Christianshavn
written by larslau
on October 8th, 2009
, one comment
(3 votes)
Christianshavn (’Christian’s Harbor’) is a neighbourhood in the innter part of Copenhagen. It got its name from its founder King Christian IV, and is actually an artificial island with an area of 3.43 square kilometers, dug out by Swedish prisoners of war. With inspiration from Dutch cities a canal was made from one end of the Copenhagen harbor to the other, which mainly serves recreational purposes today.
Christianshavn used to be a working-class neighborhood, but today it is a very hip place to live. Christianshavn is most known for the Freetown Christiania, which is a partially self-governing neighborhood established on an abandoned military base 38 years ago. Until recently cannabis was openly traded on the infamous Pusher Street of Christiania, without much involvement from authorities, but in recent years numerous police raids has taken place and today the trade of cannabis is a bit less obvious. Christiania is a very interesting place with lots of cultural events, and is a must see for tourists. (Important note: You should remember that there are strict rules about photography on Christiania, so you should pack your cam away as soon as you see a sign suggesting that you do so or someone tells you – they are not kidding!)
Apart from Christiania there are lots of things to do and see on Christianshavn. I would strongly suggest taking a canal tour and going to the Danish Architecture Center by the harbor. Christianshavn also has a lot of good places to eat, most notably the two Michelin star restaurant Noma, which in 2009 was ranked as the 3rd best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine. If this is a bit too fancy I would suggest going to the square Christianshavn Torv and going to the South Italian inspired restaurant Bottega(!!!!!!!!!LINK TO BOTTEGA LOCATION!!!!!!!!) or just for coffee and sandwiches at Lagkagehuset, which is probably the best bakery in town.
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