Amsterdam's Red Light Rooms Become Art Studios

Amsterdam's red light district has always been as much of a tourist attraction as a place of infamous business but now some of the brothel rooms are being turned into art studios. Reuters reports on Redlight Art Amsterdam, a project that is part of plans to revitalize the city by limiting the number of brothels and coffee shops selling marijuana. Prostitution is still legal in the Netherlands and some women are still in business next to the artists.

Some of the purchased buildings will eventually be given a permanent function for the city but for one year they offer national and international artists a chance to display their creations. There are eight artists participating in the project and a final exhibition is planned for the second half of the year.

Amsterdam has been wrestling with its most notorious industry for a long time. The move to legalize prostitution in 2000 took place to help curb gangster activity in the sex trade. The Dutch government is trying to clean up organized crime but some feel that it is going to far and that tourism will suffer as the city loses its edge. A large portion of the tourists who visit the city are attracted by the cannabis coffee shops and the liberal attitude toward prostitution. The city is hoping that by limiting the spread of the coffee shops and prostitution to a few key areas it will be able to attract a new crop of tourists more interested in Amsterdam's museums and scenic charms.