The activities of prostitutes in the famous "red light" district in Amsterdam are the subject of a small educational museum that will be opened on Thursday in the Dutch capital.
"The museum called "Secrets of the Red Lanterns" is intended for those who want to learn more about how the oldest profession in the world is carried out, without having to seek the services of prostitutes," said the organizer of the exhibition, Melher de Wind, reports AP.
As the content itself suggests, the museum is housed in a former public house, one of the typically narrow Amsterdam buildings.
You enter the museum by passing a hologram of a prostitute who welcomes you.
The exhibits try to determine the place of the beauties of the night in society, and a short film introduces visitors to the people who work with them.
Amsterdam prostitutes rent storefronts on a half-day basis, usually working 11-hour shifts, six days a week.
They spend most of their time waiting for clients. In their free time, they visit hair salons, do their nails and buy clothes.
The idea behind the museum was to document the history of prostitution in Amsterdam, beginning in the 16th century, when this port city was the center of the spice trade, through the Napoleonic Wars, when prostitutes were first forced to undergo regular medical examinations to prevent the spread of venereal diseases. diseases among soldiers, to the present day.
In the museum, you can also see what the "service provision" room looks like (photo: AP)
Special attention was given to the period from 2000, when prostitution became a legal activity throughout the territory of the Netherlands.
Since then, the city has been trying - many say with success - to stamp out pimps and human trafficking.
Jolanda van Deveren, who takes care of social programs for prostitutes in the city, says that the police, social and health workers, tax collectors and civil society organizations take care of the "red light" district.
A new girl who appeared in one of the windows would be noticed immediately and would have to provide proof that she was old enough and had a work permit.
According to the Dutch law, a person over the age of 21 can engage in prostitution.
Museum visitors have the opportunity to sit in a real window and take a peek into the typical "work" room of a prostitute.
Guide Ilonka Stackelboro, who is also the president of one of the city's sex workers' unions, explains that the rooms, measuring three by two meters, have a standard appearance.
They all have low and firm beds, a sink and a small cabinet with lubricants, hygiene products, condoms and sex toys.
"No perfume," Stackelboro points out and adds: "Because a man whose clothes would absorb the perfume could have problems at home."
She also discovered the mystery of whether married men are the most frequent customers.
"Various men - married and single, young and old, visit prostitutes at any time of the day. Some even before work, early in the morning," she states.
There are no rules regarding earnings either, the prettiest and youngest girls do not necessarily have the most customers or the highest earnings, as well as girls who work in elite brothels or business escort agencies.
As a rule, they have fewer clients, stay with them longer and have a lot of expenses.
The storefront in the "red light" district is rented for half a day at a price of 150 euros.
Bearing in mind that a 15-minute service of a prostitute costs an average of 50 euros, their daily earnings, after tax deduction, amount to only 150 euros for serving six clients.
About 75 percent of prostitutes come from poor countries, most often Romania and Bulgaria.
At the end of the museum is a wall with messages from prostitutes. "This job is not for the weak," says one with the signature of a certain Eva
"I feel lonely, my mother doesn't know what I do," said another written by a woman named Carmen.
Before returning to the street, visitors can write down their hidden sexual desires in a confessional-like booth.
Entrance to the museum, which is open every day from noon to midnight, costs 7,50 euros.
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