Brothels on the Czech border are disappearing. But there is another reason for the slump: EU enlargement, with sex workers of Romanian or Bulgarian origin now able to travel freely throughout Europe.
Set above the windows in which one could always ogle a few girls wiggling around, the sign shone in the street for years. Now there are only four left eking out a meager existence. And they are bound to close up shop soon. About a month ago the sign was changed. The number of night clubs and houses of pleasure on the Czech border has nosedived since last year. The financial crisis has got the better of their customers, most of whom came from German and Austrian border towns.
This is the end of an era. For nearly 20 years, the Czech villages tried to put an end to local prostitution. And in recent months they have been gradually becoming ordinary villages again. The economic crisis did the rest: customers have stopped coming here to look for brothels. The police and sex trade experts confirm that the majority of the prostitutes in the border zone have moved further west β towards Germany and Spain.
Most of them were Romanian or Bulgarian. The Sauna is no longer open at the weekend. The streetwalkers ask only half that.
Brothel owners have changed too. Only three of these establishments are left, versus about 20 back then. This is clearly one of the consequences of the financial crisis. European democracy needs independent media. VoxEurop needs you. Support us. Factual or translation error? Tell us. Last modified: 18 January
