Christiania — A Historical Retrospective

Galerie S:t Petri in Lund presents a brief historical look at the “Free Town Christiania” in Copenhagen, using material from the gallery’s Archive of Experimental and Marginal Art. The exhibition runs from April 30 to May 14, 1976.

The most significant aspect of Christiania’s culture has its origins in the youth rebellions that began in Denmark about ten years earlier. Alienation, distrust of authority, and of society as a whole were not only Danish phenomena at that time — the entire Western world experienced massive youth revolts at the end of the 1960s.

In Denmark, this desire for liberation led to the creation of Christiania. “Let us try our own conditions, create with our hearts a society, a way of living together with norms, rules, faith, and all that — without having a ready-made model from the start.” This was the reasoning behind the founding of Christiania in 1970/71. In some respects, it may have succeeded; in others, it failed. But as a social experiment, the activities have certainly provided everyone — both inside and outside the area — with valuable experiences.

Over the years, many activities have taken place within this “free town,” located in a former military area. Various kinds of work are carried out — in the bakery, the information office, the bathhouse, the kindergarten, etc. Several newspapers are published by Christiania. Posters and handwritten bulletins are also used as means of communication. For a while, there was even a local radio transmitter.

The exhibition at Galerie S:t Petri presents reflections and thoughts from active residents of Christiania, as well as from external observers.

The gallery is open weekdays 15:00–20:00, Saturdays and Sundays 12:00–17:00.