Museum of Prostitution
The Museum of Prostitution in Amsterdam is located in the middle of the red light district ( De Wallen ) of Amsterdam city center at Oudezijds achterburgwal 60. It opened in February 2014.
The museum shows the history of prostitution in Amsterdam since the 14th century, from its “heyday” in the 17th century, to the repression against prostitution at the beginning of the 18th century, the controlled prostitution during the Napoleonic occupation from 1795, its ban in the late 19th century until the official legalization in 2000. The economic conditions of the prostitutes who pay up to 150 euros rent per window seat for a 10-hour shift, as well as the legal conditions to be allowed to pursue prostitution legally, are also presented. The exhibition also does not hide the series of murders of Amsterdam prostitutes in the 1950s. The focus of the exhibition, however, is the representation of the internal brothel operation. After a room with an introductory film about the everyday life of a prostitute, the corridor leads through an office that was used to rent rooms to the users. On the first floor facing the window, visitors can sit on a bar stool and take the perspective of a prostitute waiting for customers. The next room is used for the actual exercise and is equipped with a bed and a bathtub for two people. The last rooms give glimpses of the prostitute's life, with regard to their origin, motives and goals and contain a shop for souvenirs, including a small museum guide.
