Description
Red Light Secrets - Museum of Prostitution in Amsterdam is the only museum in the world dedicated to prostitution. Here, inside the walls of a former brothel, you get to listen in on the workers' secrets, visit their "workplace", and glance into their dissolute world.
The museum's aim is to show the business from the women's point of view. At a "confrontation room", for instance, visitors can sit down on one of the stools that usually serve the prostitutes to sit behind their windows and wait for customers. Meanwhile, the visitors see a large screen showing hundreds of men passing them by - taking photos, laughing disparagingly, staring.
While Amsterdam's Erotic Museum and Venustempel Amsterdam focus on the sexual act, Red Light Secrets is more about seeing behind the curtain. The visit takes about 40 minutes.
Historical Information
Red Light Secrets is a joint initiative of the city of Amsterdam and representatives of the prostitutes, launched in 2014. Its goal was to inform visitors about the history of prostitution in the Netherlands and the sex workers' day-to-day life. It wants its visitors to gain insight they would usually be able to get only at a "real" brothel.
How to get there
The museum is located inside a historic canal house from the 17th century, at the centre of Amsterdam's red light district. Right around the corner you find Old Church, the oldest building in Amsterdam. A ten minute walk from Central Station, or a five minute walk from Dam square will take you to the museum.