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Amsterdam to move the RLD out of the historic center?

Posted by (Minnesota 🎒) on

This story has popped up in multiple news sources recently; I'll link the DutchNews.nl version:

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/01/erotic-centre-to-come-in-plans-to-reset-amsterdam-inner-city/

It's no secret that the locals have gotten good and tired of badly behaved visitors, and this move, along with a proposal to restrict cannabis sales, is reported to be an effort to "attract a new kind of tourist."

The De Wallen neighborhood, where the largest RLD is located, is one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam, home to its oldest church (Oude Kerk; Rembrandt’s wife, Saskia, is buried there and it has some interesting misericords), one of its prettiest canals (Oudezijds Achterburgwal) and many attractive gabled structures along its waterways.

I've thought it sort of sad that some better-behaved visitors have given it a wide berth as it was quite nice in the early mornings - especially for shutterbugs - when there's little of the sort of activity they don't wish to see, and it definitely has its place in the city's history. Anyway, maybe this proposed "reset", if it happens, will encourage more culturally curious types to give it a look-see!

Posted by
2207 posts

There's no doubt the pandemic has created much less foot traffic in the De Wallen neighborhood. (Having a 9 PM curfew now is also a big part of that). But it may surprise many visitors that there are other RLD districts in Amsterdam (Singe and de Pijp). Here in The Hague, home of the Dutch government, we have two red-light districts (Interestingly, segments of Geleenstraat and Hunsestraat in Den Haag are not visible on Google Streetview!). You'll also find RLD's in other NL cities: Alkmaar, Deventer, Doetinchem, Eindhoven, Groningen, Haarlem, Heerenveen, Leeuwarden, Nijmegen, and Keileweg. Conversely, RLD's in Arnhem, Rotterdam, and Utrecht have closed.

The Amsterdam mayor does seem to be gaining traction... and it will be interesting to see how the RLD and coffee shops in central Amsterdam are impacted over the next two years. RLD's are common in the NL and other European cities, though Amsterdam's RLD does seem to garner the most attention.

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