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Posts tagged christianshavn

Krøyers Plads

Krøyers Plads copenhagen water swimming

Building between Krøyers Plads and Noma

I’m not sure if this building is technically part of Krøyers Plads or not, but in any event this is a really cool neighborhood–and not just because you can jump in the water on a hot day. Much of this area of Copenhagen (Christianshavn actually) has been built in the past few years, including the bridge from Nyhavn.

København

København

This happened about four months ago. In about seven months it will happen again.

Pleasant spot in Christiania

hippie town pot smoking legal marijuana

Not far from the drug deals, and roaming dogs doing their business wherever they please, you can find pieces of the utopia that Christiania was intended to be.

Christiania update

christiania marijuana pot hash buy

Christiania sign

My prior posts on Christiania are some of the most frequently visited on the blog. I’m not sure why. In any event, it took me a while to revisit Christiania. I didn’t end up going until my last week in Copenhagen, three years after my first encounter with the place.

christiania fristaden graffiti

Christiania graffiti

The guidebooks all say go visit Christiania, but nearly everyone that does check out Christiania (as a tourist not looking for pot) is disappointed. The place is pretty ugly and a bit scary when you enter through the main entrance. However, if you keep going there are some interesting and even beautiful things to see.

christiania copenhagen denmark water

Christiania flower garden

I’ll cover the new marijuana scene (which is very different than three years ago) in a future entry.

The Church of Our Saviour (Vor Frelser Kirke) in Christianshavn

vor frelser kirke copenhagen denmark

One of the places we didn’t get a chance to visit the first time we were in Copenhagen was Vor Frelser Kirke, a famous church in Christianshavn. Once I had a bike, I made it my first stop.

The Church of Our Saviour is easily recognizable because of its gold, corkscrew spire which has had a continual line of tourists walking up it for 250+ years.

copenhagen denmark aerial view from the sky

I went up as soon as it opened so there were few around, allowing me to take photos like this overlooking Copenhagen. By the time I was ready to go down, though, I had to wait for dozens of people to come out of the narrow passage before I could descend. There are far more steps to get to the top than I anticipated. The interior of the bell tower (carillon) can be easily viewed as you make your way up the tower. I imagine the sound is deafening if you happen to be going up or down while the bells are ringing.

Fristaden Christiania (part 2 of 2)

Freetown Christiania is no longer entirely free. Each resident pays 1300 DKK a month (almost US$300 with the weak dollar) to the common fund. Half of that money goes outside the community for property taxes, utilities, etc. The other half is used internally. New residents (and we were told that is unusual as people rarely leave) have their homes selected for them. Neighbors can apparently veto an undesired new neighbor. There is some sort of wait list to get in.

meeting building in christiania bob dylan copenhagen denmark

The above building, Den Gra Hal, holds over a thousand people and is used when the whole community needs to get together. They also have concerts in the building on occasion. Notable acts here have included Bob Dylan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica (Lars Ulrich is from Denmark), and Portishead.

This building also hosts the annual Christmas Market.

wooden building with ivy housing christiania bikes copenhagen denmark

Christiania Bikes were previously made in the building, Cykelvaerkstedet, below this ivy covered, wooden bridge. Now they are just sold out of the building. The bikes, which can be seen all over Copenhagen, became too popular, and the building of the bikes had to be me moved to a larger location on Jutland. The bikes feature a large compartment for holding things sort of like a pickup truck. We have seen Christiania Bikes holding big people, kids, babies, groceries, other bikes, and just about anything else you can imagine.

symbol of christiania graffiti three circles

The symbol of Christiania is the three circles or dots. They come from the three dottings of the letter “i” in the name Christiania. Others have ascribed various meanings to the three circles. The three dots can be seen everywhere in Christiania on much more than just flags like this graffiti shows. You can also see them on bumper stickers throughout Denmark and even in the three giant disco balls in the Copenhagen Opera House.

marijuana in christiania copenhagen denmark

I’ll finish this entry with what Christiania is probably most famous for–marijuana, hash, ganja, weed, pot, you get the picture. If you don’t want to buy it on Pusher Street, you can get it for free in other parts of town. I filled my pockets and split town. Just kidding.