Lars Eriksen in Copenhagen and Alexandra Topping
The closed entrance to Christiania, Copenhagen
An inhabitant of Copenhagen’s free city of Christiania, long a refuge for hippies and artists stands at the entrance to the city. Photograph: Jens Noergaard Larsen/AFP/Getty Images
For four decades, the freetown of Christiania has existed as a testimony to an alternative way of life, where hash was sold openly and squatters’ shacks jostled comfortably with architect-designed eco-sheds.
For some, the commune was a human jungle in the centre of Copenhagen; for others a bastion of irreverence.
But now residents have erected its last line of defence against the Danish government attempts to “normalise” one of Europe’s most famous squats after 40 years of legal wrangling.
Residents have erected fences at entrance points which they patrol, handing out flyers which declare that “Christiania will be temporarily closed until further notice”. Cafes and shops were closed as residents began meetings to debate their future.
Continued…///
via Christiania, one of Europe’s most famous communes, faces last stand | World news | The Guardian.
The Free 