It's hard to wrap your head around just how sketchy the place is though, even with the open-air drug-dealing going on. Honestly it reminded me of Times Square in the early 80s with the sex replaced with more drugs. There is a large, almost exclusively muslim criminal element there and Christiania's residents depend on their money.
> There is a large, almost exclusively muslim criminal element there and Christiania's residents depend on their money
Source? I have never heard Muslim and Christiania mentioned in the same breath before. I live in Copenhagen, near to Christiania.
That being said, try visiting Fælleskøkkenet a Friday night. There will usually be a lot of Arabic-speakers.
Christiania does, at least it did back then, make money from the sales. Occasionally, the dealers would have specific days where all the proceeds went to the Christianian community.
I've never heard about photography being forbidden anywhere but on Pusher Street itself.
I haven't been there for five years though. Things might have changed.
Really? The Bosnian immigrant who shot the cops talked about in the article had ties to Millatu Ibrahim and was claimed by Isis after the shooting. It was in the news.
Is this really the first time you're hearing this?
To put that in perspective (I already mentioned marihuana decriminalisation in The Netherlands):
1) Danes go to Sweden to buy cheap liquor because alcoholic beverages in Denmark are more expensive than in Sweden (EDIT: I stand corrected, the other way around, thank you @clan). Same with Danes living near the German border. Alcohol, if abused, is a harddrug.
2) Going down more south of Europe is Portugal who have decriminalised drugs [2].
Wikipedia has more info on Christiania [3].
Denmark is an interesting country for a variety of reasons; they actually have a startup scene as well, and are aiming to be self reliant with regards to electricity.
[1] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Chritian...
[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/05/why-h...
[1] https://www.ft.com/content/6040e408-ed33-11e6-ba01-119a44939...
You are right for the most part though. The cocaine dealers are around Vesterbro.
(I really am just told this, although it's from people I'd expect to know.)
In any city it's easy to find drugs if you want to. Just don't look like a cop and you'd be surprised at what you can find if you ask around.
There was a wide range of views.
Older people (40+) tended either to moderately disapprove, or to be very tolerant. Younger people (25-35) were more extreme; they either strongly defended the place as you do, or were definitely against it. I haven't asked enough youths to be able to generalize. People from Copenhagen were often less tolerant than those from Funen or Jutland.
I think it depends when people last saw it, how often, and in what circumstances they visited.
Going on a wet November evening just to buy drugs isn't great, it feels dodgy. Warm summer evenings are nice -- just like everywhere else in Denmark. Pusher Street felt very tense a couple of years ago; I was approached by "security" for having a camera over my shoulder, but this summer it's very relaxed, since the stalls are open and no longer covered in camouflage netting.
That cannabis is legal-ish in some of the US isn't especially relevant. It makes as much sense to compare a Danish pub during American prohibition.
I visited Copenhagen last year and went to Christiana to see this vibe, greenness and artists. Instead I mainly saw teenagers drinking, and lots of litter. Another comment below mentioned that the legalization of drugs will hopefully bring Christiana back to what it used to be since it will not longer be the place to go get drugs.
There are a few nice places (cafes etc), but I mostly agree. Without the draw of drugs, the arty/anarchist/squat/whatever areas of other European cities are much more interesting -- populated by artists etc rather than dealers.
I thought the litter (discarded food wrappers etc) summed it up. An anarchist/hippie commune with green ideals, which can't somehow arrange picking the plastic out of the bushes.
(The former Kunsthaus Tacheles in Berlin was the best example.)
Wait until a wet Tuesday evening in October, and the police will use more force. I saw this a few times when I lived very near Christiania; it was around the time they had the problem with the serious criminal.
I'd be more tolerant of the drug market if they refused to sell cannabis to under 18s, but the dealers will sell to anyone.
A legal, age-verified, purchasing process would help a lot of places get out from under the crushing weight of tourist drug traffic, while also ensuring safety and product quality.
