Stahlstraße

The Stahlstraße is a street in the western district of Essen Germany. It is the city's red-light district.[1] Stahlstraße is a dead end has a privacy screen across its entrance. It is located northwest of the city centre, about 200 metres southwest of the University of Duisburg-Essen[2] (built in 1972) and 300 metres northwest of the Limbecker Platz shopping centre (built in 2008/2009).

Stahlstraße
Street in Essen, Germany
Location in Germany
Former name(s)Heilig-Geist-Straße
NamesakeKrupp Steel Works
LocationWestern District, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Coordinates51.461447°N 7.002046°E / 51.461447; 7.002046
FromNordhofstraße
Other
Known forProstitution

History

The street has been associated with prostitution since around 1900, at that time under the name Heilig-Geist-Straße. The street was renamed Stahlstraße (Steel Street) in honour of the Essen steel company Krupp It is regarded as one of the oldest red-light districts in Germany.[2]

After the introduction of the Gesetz zur Bekämpfung der Geschlechtskrankheiten (Venereal Disease Control Act) in 1927, Essen police took control of the entrance to Stahlstraße and took down the names of men entering the street. This practice was stopped only after the intervention of Minister of the Interior, Albert Grzesinski.[3]

In 1965, the magazine Der Spiegel reported Stahlstraße had 17 brothels with a total workforce of over 200 prostitutes on occasions. The prostitutes including included those from Italy, the Netherlands and France.[4]

Modern times

In 2013, the 17 brothels in Stahlstraße were reported to employ about 100 to 120 women.[2]

The outlaw motorcycle club Bandidos have influence over the Stahlstraße. According to the Essen police spokesman Ulrich Faßbender, in 2013 the Bandidos had no competition in the street from other bike gangs[5] although in February 2012, some of the Bandidos were injured during a stabbing in the Stahlstraße.[6]

In January 2020 police, supported by customs, immigration, tax and regulatory officers, raided all 17 brothels on the street. One brothel was closed by officers for failing to meet hygiene requirements. Over 80 prostitutes were interviewed investigating sex-trafficking of East European women.[7][8]

Prostitution in Stahlstraße was temporarily suspended in mid-March 2020 as part of the preventative measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.[9][10]

See also

References
  1. Schweer, Thomas; Strasser, Hermann; Zdun, Steffen (2008). "Das da draußen ist ein Zoo, und wir sind die Dompteure": Polizisten im Konflikt mit ethnischen Minderheiten und sozialen Randgruppen ["It's a zoo out there and we're the trainers": police officers in conflict with ethnic minorities and marginalized social groups] (in German). Springer-Verlag. p. 93. ISBN 978-3-531-90962-2.
  2. "Stahlstrasse Essen". www.essen-stahlstrasse.de (in German). Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  3. Roos, Julia (2010). Weimar Through the Lens of Gender: Prostitution Reform, Woman's Emancipation, and German Democracy, 1919-33. University of Michigan Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-472-11734-5.
  4. Morlock, Martin (4 July 1965). "Stahlstrasse 47-60". www.spiegel.de (in German). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  5. Kober, Stefan (8 March 2013). "In Essen bitten die Bandidos beim Fat Mexican City-Run Meeting zum Kinderschminken" [In Essen, the Bandidos ask for face painting at the Fat Mexican City-Run Meeting]. www.derwesten.de (in German). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  6. "Rocker-Krieg!, Vier Bandidos im Essener Puff-Viertel niedergestochen" [Rocker War! Four Bandidos stabbed in the Essen Puff Quarter]. bild.de (in German). 20 February 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  7. "Großrazzia im Rotlichtviertel in Essen: Ermittler mit Ekel-Verdacht!" [Major raid in the red light district in Essen: Investigators suspected disgust!]. www.derwesten.de (in German). 1 February 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  8. ""Unhaltbare Zustände": Ermittler machen Bordell nach Rotlicht-Razzia sofort dicht" ["Unsustainable Conditions": Investigators immediately shut down bread after the red light raid]. FOCUS Online (in German). 1 February 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  9. "Corona in NRW: Meldungen von Mittwoch (01. April)" [Corona in NRW: News from Wednesday (April 1st)]. www.nrz.de (in German). 2 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  10. Maibaum, Jörg (17 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Stadt Essen mobilisiert zehn Kontrollteams" [Coronavirus: City of Essen mobilizes ten control teams]. www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
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