Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
10 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
14 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
21 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
21 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Hamburg Herbertstraße

Herbertstraße

Hamburg's first legal sex work is relegated to a gated street that still does not allow pedestrian women.

Hamburg, Germany

Added By
Ryan Iseppi
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Gates of the Herbertstraße.   florianscholz on Flickr
The Gates of the Herbertstraße.   florianscholz on Flickr
Herbertstraße   Adam Lederer on Flickr
Herbertstraße   Adam Lederer on Flickr
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Formerly the only street in Hamburg where sex work was officially tolerated, Herbertstraße is now an institution in the city's red light district.

Located not far from the famous Reeperbahn, Herbertstraße is renowned for having Hamburg's most expensive sex workers, and notorious for its exclusive entrance policy. Large metal barricades at either end of the short street inform visitors that all women and anyone under 18 years of age are forbidden from entering. According to local lore, women who ignore these postings are subject to being doused with "penis water," the water used by male clients to wash up before being serviced.

The street was originally cordoned off by the Nazis in 1933 as they could not seem to stop the practice of prostitution in the area, thus they decided to simply hide it behind walls where it could not bee seen by the casual passerby. 

Once on the street, the dim red lighting and large plate glass windows that divide the 250-some sex workers from their customers give the street a seedy sort of sci-fi ambiance. The relative quiet of the area in the midst of the city's busy red light district make Herbertstraße one of Hamburg's most iconic and notorious destinations. Despite its history and popularity, the street has also come under fire for its troubling gender discrimination, however the ban on outside women in the street continues to this day. 

Related Tags

Roads Prostitution Nazis Sex Sexism

Community Contributors

Added By

DoctorMoog42

Edited By

EricGrundhauser, Collector of Experiences, Johan SWE

  • EricGrundhauser
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Johan SWE

Published

July 15, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/article113145350/Aktivistinnen-protestieren-oben-ohne-in-Herbertstrasse.html
  • http://www.herbertstr.com/
  • http://www.spottedbylocals.com/hamburg/herbertstrasse/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbertstra%C3%9Fe
Herbertstraße
Herbertstraße
Hamburg, 20359
Germany
53.548092, 9.962677
Get Directions

Nearby Places

St. Pauli Elbtunnel

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Beatles-Platz (Beatles Square)

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Impaled Skull of Klaus Stortebeker

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Hamburg

Hamburg

Germany

Places 16
Stories 1

Nearby Places

St. Pauli Elbtunnel

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Beatles-Platz (Beatles Square)

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Impaled Skull of Klaus Stortebeker

Hamburg, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Hamburg

Hamburg

Germany

Places 16
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Red Light Secrets.

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Red Light Secrets

    This museum housed in a former brothel explores the past and present of sex work in Amsterdam.

  • Viscardigasse

    Munich, Germany

    Viscardigasse

    Golden cobblestones remember a time when this small alley was used to avoid having to give a Nazi salute.

  • Display Cases

    La Rochelle, France

    Le Bunker De La Rochelle

    Under the streets of La Rochelle, a former wartime bunker holds some surprising secrets.

  • Rotterdam, Netherlands

    Street Posts Museum

    An unexpected public exhibit showcases the diversity of Dutch street posts.

  • The main gate of Chōshō-ji Temple, built in 1629.

    Hirosaki, Japan

    Zenringai (Zen Temple Street)

    These 33 Zen Buddhist temples were built to protect the nearby castle.

  • Watch out for serious curves ahead.

    San Francisco, California

    Vermont Street

    Lombard Street may be more famous, but this is the real “crookedest street in the world.”

  • Miss Laura’s Social Club.

    Fort Smith, Arkansas

    Miss Laura’s Brothel Museum

    The only brothel on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Steinwache from the outside.

    Dortmund, Germany

    Steinwache

    Former Gestapo prison turned memorial museum.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.