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Im Winkel, together with ''Gußstahlstraße'', has been the
The collection of brothels is designed in the style of a square surrounded by shop windows. Depending on the time of day, 50 to 100
red-light district
A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...
of Bochum
Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...
, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, since the early part of the 20th century. The local names for the street are "''Eierberg''", "''Gurke''" (cucumber, due to its length), "''Riemenschleifer''" (belt-grinder) or "''Riemenwalzwerk''" (belt rolling mill).
History
TheHamme
Hamme () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the settlements of Hamme proper, Kastel Moerzeke, and . In 2018, Hamme had a total population of 24,827. ...
district in Bochum had at least eight brothel
A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
s by the railway tracks on Kurzen Straße (now Sophienstraße) in 1904. In 1912, the ''Märkischer Sprecher'' newspaper reported on the city's plans to allow "regulated brothel
A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
operations only in the immediate vicinity of the city centre" on what was then Maarbrücker Straße, the street name being changed to Im Winkel in 1929.
Modern times
The collection of brothels is designed in the style of a square surrounded by shop windows. Depending on the time of day, 50 to 100 prostitute
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...
s offer their services there. A Laufhaus
A laufhaus is a building with apartments that sex workers can rent and use as their base of operation. Laufhauses are very popular types of brothels in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a ...
was built at a cost of a million euros and was opened in 2009. The property has 40 rooms on several floors and a pizzeria. The Laufhaus is known locally as the "Eierberg".
The city of Bochum's restricted district ordinance of January 21, 2003 limits prostitution to Im Winkel. On May 31, 2006, the Gelsenkirchen Administrative Court criticised that the wording of the ordinance did not describe the boundaries of the restricted area precisely enough.
Im Winkel is located in the Bochum-Mitte district, close proximity to the site of the mining group ''Bochum Association'' of West Park and the Centennial Hall.
The organic structural structure of the location can be described as a special feature, since an almost village atmosphere is created by several alleys and squares.
The ''Madonna Association'' (Madonna e.V.) offers on-site advice for prostitutes. ''Madonna'' was founded in 1991 and is jointly funded by the North Rhine-Westphalia Senate and the city of Bochum. Following the enlargement of the EU in 2007, the number of foreign prostitutes working in the area increased. A 2008 investigation into an international prostitution ring based in Bochum led to the discovery of match-fixing and ultimately to the 2009 European football match-fixing scandal.
In 2013 ''Madonna'' reported that 60% of the prostitutes in the area are from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
, especially Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
.
See also
*Prostitution in Germany
Prostitution in Germany is legal, as are other aspects of the sex industry, including brothels, advertisement, and job offers through HR companies. Full-service sex work is widespread and regulated by the German government, which levies ta ...
References
{{Prostitution in Germany, state=collapsed Bochum Streets in Germany Red-light districts in Germany