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97-583: Salon Kitty was a high-class Berlin brothel used by the Nazi intelligence service, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), for espionage purposes during World War II . Created in the early 1930s by Katharina "Kitty" Schmidt, the salon was taken over by Nazi secret service and senior SS officer Reinhard Heydrich and operated by his subordinate Walter Schellenberg in 1939. The brothel was overtly managed by original owner Kitty Schmidt throughout its existence. The plan

194-600: A German fraudster and petty criminal's unwilling World War II service in the SS, prominently features the salon. In the first episode, Schultz is given the job of staffing the listening post in the brothel's basement and recording the conversations picked up by the hidden microphones. The concept of the Gestapo using a brothel full of spies to find traitors within the Nazi regime has been recycled several times in various European Nazi exploitation films. Brothel On 2 December 1949,

291-461: A bomber squadron commander. He received two silver medals of valor and reached the rank of captain. His future opponent Alessandro Pavolini served in the same squadron as a lieutenant. Upon his highly trumpeted return from the war as a "hero" in 1936, he was appointed by Mussolini as replacement Foreign Minister . Ciano began to keep a diary a short time after his appointment and kept it active up to his 1943 dismissal as foreign minister. In 1937, he

388-546: A bouncer. The typical brothel contained several bedrooms, all furnished. Some upscale brothels were much larger; such is the case with that owned by Mary Ann Hall of Arlington, Virginia . It is described as "a rather grand house with twenty-five rooms and was enclosed by a brick wall. The interior was elegantly furnished. The principal rooms on the first floor contained large oil paintings, Brussels carpets, red plush 'parlor furniture', étagères (a shelf for small ornaments), and numerous items of silver plate." An archeological dig of

485-404: A client; he enjoyed "lesbian displays" that were otherwise considered anti-social acts outside of that context. Heydrich also made a number of "inspection tours", although the microphones were turned off on those occasions. British agent Roger Wilson, under his cover identity as Romanian press secretary "Ljubo Kolchev", noticed the microphone wires while there. He became a frequent customer of

582-431: A customer used the phrase "I come from Rothenburg", she was instructed to show him the book, allow him to make his decision and call for the girl he had selected. The girl would then spend the night with the guest and depart later. Salon Kitty became even more popular when selected guests in the military and diplomatic corps were told the "secret codeword" and monitors made thousands of recordings during their visits. One of

679-431: A good businesswoman, Mary Ann purchased a lot and built a brick house. That would be the location of an upscale brothel for another 40 years, sitting right at the foot of Capitol Hill. Her brothel was very lucrative, and Mary Ann was able to buy multiple enslaved people and a summer home. She was responsible for the behavior of her prostitutes, which could prove challenging since drug abuse was common. A large focus for madams

776-449: A keeper could open a brothel. These sections of town were the precursors to so-called "red light districts". Not only did the towns restrict where a keeper could open a brothel, but they also put constraints on when the brothel could be open. For example, most brothels were forbidden to be open on Sundays and religious holidays. Some scholars believe these restrictions were enforced to make the prostitutes go to church but others argue that it

873-587: A large number of brothels and prostitutes in China. After the founding of New China, brothels were closed and prostitution and whoring were made illegal. New China treated prostitutes for sexually transmitted diseases, provided psychological counseling, taught them work skills, and arranged legitimate jobs for them to change careers. Yūkaku ( 遊廓 ) were legal red-light districts in Japanese history, where both brothels and prostitutes , known collectively as yūjo(遊女),

970-447: A larger advance payment would often be received. Though contracts of indenture often did not last more than five to ten years, the debt sometimes accrued by these women could keep them working there for much longer. Many women also died of sexually transmitted diseases, or following failed abortions, before completing their contracts. The Yinjian teahouse (阴间茶室) refers to a male brothel that provided same-sex sexual services to men during

1067-523: A particular district. Louis IX (1226–1270) designated nine streets in the Beaubourg Quartier where it would be permitted. In the early part of the 19th century, state-controlled legal brothels (then known as " maisons de tolérance " or " maisons closes ") started to appear in several French cities. By law, they had to be run by a woman (typically a former prostitute) and their external appearance had to be discreet. The maisons were required to light

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1164-429: A profession became more common, rather than just occasionally necessitated soliciting. As a result of these changes, the way prostitution was practiced changed. Many prostitutes still practiced their trade independently, but the new class of professional prostitutes created a demand for a location to do their regular business, and the brothel served this purpose. Visitors could easily find disorderly houses by opening up

1261-672: A professional field. In ancient China, brothels had different names, and each dynasty may have different names. There were also singing and dancing places in ancient China. These singing and dancing places also had different names, and the names also changed in different dynasties. Song and dance venues in ancient China were not brothels. Gējì were professional female song and dance performers, they were not prostitutes, most Geji did not engage in prostitution. Geji in ancient China catered to famous poets and nobles. In addition to performing songs and dances, they would also have these men talk about poetry and have pleasant conversations. Prostitution

1358-545: A prostitute. Women who worked in these brothels were denied Christian burial and buried in the unconsecrated graveyard known as Cross Bones . By the 16th century, the area was also home to many theatres, (including the Globe Theatre , associated with William Shakespeare ), but brothels continued to thrive. A famous London brothel of the time was Holland's Leaguer . Patrons supposedly included James I of England and his favourite, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham . It

1455-399: A red lantern when they were open (from which is derived the term red-light district ) and the prostitutes were only permitted to leave the maisons on certain days and only if accompanied by its head. By 1810, Paris alone had 180 officially approved brothels. During the first half of the 20th century, some Paris brothels, such as le Chabanais and le Sphinx , were internationally known for

1552-601: A result, his son Galeazzo was accustomed to living a high-profile and glamorous lifestyle, which he maintained almost until the end of his life. Father and son both took part in Mussolini's 1922 March on Rome . After studying Philosophy of Law at the University of Rome , Galeazzo Ciano worked briefly as a journalist before choosing a diplomatic career; soon, he served as an attaché in Rio de Janeiro. According Mrs. Milton E. Miles , in

1649-425: A shared goal: quick money. Many found themselves always indebted to their mistresses. Lack of credit made a prostitute unable to buy items necessary for her trade (powder, cosmetics, perfumes, and evening wear), and she was forced to buy them through her madam. Some madams, often former prostitutes themselves, rose to become independently wealthy. One was Mary Ann Hall of Arlington, Virginia. Clearly attractive and

1746-516: Is remembered for his Diaries 1937–1943 , a revealing daily record of his meetings with Mussolini, Hitler , Ribbentrop , foreign ambassadors and other political figures. Edda tried to barter his papers to the Germans in return for his life; Gestapo agents helped her confidant Emilio Pucci rescue some of them from Rome. Pucci was then a lieutenant in the Italian Air Force, but would find fame after

1843-754: Is well known for its red-light district and is a destination for sex tourism . Germany also has very liberal prostitution laws. The largest brothel in Europe is the Pascha in Cologne . Although the Dumas Hotel in Butte, Montana operated legally from 1890 until 1982, brothels are currently illegal throughout the United States , except in 10 rural counties in Nevada . Prostitution outside of

1940-537: The Allied invasion of Sicily . At that meeting, Mussolini announced that the Germans were thinking of evacuating the south. This led Dino Grandi to launch a blistering attack on his longtime comrade. Grandi put on the table a resolution asking King Victor Emmanuel III to resume his full constitutional powers – in effect, a vote leading to Mussolini's ousting from leadership . The motion won by an unexpectedly large margin, 19–8, with Ciano voting in favor. Mussolini's replacement

2037-731: The European Union , there is no uniform policy and no consensus on the issue; and laws vary widely from country to country. Germany and the Netherlands have the most liberal policies; in Sweden (and in Norway and Iceland outside the EU) the buying, but not selling, of sex, is illegal; in most former Communist countries the laws target the prostitutes; while in countries such as the UK (except Northern Ireland), Italy, and Spain

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2134-712: The First World War , the Second World War and the First Indochina War to supply sex services to French soldiers who were facing combat in areas where brothels were unusual, such as at the front line or in isolated garrisons. Brothels were outlawed in France in 1946; but the French Foreign Legion continued to use mobile brothels until the late 1990s. During the Second World War , women drawn from throughout

2231-650: The Holy See , and presented his credentials to Pope Pius XII on 1 March. In this role he remained in Rome, watched closely by Mussolini. The regime's position had become even more unstable by the coming summer, however, and court circles were already probing the Allied commands for some sort of agreement. On the afternoon of 24 July 1943, Mussolini summoned the Fascist Grand Council to its first meeting since 1939, prompted by

2328-617: The Italo-Ethiopian War (1935–36) and was appointed Foreign Minister on his return. Following a series of Axis defeats in the Second World War , Ciano began pushing for Italy's exit, and he was dismissed from his post as a result. He then served as ambassador to the Vatican . In July 1943, Ciano was among the members of the Grand Council of Fascism that forced Mussolini's ousting and subsequent arrest. Ciano proceeded to flee to Germany but

2425-796: The United Nations General Assembly approved the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others . The convention came into effect on 25 July 1951 and by December 2013, had been ratified by 82 states. The convention seeks to combat prostitution, which it regards as "incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person." Parties to

2522-408: The "Swedish Model" of criminalizing the buying, but not the selling, of sex. Prostitution and the operation of brothels is illegal in many countries, though known illegal brothels may be tolerated or laws not strictly enforced. Such situations exist in many parts of the world, but the region most often associated with these policies is Asia . When brothels are illegal they may nevertheless operate in

2619-753: The 1860s. The British Raj enacted the Cantonment Act of 1864 to regulate prostitution in colonial India as a matter of accepting a necessary evil so that the British soldiers could seek sexual gratification when away from their homes. The Cantonment Acts regulated and structured prostitution in the British military bases which provided for about twelve to fifteen Indian women kept in brothels called chaklas for each regiment of thousand British soldiers. They were licensed by military officials and were allowed to consort with soldiers only. Brothels in India came into life in

2716-566: The 19 licensed brothels operating in 6 of those 10 counties is illegal throughout the state. All forms of prostitution are illegal in Clark County , which contains the Las Vegas–Paradise metropolitan area . The earliest recorded mention of prostitution as an occupation appears in Sumerian records from c.  2400 BCE and describes a temple-bordello operated by Sumerian priests in

2813-570: The 1920s in Beijing Ciano met Wallis Simpson , later the Duchess of Windsor , had an affair with her, and left her pregnant, leading to a botched abortion that left her infertile. The rumor was later widespread but never substantiated and Ciano's wife, Edda Mussolini , denied it. On 24 April 1930, when he was 27 years old, Ciano married Benito Mussolini 's daughter Edda Mussolini , and they had three children (Fabrizio, Raimonda and Marzio), though he

2910-559: The Axis defeat in North Africa, other major setbacks on the Eastern Front , and with an Anglo-American assault on Sicily looming, Ciano turned against the doomed war and actively pushed for Italy's exit from the conflict. He was silenced by being removed from his post as foreign minister. The rest of the cabinet was removed as well on 5 February 1943. Ciano was offered the post of ambassador to

3007-805: The Edo period in Japan. Male prostitutes in brothels mainly serve male customers, but occasionally there are a few female customers. Male prostitutes in male brothels are generally between 13 and 20 years old. In Japanese history, many geishas were not prostitutes, and geisha houses were different from brothels. The geisha of Japan emphasized good table manners, artistic skills, elegant styling, and sophisticated, tactical conversational skills. In Korean history, there were brothels where prostitutes worked as prostitution. There are also kisaeng performing arts venues that provide performances. The governments of many Indian princely states had regulated prostitution in India prior to

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3104-548: The Far East were forced into sexual slavery by the occupation armies of Imperial Japan in brothels known as Ianjo . These women were referred to as " comfort women " (kanji=慰安婦; hiragana=いあんふ; Korean=위안부). During the Second World War in Europe, Nazi Germany created military brothels where an estimated 34,140 enslaved women from Nazi-occupied Europe, particularly Poland, were forced to work as prostitutes in brothels. After

3201-551: The Germans for their exclusive use; some had made a great deal of money by catering for German officers and soldiers. One brothel in the Montmartre District of the French capital was part of an escape network for POWs and downed airmen. Italy made brothels illegal in 1959. The 2010s decade has seen the introduction of sex dolls and sexbots on the premises of some brothels. Prostitution has existed in ancient China, but it

3298-563: The Hotel Marigny were, however, subject to frequent police raids, perhaps indicating less tolerance for them from the authorities. In most European countries, brothels were made illegal after World War II. France outlawed brothels in 1946, after a campaign by Marthe Richard . The backlash against them was in part due to their wartime collaboration with the Germans during the occupation of France . Twenty-two Paris brothels had been commandeered by

3395-507: The Italian merchant navy in the 1920s. Costanzo Ciano was not above extracting private profit from his public office. He would use his influence to depress the stock of a company, after which he would buy a controlling interest, then increase his wealth after its value rebounded. Among other holdings, Costanzo Ciano owned a newspaper, farmland in Tuscany and other properties worth huge sums of money. As

3492-554: The Japanese surrender following the Second World War, the Japanese government formed the Recreation and Amusement Association and recruited 55,000 of its "patriotic women" to "sacrifice themselves" to the G.I. occupation, to protect the chastity of pure Japanese womenfolk. In South Korea, women who worked as prostitutes for UN forces were called Western princesses . Between the 1950s and 1960s, 60% of South Korean prostitutes worked near

3589-683: The US military bases . Since the mid-1990s, Filipina women have worked as prostitutes for U.S. servicemen in South Korea. In 2010, the Philippine government stopped approving contracts that promoters use to bring Filipinas to South Korea to work near U.S. military bases. A number of brothels offering only sex dolls exist in Japan. There is also one in Barcelona, and one named Bordoll opened in Germany. Another

3686-509: The act of prostitution is not itself illegal, but soliciting, pimping and brothels are, making it difficult to engage in prostitution without breaking any law. The European Women's Lobby condemns prostitution as "an intolerable form of male violence" and supports the "Swedish model". In February 2014, the members of the European Parliament voted in a non-binding resolution, (adopted by 343 votes to 139; with 105 abstentions), in favor of

3783-496: The appearance of effective contraception , infanticide was common in brothels. Unlike usual infanticide—where girls were more likely to be killed at birth— a brothel site at Ashkelon in Israel revealed that nearly all of the babies were boys. Cities first began setting up municipal brothels between 1350 and 1450 CE. Municipalities often owned, operated, and regulated the legal brothels. Governments would designate certain streets where

3880-510: The area outside of Mary Ann Hall's estate revealed refuse of a quality superior to that in surrounding working-class areas. This included many champagne bottles and corks, wire cages from such bottles, perfume bottles, high-quality porcelain with gilt edging, along with remnants of exotic foods—coconut shells and berry seeds, bones from beef, fish, and pork indicating that elegant meals were being eaten at this high-class brothel. These "five and ten-dollar parlor houses" attracted wealthy men, who used

3977-402: The brothel keeper for the basic necessities of room and board, clothes, and toiletries. Room and board pricing was often set by the local government but the price for everything else could add up to a common woman's entire earnings. Prostitutes were sometimes prohibited from having a special lover. Some regulations put on prostitutes were made to protect their clients. A woman was kicked out if she

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4074-490: The brothel, including the sheets, which had to be changed several times in an evening, and a stock of wines and liquors for clientele. She was the boss of the brothel and so a madam fired and hired servants, maids, and prostitutes. New faces in the brothel were desired by patrons and so madams had to find new women to recruit. Sometimes, that meant taking in a less-than-desired woman but one with youth and good looks. The "new" prostitute received training, cosmetics, and clothes from

4171-626: The city of Uruk . The 'kakum' or temple was dedicated to the goddess Ishtar and housed three classes of women. The first group performed only in the temple sex-rites; the second group had the run of the grounds and catered to its visitors as well, and the third and lowest class lived on the temple grounds but were free to seek out customers in the streets. In later years, sacred prostitution and similar classifications of women existed in Greece, Rome, India, China, and Japan. State brothels/bordellos with regulated prices existed in ancient Athens , created by

4268-410: The city of New Orleans as such: "The extent of licentiousness and prostitution here is truly appalling and doubtless without a parallel in the whole civilized world. The indulgence and practice are so general and common that men seldom seek to cover up their acts or go in disguise." The average house held five to twenty working girls; some higher-end brothels also employed staff servants, musicians, and

4365-432: The city." Brothels were commonly referred to as "disorderly houses", and their residents were called by many names, some euphemistic —e.g., abandoned woman , bawd good-time daisy , fallen angel , fille de joie , jeweled bird , lady of the evening , shady lady , soiled dove , wanton woman , and woman of the town —and some less kind—e.g., hooker , slut , and whore . As the 19th century went on, prostitution as

4462-522: The convention agreed to abolish regulation of individual prostitutes, and to ban brothels and procuring . Some countries not parties to the convention also ban prostitution or the operation of brothels. Various United Nations commissions, however, have differing positions on the issue. For example, in 2012, a Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) convened by Ban Ki-moon and backed by United Nations Development Programme and UNAIDS, recommended decriminalization of brothels and procuring. In

4559-454: The customers was Galeazzo Ciano , son-in-law of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Foreign Minister of Fascist Italy , whose forthright opinions about the Führer were not particularly positive. Another visitor, SS General Sepp Dietrich , wanted all the 20 special girls for an all-night orgy , but he revealed no secrets. Additionally, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels has been marked as

4656-494: The decreased number of clientele. Salon Kitty has been the inspiration or subject of brothels featured in films involving Nazi espionage. In the 1930s, "Salon Kitty" was a high-class brothel at 11 Giesebrechtstrasse in Charlottenburg , a wealthy district of Berlin . Its usual clientele included German dignitaries, foreign diplomats , top industrialists, high-ranking civil servants and senior Nazi Party members. Its madame

4753-612: The disease home and infect morally upright people. From the 12th century, brothels in London were located in a district known as the Liberty of the Clink . This area was traditionally under the authority of the Bishop of Winchester , not the civil authorities. From 1161, the bishop was granted the power to license prostitutes and brothels in the district. This gave rise to the slang term Winchester Goose for

4850-645: The early 1920s, when dance styles in states like Maharashtra , such as Lavani , and dance-drama performance artists, called Tamasha artists, starting working as prostitutes. Such professions were strongly connected to caste and income levels. From 1911 to 1913, the United States Department of Justice counted the numbers of prostitutes in brothels to use the data against the much-feared " White Slave Traffic ". This effort collected information from 318 cities of 26 Eastern states. It estimated about 100,000 women to be working in brothels, yet some estimated

4947-671: The existence of licensed brothels does not stop illegal brothels from operating. According to a report in the Australian Daily Telegraph , illegal brothels in Sydney in 2009 outnumbered licensed operations by four to one; while in Queensland only 10% of prostitution happens in licensed brothels, with the rest being either independent sex workers (which is legal) or illegal operations. The introduction of legal brothels in Queensland

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5044-410: The facilities much as a gentlemen's social club, where they made business and political connections, met with associates and had exquisite dinners with wine, champagne, and women. Brothels were not only for the wealthy. "One-dollar houses" were visited by those of the working class. A 1910 Kansas vice report compares the two: "A few brothels were equipped with expensive furniture and furnishings including

5141-694: The finest of upholstered chairs, well-done paintings, and costly rugs, while others were hovels of repulsive squalor." Women joined brothels from all walks of life. The average prostitute was approximately 21, but many were as young as 13 or as old as 50. Typically thought of as an escape for young, poor, troubled women, brothels sometimes attracted those less expected. Trained musicians and singers sometimes were lured into it by their interest in easy money and fun times. Some others turned to brothels to get out of boring, abusive, or otherwise unfulfilling marriages. Although they might be from varied classes, ethnicities, and ages, most women who began or joined brothels had

5238-530: The guise of a legitimate business, such as massage parlors, saunas or spas. In a few countries, prostitution and operating a brothel is legal and regulated. The degree of regulation varies widely by country. Most of these countries allow brothels, at least in theory, as they are considered to be less problematic than street prostitution . In parts of Australia, brothels are legal and regulated. Regulation includes planning controls and licensing and registration requirements, and there may be other restrictions. However,

5335-474: The higher ranks of which were known as oiran recognised by the Japanese government operated. Though prostitution was, officially, legal to engage in and pay for only in these areas, there were a number of places where prostitutes and brothels operated illegally. Yoshiwara was home to some 1,750 women in the 18th century, with records of some 3,000 women from all over Japan at one time. Many were typically indentured to their brothel; if indentured by their parents,

5432-452: The issue after the assassination of Heydrich by Czechoslovak resistance in May 1942. The salon was handed back to Schmidt, with the threat that she should keep silent or face retaliation. Madame Schmidt did not talk about the matter even after the war. She died in 1954, at the age of 71, without revealing the identity of any of her former employees. The number of Gestapo recordings from the brothel

5529-444: The legendary lawmaker Solon . These brothels catered to a predominantly male clientele, with women of all ages and young men providing sexual services (see Prostitution in ancient Greece ). In ancient Rome female slaves were forced to provide sexual services for soldiers, with brothels being located close to barracks and city walls. Brothels existed everywhere. The custom was to display lit candles to signal that they were open. Before

5626-433: The living conditions of prostitutes in high-end brothels are better than those in low-end brothels. Prostitutes in high-end brothels sell sex to wealthy and educated clients, so some prostitutes will learn some art-related content. However, high-end brothels are still places of prostitution, and prostitutes also take prostitution as their main job. Their performances have a lot of pornographic content, and performances are not

5723-500: The local or statewide directories, such as the 1895 Travelers' Guide of Colorado . This 66-page manual helped the interested client decide which brothel was right for him. These manuals did not attract by using euphemistic language, and though bold by standards of the time, were not crude. Some examples read: "Twenty young ladies engaged nightly to entertain guest", and "Strangers cordially welcome". In some areas, brothels simply could not be ignored. A nineteenth-century authority describes

5820-630: The love-making rooms. For the purpose of espionage, the SS started looking for young women to work in the brothel. In a circular deemed "top secret", Schellenberg asked administrative offices in Berlin for assistance. The requirement profile read: "Wanted are women and girls, who are intelligent, multilingual, nationalistically minded and furthermore man-crazy" ( Gesucht werden Frauen und Mädchen, die intelligent, mehrsprachig, nationalistisch gesinnt und ferner mannstoll sind. ). Berlin's Sittenpolizei ("vice squad") arrested dozens of Berlin prostitutes and selected

5917-589: The luxury they provided. The French government sometimes included a visit to the Chabanais as part of the program for foreign guests of state, disguising it as a visit with the President of the Senate in the official program. The Hotel Marigny , established in 1917 in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris , was one of several that were well known for catering to gay male clients. Premises suspected of being gay brothels, including

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6014-568: The madam. A prostitute from Kansas City is recorded as saying that she is no match for the "proper" behavior and dress required for the famous Ice Palace in Chicago. Disorderly houses or any other dwelling used for purposes of selling sex or other lewd acts in the early 20th century were illegal with a few exceptions: the states of Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, and South Carolina. Penalties could range from $ 1,000 and time in jail to much smaller fines. Until recently, in several armies around

6111-424: The most attractive as potential agents to work at Salon Kitty. Among other things, they were trained to recognise military uniforms and to glean secrets from innocuous conversation. They were not told about the microphones, but had to make a report after every encounter. The ladies all had their particular attractions and had been trained to satisfy even the discerning customers. Historian Paul Roland further notes that

6208-526: The patrons were not always enforced. Government officials or police would periodically search the brothels to reduce the number of prohibited customers. However, since the government was so closely related to the church, common punishments were minor. These restrictions were put in place to protect the wives of married men from infections. Multiple restrictions were placed on the residents of brothels. One limitation prohibited prostitutes from borrowing money from their brothel keeper. Prostitutes paid high prices to

6305-512: The price of prostitution, and their job content is to engage in prostitution. Male performers who are not involved in prostitution are often reluctant to associate with such male prostitutes and openly distance themselves from them. The number of male brothels and male prostitutes is far less than that of female ones, but male brothels only sell sex to wealthy male clients. During the Republic of China, due to social unrest and other problems, there were

6402-497: The salon with a regular girl and later arranged a wiretap to three cables. After that, British intelligence heard some of the same conversations as the SD. As the war progressed, the clientele of Salon Kitty decreased. In July 1942, the building was demolished during a British air attack and the brothel had to be relocated. Within the year the SD decided to abandon the project, also due to Schellenberg no longer having to report to anyone on

6499-495: The start of the war in 1939, Ciano did not agree with Mussolini's plans and knew that Italy's armed forces were ill-prepared for a major war. When Mussolini formally declared war on France in 1940, he wrote in his diary, "I am sad, very sad. The adventure begins. May God help Italy!" Ciano became increasingly disenchanted with Nazi Germany and the course of World War II, although when the Italian regime embarked on an ill-advised "parallel war" alongside Germany, he went along, despite

6596-854: The terribly-executed Italian invasion of Greece and its subsequent setbacks. Prior to the German campaign in France in 1940, Ciano leaked a warning of imminent invasion to neutral Belgium . Throughout 1941 and thereafter, Ciano made derogatory and sarcastic comments about Mussolini behind his back and was surprised that these comments were reported to the Duce, who did not take them lightly; for his part, Ciano ignored well-meaning friends who advised moderation. On top of that, friends and acquaintances sought his protection and aid on various matters not having to do with his official position, which in turn resulted in further caustic remarks. In addition, two relatively minor incidents wounded his overblown self-importance and vanity. One

6693-464: The total number of prostitutes to be as high as 500,000. During the late nineteenth century, brothels in the United States were no secret. George Kneeland articulated his growing concern about the organized sex business in America well, saying that prostitution had grown into a "highly commercialized and profitable business that penetrated the deepest recesses of the political, cultural and economic life of

6790-577: The war as a fashion designer. When Hitler vetoed the plan, she hid the bulk of the papers at a clinic in Ramiola , near Medesano and on 9 January 1944, Pucci helped Edda escape to Switzerland with five diaries covering the war years which were then buried beneath a rose garden. The diary was first published in English in London in 1946, edited by Malcolm Muggeridge , covering 1939 to 1943. The complete English version

6887-489: The wardrobe of proper women. The restrictions placed on prostitutes were put in place not only to protect them but also nearby citizens. Because of a syphilis epidemic throughout Europe, many brothels were shut down during the end of the Middle Ages. This epidemic had been brought on by Spanish and French military pillages after the return of Christopher Columbus from the newly discovered Americas. The church and citizens alike feared that men who frequented brothels would bring

6984-401: The women who entertained members of the Nazi elite were respected ladies of Berlin's high society who were given no allowances for their "contributions" and were nearly all married to men of good financial means. In March 1940, Schmidt was told to continue business as if nothing had happened, except now she had a special book of twenty additional girls she should only show to certain clients. If

7081-462: The world, mobile brothels were attached to the army as auxiliary units, especially attached to combat units on long-term deployments abroad. Because it is a controversial subject, military brothels and the women who provided sex services in them were often designated with creative euphemisms . Examples of such jargon are la boîte à bonbons ( "the sweet box" ), replacing the term " bordel militaire de campagne ". France used mobile brothels during

7178-414: Was Pietro Badoglio , an Italian general in both World Wars. Mussolini did not expect the vote to have substantive effect, and showed up for work the next morning as usual. That afternoon, the king summoned him to Villa Savoia and dismissed him from office. Upon leaving the villa, Mussolini was arrested. Ciano was dismissed from his post by the new government of Italy put in place after his father-in-law

7275-565: Was Katharina Zammit, better known as Kitty Schmidt, who ran the brothel from its inception. Schmidt had secretly been sending money to British banks with fleeing refugees ever since the Nazis took power in Germany in January 1933. When she eventually tried to leave the country on 28 June 1939, Sicherheitsdienst (SD) agents arrested her at the Dutch border and took her to Gestapo headquarters. Once there she

7372-468: Was allegedly involved in planning the murder of the brothers Carlo and Nello Rosselli , two exiled anti-fascist activists killed in the French spa town of Bagnoles-de-l'Orne on 9 June. Also in 1937, prior to the Italian annexation in 1939, Gian Galeazzo Ciano was named an Honorary Citizen of Tirana, Albania . Before World War II , Mussolini may have been preparing Ciano to succeed him as Duce . At

7469-509: Was an Italian diplomat and politician who served as Foreign Minister in the government of his father-in-law, Benito Mussolini , from 1936 until 1943. During this period, he was widely seen as Mussolini's most probable successor as head of government. He was the son of Admiral Costanzo Ciano , a founding member of the National Fascist Party ; father and son both took part in Mussolini's March on Rome in 1922. Ciano saw action in

7566-624: Was arrested and handed over to Mussolini's new regime based in Salò, the Italian Social Republic . Mussolini ordered Ciano's death, and in January 1944 he was executed by firing squad. Ciano wrote and left behind a diary that has been used as a source by several historians, including William Shirer in his The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1960) and in the four-hour HBO documentary-drama Mussolini and I (1985). Gian Galeazzo Ciano

7663-509: Was born in Livorno , Italy, in 1903. He was the son of Costanzo Ciano and his wife Carolina Pini; his father was an Admiral and World War I hero in the Royal Italian Navy (for which service he was given the aristocratic title of Count by Victor Emmanuel III ). The elder Ciano, nicknamed Ganascia ("The Jaw"), was a founding member of the National Fascist Party and re-organizer of

7760-670: Was closed soon after because of local protest against the residents. The story of what happened at Salon Kitty first came to light in Walter Schellenberg 's memoirs, published in Germany in 1956 under the title The Labyrinth . Peter Norden later expanded the story in his 1973 book Madam Kitty . This book became the basis for the highly controversial 1976 film Salon Kitty , directed by Tinto Brass and starring Helmut Berger as Walter Schellenberg (renamed Helmut Wallenberg) and Ingrid Thulin as Kitty Schmidt (renamed Kitty Kellermann). The 1981 BBC comedy drama Private Schulz , about

7857-506: Was estimated by the Stasi (East German Security Service) to be about 25,000. Virtually all of the recordings have since been lost or destroyed due to their post-war unimportance. According to a 2005 article in Die Tageszeitung , the brothel continued to exist after World War II under the management of Schmidt's son and daughter. In the 1990s, it was turned into a home for asylum-seekers, which

7954-411: Was executed by a firing squad along with 4 others ( Emilio De Bono , Luciano Gottardi , Giovanni Marinelli and Carlo Pareschi ) who had voted for Mussolini's ousting. As a further humiliation, the condemned men were tied to chairs and shot in the back, though Ciano managed to twist his chair around at the last minute to face the firing squad before uttering his final words, "Long live Italy!" Ciano

8051-491: Was found to have a sexually transmitted disease. The prostitutes were not allowed to pull men into the brothel by their clothing, harass them in the street, or detain them over unpaid debts. Clothing worn by prostitutes was regulated and had to be distinguishable from that of respectable women. In some places, a prostitute had to have a yellow stripe on her clothing while in others red was the differentiating color. Other towns required harlots to don special headdresses or restricted

8148-491: Was his being excluded from a projected meeting between Mussolini and Franco. The other involved him being reprimanded for a rowdy celebration of an aviator in Bari; he wrote a letter to Mussolini stating that the Duce had "opened a wound in him which can never be closed." His own self-worth seemed to cloud his judgement, forgetting that he had acquired his position by marrying Mussolini's daughter. In late 1942 and early 1943, following

8245-529: Was keeping their business transactions discreet and staying on the good side of the law, which they did by contributing money to charitable organizations, schools, and churches. Despite those efforts, much of the profit still went to legal fines and fees, since prostitution was largely illegal. Timely payment of these fines could guarantee a madam that her business could continue without fear of being shut down, usually. Brothels were expected to pay significantly higher rent than other tenants. Another upscale bordello

8342-459: Was known to have had several affairs while married. Soon after their marriage, Ciano left for Shanghai to serve as Italian consul, where his wife had an affair with the Chinese warlord Zhang Xueliang . On his return to Italy in 1935, Ciano became the minister of press and propaganda in the government of his father-in-law. He volunteered for action in the Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935–36) as

8439-460: Was located in a street that still bears its name and also inspired the 1631 play, Holland's Leaguer . Charles I of England licensed a number of brothels including the Silver Cross Tavern in London, which retains its license to the modern day because it was never revoked. The authorities of Medieval Paris followed the same path as those in London and attempted to confine prostitution to

8536-504: Was overthrown. Ciano, Edda and their three children fled to Germany on 28 August 1943 in fear of being arrested by the new Italian government. The Germans turned him over to Mussolini's new government, the Italian Social Republic . He was then formally arrested on charges of treason. Under German and Fascist pressure, Mussolini had Ciano imprisoned before he was tried and found guilty. After the Verona trial and sentence, on 11 January 1944, Ciano

8633-606: Was rarely found, but they would also develop romantic relationships with these men. This Geji culture in ancient China died out systematically during the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. Male prostitution also existed in ancient China; open male brothels generally appeared in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and such male brothels were officially similar to semi-open in ancient times. Male prostitutes in male brothels will also learn some arts, but like prostitutes, they are not professional performers. Male prostitutes learn arts to increase

8730-477: Was seen by Walter Schellenberg , who at that time worked in the counter-intelligence department of the SD. He gave her an ultimatum: cooperate with the Nazis or be sent to a concentration camp . Using Salon Kitty for espionage purposes was an idea of Reinhard Heydrich , a leading SS general and police chief within Nazi Germany . Instead of infiltrating the brothel, Schellenberg took it over altogether. The idea

8827-776: Was set to open on 8 September 2018 in Toronto, Canada though it was deemed to be contrary to a by-law in the city, forcing its shutdown. Australia has recently seen its first sex doll available for use in a brothel as well. In February 2018, another opened in Aarhus, Denmark. In 2018, xDolls in Paris raised controversy in that the French government deemed it did not violate the prohibition of brothels. Galeazzo Ciano Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari ( / ˈ tʃ ɑː n oʊ / CHAH -noh , Italian: [ɡaleˈattso ˈtʃaːno] ; 18 March 1903 – 11 January 1944),

8924-567: Was the Big Brick in Charleston, South Carolina , built and operated by Grace Peixotto , the daughter of the Rev. Solomon Cohen Peixotto, and the madam of the most infamous brothel in the history of the city. A madam stayed involved in her business. Running a house with so many in it required skill. A brothel required the purchase of regular food and food preparation. A madam had to monitor the cleanliness of

9021-856: Was the politician Guan Zhong (管仲) who planned the brothel system. During the Spring and Autumn period in 645 BC, Qi politician Guan Zhong proposed to set up brothels in the city, and the operation of brothels was officially approved. As many as 700 women were entered into the brothels to work as prostitutes. Guan Zhong named this kind of brothel "Nvlv (女闾)". Most prostitutes in ancient China came from very poor families and were sold to brothels by their families to work as prostitution . Prostitutes may also be asked by their families to prostitution secretly outside brothels. Some girls are brought to brothels as children begging. There are also women who are resold to brothels by their husbands or lured to brothels by traffickers. The living conditions of prostitutes are not good, but

9118-446: Was to entertain prominent guests with wine and women, so they would disclose secrets or talk about their real opinions to ensure their support could be relied upon. The nine rooms of the salon were lavishly expanded and renovated to the highest standards of the 1930s. Schellenberg installed covert listening devices in the rooms and converted the basement into a "workshop" where five operators could make transcriptions of conversations from

9215-511: Was to help improve the safety of sex workers, punters (customers of prostitution), and the community at large and reduce crime. This may have been successful in many ways in Queensland, with The Viper Room being one of the most well known, clean, safe and most highly regarded brothels in Brisbane and Queensland. The Netherlands has one of the most liberal prostitution policies in the world, and attracts sex tourists from many other countries. Amsterdam

9312-424: Was to keep parishioners in church and out of the brothels. Either way, it was a day providing no revenue for the keeper. Although brothels were set up as a sexual outlet for men, not all men were allowed to enter them. Clerics, married men, and Jews were prohibited. Often, foreigners such as sailors and traders were the main source of revenue. Local men who frequented the brothels were mainly single; laws restricting

9409-429: Was to seduce top German dignitaries and foreign visitors, as well as diplomats, with alcohol and women so they would disclose secrets or express their honest opinions on Nazi-related topics and individuals. Guests included Heydrich himself, Joseph Dietrich , Galeazzo Ciano and Joseph Goebbels . The salon had to relocate after an air raid in 1942 but eventually as the war progressed, the project lost its importance due to

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