Christiania held an initial public offering of sorts on Monday, allowing supporters to purchase ‘stock’ in the alternative enclave.
After striking an agreement with the state in June to purchase the land through the newly-established Christiania Fund, residents must now raise 76.2 million kroner to buy the majority of Christiania’s buildings, as well as an additional six million to rent adjoining green spaces. The first 43 million is due on 15 April 2012.
To raise the funds, Christianites have turned to selling ‘Christiania Shares’ in denominations ranging from as little as 20 kroner to as much as 10,000 kroner. According to the Christiania Folkeaktie website, the shares “are to be seen as donations supporting the buyout of the freetown and as such worth more than money”.
Share purchasers “will not have the rights of a shareholder in the traditional sense, but … will be invited to the relevant festivities, starting with a blast of a ‘general assembly’ party in 2012”, the site continues.
“We are asking for help from the many people out there that we know have sympathy for Christiania. They can help us secure the community and the economic solidarity we have always practised out here,” Risenga Manghezi, who handles Christiania’s financial affairs, told Politiken newspaper. “Even if the public shares only bring in 20 kroner, Christiania will fulfill its obligations to the state and pay the money.”
As of Tuesday evening, the sales had reportedly brought in more than 2 million korner.
