Prostitution in the Free City of Danzig and Warsaw

In contrast to Warsaw’s position as a major European capital, the history of the sex trade in Danzig is coloured by the city’s status as a Free City and a Baltic port. Founded by the Teutonic knights in the Middle Ages, Danzig remained independent for much of the modern period, nominally tied to the Polish Commonwealth yet enjoying special economic privileges. Its population was mainly German and Dutch speaking, with a heavy admixture of foreign traders and Polish workers from surrounding towns and villages. With the fall of the Polish state in the late eighteenth century, the city was incorporated into Prussia and became subject to German legislation governing prostitution. Only in 1920 with the collapse of the German Empire was it partially reabsorbed into Poland and connected to the Polish state by a customs union. The Danzig that Paul Kinsie visited had just experienced yet another transition in its legal and political status, a shift that brought about a significant upheaval in its population as well as a dramatic increase in prostitution and the illicit migration of sex workers. .

Sustainable Development Goals:

Gender Equality

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions