It is known as a hotspot of the city's underground nightlife and famous for its brothels. The street is also known for its inexpensive lodging. The street is located on the edge of the Turkish Quarter, [3] and next to Brussels-North railway station , one of the city's three main train stations. The station's buildings and tracks occupy the whole western side of the street. The rear entrance of the neoclassical Church of St.
John and St. Nicholas is also located on the street. After World War I , due to strong anti- German feelings in Belgium, many streets that were named after German towns or cities were renamed.
The North Station was rebuilt in a few hundred metres further north. Most of the girls are Romanian or Bulgarian. In the s, the area was controlled by Albanian pimps. There was often violence between rival pimps and girls complained to the police that the pimps were abusing and exploiting them. There was a crackdown and the criminal networks were broken down. The area is now controlled by Romanian and Bulgarian pimps.
Each window has a madam who controls the prostitutes that work there. Madams were traditionally older Belgian prostitutes but these have been replaced with mainly Bulgarian women who work for the pimps. This allows the pimps to stay out of the area and away from police attention. Often they remain in their home country. Non-profit associations also operate in the area, mainly women's groups providing support and counseling to prostitutes. Contents move to sidebar hide.
Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons. Street in Schaerbeek, Belgium. Rue d'Aerschot French Aarschotstraat Dutch. Rear of the Church of St. Brussels : Not your ordinary city in French.
