Freetown Christiania is a self-governing community in Copenhagen founded in 1971, when a group of squatters occupied a former military barracks and declared it an autonomous social experiment.
The 85-acre neighborhood is home to roughly 900 residents living under its own informal rules and flag, with hand-built homes, murals, and communal gardens replacing the barracks’ original structures. It’s Copenhagen’s fourth most-visited attraction, drawing around 500,000 visitors a year, and entry is free.
In 2024 residents removed the cobblestones of the former Pusher Street market, a symbolic break from the drug trade that once overshadowed the community. Photography is now generally permitted.
