Photographed by Jonas Bang1/21After walking through the old entrance marked “You Are Now Leaving the European Union,” visitors to Christiania will see the town’s official flag. The three dots represent the three I’s in Christiania.
Photographed by Jonas Bang2/21Anna Böving raised two boys in Christiania after moving to the area in 1967. She has fixed up her home over the years, but is protective of the history of her community. When asked about her style she replied, “I have nothing new—I think I bought this shirt maybe 10 years ago.”
Photographed by Jonas Bang3/21Böving’s home is filled with piles of pictures and pieces of clothing and jewelry collectsed on her various travels around the world, including some showpieces. “I have all of these beautiful kimonos from an old Japanese boyfriend I had in 1975.”
Photographed by Jonas Bang4/21Shoes line Böving’s hallways.
Photographed by Jonas Bang5/21Her son’s soccer jersey from the Christiania Sports Club.
Photographed by Jonas Bang6/21The community’s clothing swap, called the “stick,” is open and free for anyone to come and go as they please. You can drop off and pick up anything you like, and this is where the majority of residents procure their clothes.
Photographed by Jonas Bang7/21The Factory is a cinema and community center hosting film screenings (or Game of Thrones viewing parties), as well as an educational speaker series called “Cocktails and Science.” The top floor is where Maxime Danos and Marina Labowski live with around 20 others.
Photographed by Jonas Bang8/21Some people dress wildly in Christiania, whether it’s a woman in a glittery costume or a man with a fancy joint holder and zoot suit, but Danos, who was born and raised here says, “I don’t think it’s weird—to us it’s completely normal.”
Photographed by Jonas Bang9/21The coat racks inside the Factory are lined with shared belongings.
Photographed by Jonas Bang10/21“Before I came to Christiania for the first time as a teenager, I just thought Oh, if you go in there you’re going to step on a needle and die,” Labowski, who is a tour guide in the commune, says. “That’s a really common misconception about where we live.”
Photographed by Jonas Bang11/21Labowski’s room in the Factory is decorated with costume jewelry, Dr. Martens, and faux fur coats. “I almost never leave Christiania,” she says. “But when I do, I feel like I have to think about the way I dress. Copenhagen is very black and white, and so it’s not like I can throw on my big yellow ball gown, which I’d wear to just sit here in the garden.”
Photographed by Jonas Bang12/21Labowski’s white shag jacket and purple fringe bag hang next to her work nook. Around the corner underneath her lofted bed, she set up a cozy hideaway for playing her beloved video games.
Photographed by Jonas Bang13/21Dianelys Gonzalez (left) is the daughter of Morten (center). His friend Asterix is playing the guitar outside of the market inside Christiania. Gonzalez was born and raised in the freetown but moved out for school and has recently moved back.
Photographed by Jonas Bang14/21A home tucked away in one of the secret gardens that dot the 84 acres of land occupied by Christiania.
Photographed by Jonas Bang15/21Olga Christensen has lived in Christiania for 38 years and raised three children here. “When I came here, we didn’t have water or electricity for the first eight years,” she explains. She used to make natural beauty products before settling in as a teacher at a school near but not in the commune. She’s also tried her hand at dressmaking: “The dress I’m wearing, I bought in Amsterdam and then tried to recreate myself. I did it and everyone believed it was the same dress, but I understand now why clothes are so expensive—designing is hard work!”
Photographed by Jonas Bang16/21Everyone in Christiania knows the woman on roller skates. Her name is Tanja Zabell and she’s a trained belly dancer and performer.
Photographed by Jonas Bang17/21A few of Zabell’s embellished belly dancing outfits from Egypt hang in her windows.
Photographed by Jonas Bang18/21“The worst thing for me is when people are too early to my home,” Zabell says laughing. “I’m usually still in the process of figuring out what to wear. People tell me, ‘Oh, just be casual,’ but I can’t—I’m always in a strange outfit.”
Photographed by Jonas Bang19/21“This is one of my favorite dresses to wear while roller skating,” Zabell notes. “I like to skate around Christiania and see everyone. I’ve been in freetown about five years, and I came in the first place because to me, I feel like I have the whole world here.”
Photographed by Jonas Bang20/21Helene Forchhammer, wearing an H&M dress and a jacket made by one of her friends, is a born and bred Christianian who now lives in the city of Copenhagen (she was raised in the same communal living space that Labowski and Danos now live in). Unlike her parents or the people she grew up with, she has something of a shopping addiction. “Sometimes I like to be very girly and other times, I’m more hip-hop,” she says of her style. “I am rebellious to my parents because I like to buy things and spend money on clothes. Some kids who grew up here rebel against the hippie lifestyle by adopting a black and white uniform. I like the sort of ‘flower power’ notion of wearing a lot of color.”
Photographed by Jonas Bang21/21A woman lounging in the sun outside of her home.
