The Red Barracks

When the S-train station “Ny Ellebjerg Station” were the lines E and A are passing by has matters a split of an area which in daily rounds is called “De Røde Barakker”. The red Swedish houses all in red were building after the Second World War as temporary homes for Copenhagen municipality. But they weren’t just temporary because in 1960’s came a big number of new occupants. It was “De Rejsende” (the travellers). 

They are called “De Rejsende” because the people were travelling around with circus, fun fairs. Some were street trader and street musicians too. “De Rejsende” got the area by the Copenhagen municipality and got very free conditions, because the municipality closed “De Rejsendes” trailer park at Blushøjvej, Valby Copenhagen. 

Today is it not only “De Rejsende” who are living in “De Røde Barakker” because in 1998 were the houses changed from being municipal rental houses to be cooperative houses. But still when you for the first time are seeing the houses from the S-train E or A your first thought might be that the houses is allotments. 

December 2011