Vice and Immoral Spaces: German Sperrbezirke, 1949–90

In the aftermath of the Second World War, local authorities across West Germany implemented Sperrbezirke, or restricted areas for prostitution. These restricted areas became a central element of Germany’s system of managing commercial sex. This article considers both the legacies of former systems of state-regulated prostitution in the development of Sperrbezirke and regional variations in restricted-area regulations since the 1960s. It examines their relation to red-light districts through regulations on brothels and tolerance zones, as well as the common associations of Sperrbezirke with vice in popular culture. The article then uses prostitutes’ responses to restricted-area regulations to assess their impact in practice.