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 .
18-458: 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),
36-1110: A red-light district in Japanese is akasen ( 赤線 ) , literally meaning "red-line". Japanese police drew a red line on maps to indicate the boundaries of legal red-light districts. In Japanese, the term aosen ( 青線 ) , literally meaning "blue-line", also exists, indicating an illegal district. In the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the term "sporting district" became popular for legal red-light districts. Municipal governments typically defined such districts explicitly to contain and regulate prostitution. In WWI (circa 1915), "Brothels displayed blue lamps if they were for officers and red lamps for other ranks." Some red-light districts (such as De Wallen , Netherlands, or Reeperbahn , Germany) are places that are officially designated by authorities for legal and regulated prostitution. Often, these red-light districts were formed by authorities to help regulate prostitution and other related activities, such that they were confined to
54-491: A single area. Some red-light districts (such as those in The Hague ) are under video surveillance. This can help counter illegal forms of prostitution (such as child prostitution ), in these areas that do allow regular prostitution to occur. [REDACTED] Media related to Red-light districts at Wikimedia Commons Aosen Akasen ( 赤線 ) was the Japanese slang term for districts historically engaged in
72-651: The American Old West originated in Dodge City, Kansas , home to a well-known prostitution district during the 19th century, which included the Red Light House saloon. This has not been proven, but the Dodge City use was likely responsible for the term's pervasiveness. A widespread folk etymology claims that early railroad workers took red lanterns with them when they visited brothels so their crew could find them in
90-571: The sex work industry in Japan , specifically within the time period of January 1946 through to March 1958. The term 'akasen' literally translates as "red-line". Though similar to another term previously used for red-light districts, " yūkaku " , 'akasen' was used as a collective term for red-light districts only between 1946 and 1958, following an issue ordered by GHQ (SCAPIN 642) nationwide to abolish Japan's legalised system of sex work. Another term, 'aosen' ( 青線 , lit. "blue-line"') ,
108-603: 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
126-488: The counterpart "non-permitted districts" were known as aosen (blue-line) districts. In practice, "aosen" and "akasen" referred to the colors on municipal zoning maps that outlined brothel districts ( akasen ) and "normal" entertainment districts ( aosen ). The precursor of akasen districts were yūkaku ( 遊廓 ) , legal red-light districts in Japan where both brothels and sex workers (known collectively as yūjo ( 遊女 , lit. "woman of pleasure") ,
144-620: The criminalisation of sex work, by the beginning of the 21st century, businesses such as soaplands ( ソープランド , sōpurando ) and fashion health ( ファッションヘルス , fashion herusu ) massage parlours had come into existence, regulated under the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Law Act ( 風俗営業等の規制及び業務の適正化等に関する法律 ) , also known as Fūzoku Eigyō Torishimari Hō ( 風俗営業取締法 ) or fueiho . These businesses, which avoid criminalisation through offering only non-coital sex acts, are required to file
162-425: The designated regions for state-regulated sex work. Due to GHQ orders, brothels - often numbering in their hundreds - began to front non-adult faces of their businesses (such as coffee shops, cafés and beer halls), but would offer sexual services to customers, creating new avenues for the sex industry to continue, especially in popular districts such as Yoshiwara , the akasen region of Tokyo . However, following
180-414: The effect of disbanding the short-lived Recreation and Amusement Association , which had, for a period of one year, worked to ensure that sex workers were not abused and exploited by stationed American soldiers, amongst other things. Despite the increased restrictions and the restructuring of the sex work industry, commercial brothels continued to operate within the law, with akasen districts remaining
198-402: The event of an emergency. However, folklorist Barbara Mikkelson regards this as unfounded. A more plausible explanation might originate from the time when sailors came back from sea to Amsterdam ( c. 1650 ): Women working as prostitutes, deprived of proper hygiene and running fresh water, carrying red lanterns — with their color camouflaging boils, zits, inequalities in the face and on
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#1732855354388216-674: The higher ranks of which were known as oiran ( 花魁 ) ) recognised by the Japanese government operated. In January 1946, GHQ issued an order (SCAPIN 642) nationwide to abolish this licensed sex work system. This had a number of impacts on yūkaku areas, the largest of which was the yūkaku being renamed as "akasen" ( 赤線 ) districts. Brothels had to rename themselves as either cafés ( カフェ ) or ryōtei ( 料亭 ) , sex workers were no longer bound by state-guaranteed contracts, and all known houses of sex work were declared to have "Off Limits" status by SCAP GHQ. The order also had
234-567: The partial disbanding of traditional red-light areas, formerly law-abiding akasen sex work businesses began operating within aosen areas, creating difficulties for the SCAP to identify brothels and continue its "Off Limits" policy. In 1958, the Anti-Prostitution Law ( 売春防止法 , baishun-bōshi-hō ) was enforced, thus officially abolishing legalised sex work, the red-light akasen districts and their label of 'akasen' . Despite
252-536: 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
270-521: The red-light district was like in the 1960s. Red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses , such as sex shops , strip clubs , and adult theaters , are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particularly associated with female street prostitution , though in some cities, these areas may coincide with spaces of male prostitution and gay venues. Areas in many big cities around
288-421: The skin — made clear they were available as women of pleasure. Sailors, finally getting their relative royal pay, having been at sea for quite some time and looking for relief could so easily spot who would be available. In a later stage, the red lanterns evolved into red lights at brothels. Since this was close to the main harbor, this district became known as the red-light district: One of the many terms used for
306-585: The world have acquired an international reputation as red-light districts. Red-light districts are mentioned in the 1882 minutes of a Woman's Christian Temperance Union meeting in the United States. The Oxford English Dictionary records the earliest known appearance of the term "red light district" in print as an 1894 article from the Sandusky Register , a newspaper in Sandusky, Ohio . Author Paul Wellman suggests that this and other terms associated with
324-452: Was used for "non-permitted" or "non-legal" sex industry districts. In Tokyo, the area directly across the Sumida river from Yoshiwara (Tamanoi, now called Higashi Mukōjima) was a well-known aosen district; it features in some of Kafū Nagai 's short stories. The term 'akasen' is often compared directly with the term " red-light district " in the west. However, this does not explain why
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