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De Wallen

Neighbourhoods of AmsterdamRed-light districts in the Netherlands
Red light district of Amsterdam by day. 2012
Red light district of Amsterdam by day. 2012

De Wallen (Dutch pronunciation: [də ˈʋɑlə(n)]) or De Walletjes (Dutch pronunciation: [də ˈʋɑləcəs]) was the largest and best known red-light district in Amsterdam prior to being temporarily shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It consists of a network of alleys containing approximately three hundred one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights and blacklight. Window prostitution is the most visible and typical kind of red-light district sex work in Amsterdam. De Wallen, together with the prostitution areas Singelgebied and Ruysdaelkade, form the Rosse Buurt (red-light areas) of Amsterdam. Of these De Wallen is the oldest and largest area. It is one of the city's major tourist attractions and the government of Amsterdam is examining ways to limit tourist numbers.The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops that sell cannabis.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article De Wallen (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

De Wallen
Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Amsterdam Centrum

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Wikipedia: De WallenContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.373416666667 ° E 4.8980555555556 °
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de Wallen

Oudezijds Achterburgwal
1012 DM Amsterdam, Centrum
North Holland, Netherlands
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Red light district of Amsterdam by day. 2012
Red light district of Amsterdam by day. 2012
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Oudekerksplein
Oudekerksplein

The Oudekerksplein (English: Old Church's Square) is a square in the centre of Amsterdam. It is named after the 14th-century church Oude Kerk which dominates the square. The Oudekerksplein is wedged between the Warmoesstraat street and Oudezijds Voorburgwal canal. From the square, the Oudekerksbrug bridge crosses the Oudezijds Voorburgwal canal and continues eastwards, through the Oudekennissteeg and Molensteeg alleys, towards the Oudezijds Achterburgwal and Zeedijk. Originally the Oudekerksplein was a graveyard. In 1655, the graveyard was cleared and moved to a new location beyond the city limits, creating the present square. The Oudekerksplein lies at the heart of the red-light district of De Wallen. Along the square are some 35 windows from behind which prostitutes offer their services. As part of the so-called Project 1012 (first presented in 2007), the Amsterdam city government is trying to reduce the number of prostitutes on Oudekerksplein. The city wants to remove all brothels from the square and replace them with restaurants, shops, artists' workshops, and such. As part of the plans, the cannabis coffee shop on Oudekerksplein would also be closed. In March 2019, it was announced that the city is to ban guided tours of the red-light district from January 2020. There are reported to be over 1,000 such tours passing through Oudekerksplein each week.A statue titled "Belle", honouring the prostitutes of the world, was placed on the square in 2007. The plaque on this statue reads (in English): "Respect sex workers all over the world". The street also has a bronze relief of a hand caressing a female breast. The sculpture was set in the cobblestone in February 1993 by an anonymous artist. The 1968 Dutch documentary film Rondom het Oudekerksplein ("Around the Oudekerksplein") gave an impression of what life in the red-light district was like in the 1960s.