# What is the Dutch term for "Red Light District"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 2, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739 "2005-12-02T16:09:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@zeno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeno)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/1 "2005-12-02T16:09:13Z")
I’m wondering specifically about the famed one in Amsterdam.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/2 "2005-12-02T16:11:07Z")
> [@zeno](#):
>
> I’m wondering specifically about the famed one in Amsterdam.
I just always called it the “oudezijds voorburgwal”.
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### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/3 "2005-12-02T16:11:45Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#):
>
> I just always called it the “oudezijds voorburgwal”.
Sure, that’s easy for you to say.
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### Author:  [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/4 "2005-12-02T16:36:52Z")
I called a Dutch friend of mine and he said, “the Red Light District, is actually like ten small districts each with their own name. the most popular name is De Wallen”. He also added that they usally just refer to it as the Red light District.
IIRC during a canal tour the guide mentioned that they’re named for the surronding canals around each individual district.
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/5 "2005-12-02T16:45:52Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#):
>
> Sure, that’s easy for you to say.
This quote/attribution pair is sigworthy.
😃
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### Author:  [@zeno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeno)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/6 "2005-12-02T16:49:37Z")
> [@RetroVertigo](#):
>
> I He also added that they usally just refer to it as the Red light District.
>
> .
By this you mean they use the English phrase, correct? I only ask because I bought a sweatshirt with the logo of the University of Amsterdam on it. I doubt they sell this sort of sweatshirt in the Netherlands–it’s done up in standard American collegiate style with the Big U in the middle etc , but I digress…
The school’s “slogan” says “rood licht partij” which I presume was supposed to mean “red light district” though it really means “red light organization” or the like. It got me wondering what phrase or term the dutch use for the area.
Thanks for everyone’s help
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### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/7 "2005-12-02T16:55:16Z")
> [@zeno](#):
>
> The school’s “slogan” says “rood licht partij” which I presume was supposed to mean “red light district” though it really means “red light organization” or the like. It got me wondering what phrase or term the dutch use for the area.
>
> Thanks for everyone’s help
I don’t actually speak Dutch, but I’d parse that as “Red Light Party”.
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### Author:  [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/8 "2005-12-02T16:56:44Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#):
>
> I just always called it the “oudezijds voorburgwal”.
I think you made a mistake, you should have posted this in the Cthulhu Mythos pronunciation thread.
They are lean and athirst!
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### Author:  [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/9 "2005-12-02T18:22:16Z")
I do think the locals just refer to ‘de Wallen.’ The streets in that side of town are named after old town walls, so Oudezijdsvoorburgwal is the ‘old-side fore-town-wall.’ So de Wallen: the walls, those streets as a group. Also ‘walletjes’-- the little streets. I think for ‘red light’ more generically (in any town-- Ghent, Antwerp, Haarlem, etc) they will say rosse buurt-- the pink district. I don’t think the phrase ‘rode licht’ is used except with traffic lights,but I could be wrong.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/10 "2005-12-02T18:53:13Z")
> [@Lemur866](#):
>
> I think you made a mistake, you should have posted this in the Cthulhu Mythos pronunciation thread.
I think Cthulhu might have been dutch. I hear he smells of herring, anyway.
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### Author:  [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2005, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/11 "2005-12-04T05:08:57Z")
hehehehe **Qadgop the Mercotan** 🙂
**capybara** is absolutely correct. ‘De Wallen’ or, ‘De Rosse Buurt’ it is.
btw: If you want to visit the red light district in Amsterdam, I suggest you hurry it up.
The chairman of the biggest party in Holland wants to get rid of it.
The mainly muslim supporters of his party don’t want prostitution.
Also: There’s a bill of law in the making that forbids the smoking of marijuana in public.
Yeah. Amsterdam is going back in time… ☹
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### Author:  [@pascal15676](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pascal15676)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/12 "2005-12-05T13:41:10Z")
There goes the neighbourhood
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/13 "2005-12-05T13:49:53Z")
> [@gum](#):
>
> hehehehe **Qadgop the Mercotan** 🙂
Nothing wrong with herring, mind you! My grandma Mercotan was born in Zeeland, and her house often smelled like pickled herring.
So when I come face to face with Cthulhu, I’ll be thinking of grandma!
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### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dutch-term-for-red-light-district/333739/14 "2005-12-05T14:51:48Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#):
>
> Nothing wrong with herring, mind you! My grandma Mercotan was born in Zeeland, and her house often smelled like pickled herring.
>
> So when I come face to face with Cthulhu, I’ll be thinking of grandma!
(sung to the tune of _Catch a Falling Star_) “Catch a pickled herring, put it in a barrel, watch the neighbors move away.” (apologies to [Stan Boreson](http://www.stanboreson.com/))