after military evacuation until the Danish government formally recognized the 85 acres under the ownership of the freethinking individuals who reclaimed the land for public use in 1986. Now the loosely regulated and self governing community has a population of roughly 900 inhabitants, with visitors arriving daily to bear witness and explore within this ongoing social experiment.

Until 2004, one of the main attractions was a series of hash stands on the main thoroughfare, aptly named Pusher Street. While hard drugs have always been banned by community law (laws made and upheld independently of Denmark’s legal system), the hash trade was very much at home in Chritiania, until the Danish government finally cracked down and the community was forced to refocus its business ventures. Today, a series of small businesses including shops, cafes and restaurants lure visitors to contribute to the local economy.

Perhaps Chritiania can best be regarded as a noble experiment in self-governance, as it has remarkably fended off the government’s attempts at appropriation and normalization. Despite a checkered past involving shootings and biker gang infiltration, the community of Christianians has surprisingly defended itself through peaceful means and remains autonomous. Cars are banned from use within the community borders, where community members reside in abodes as typical as houses and as non-traditional as tree-houses. Chritiania is certainly an important destination for dreamers, explorers and hippies-at-heart. And as Christiania is located within the parameters of Copenhagen’s city bike network, we recommend you hop on one of those free access bikes and cross the river to check out a truly one-of-a-kind community.