Villa Tinto

“Villa Tinto is, with around 900,000 visitors per year, the best organized and safest window prostitution house in Belgium. The building, which spans three streets, was opened 18 years ago. The prostitutes who work there rent one of the 51 windows per shift and are officially registered. They can enter using a fingerprint, which makes subletting impossible.”

“The story of prostitution in Antwerp has always been one of alternating tolerance and punishment. The phenomenon of window prostitution emerged in the 1970s when port activities moved to the northern part of the city and sailors no longer automatically ended up in this neighborhood. In the 1990s, this was a grim area full of crime, human trafficking, nuisance, and traffic jams… Today, the streets are car-free and it is a controlled and livable place. During guided tours, I always try to start by talking about the architecture in this neighborhood, but that never takes off,” Bertje laughs.

On the way to the last stop, we pass the Museum aan de Stroom. “The MAS is just no longer in the Schipperskwartier, but on the Eilandje. The museum tells the story of the city, its port, and so much more. You can take the escalator for free to the roof. You have a fantastic view over all of Antwerp.”

GVA - Gazet van Antwerpen