Artemis (brothel)

Artemis is a large brothel in Germany, where prostitution is legal and widespread. The 'wellness brothel' opened in Berlin in September 2005, a four-story building complete with a pool, three saunas, two cinemas, and with room for up to 70 prostitutes and 600 customers.[1]

Organization and ownership

One review in a German online publication wrote "Although the outside of the building is about as erotic as a corporate office park, the interior is a bizarre cross between mid-re 1990s Las Vegas and a cheesy British 'Carry-On' film."[2]

The Artemis is organized as a sauna club, similar to several other German brothels: customers and prostitutes pay an entry fee and can then use all facilities as long as they want. The entrance fee is 80 Euros; half an hour sex costs 60 Euros.[3] Food and non-alcoholic beverages are included in the entry fee. Alcoholic beverages can be purchased at the bar and start at EUR 10 for a beer. 50 women work on a typical night; they are mostly nude or near nude, except on certain days such as Wednesday, which is "lingerie day".[1][4] Sexual services typically include oral sex without a condom, and sexual intercourse with condoms. The payment is given directly to the women after the act; the house does not receive a cut but regulates the prices and services. There are also male masseurs by the pool.

The brothel has 49 employees,[5] in addition to the prostitutes who technically are not employees.[1] Prostitutes can stay at the brothel, renting rooms on the fourth floor which is off-limits to customers.

Artemis was created by the Turkish businessman Haki Simsek for about €5 million.[1]

The German prostitute support group Hydra has endorsed the transparent concept but has reserved judgment until the working conditions of the women could be evaluated.[2]

Several comparable clubs exist in Germany, most of them in the area north of Frankfurt. One of them, Atlantis, was closed in 2004 after legal troubles.

Location

Artemis is located near the west end of the Kurfürstendamm in an industrial area of Charlottenburg, close to the metro and railway station Westkreuz and about 0.5 km south of the ICC. It is a little more than two kilometres from Berlin's Olympic stadium, famous for hosting the 1936 Olympics and the venue for several games of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in football (soccer).

FIFA World Cup 2006 in football (soccer)

Various news sources reported on Artemis in relation to an expected increase in prostitution in Germany during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Norman Jacob, the lawyer of the owner, was quoted in one article as saying 'Football and sex belong together.'[2] On 30 June 2006, the New York Times reported that these expectations had apparently been too optimistic.[6]

Name

Some newspaper articles have pointed out that the brothel's name is somewhat blasphemous, as Artemis was a goddess in Greek mythology who pledged to remain a chaste virgin.[2]

Incidents

In the early morning hours of 17 August 2012, four guests refused to pay their bill. One of them drew a gun and shot at the doormen, injuring three of them. The group then fled by car. The gun was a modified alarm gun that shot plastic bullets.[3] A few weeks later, a Russian resident of Berlin was arrested as a suspect in the case.[7]

On 14th April 2016 Artemis was raided by a large number of police officers investigating Human Trafficking and Tax Evasion [8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Im Gewerbegebiet", Berliner Zeitung, 10 November 2005. Extensive report on Haki Simsek and Artemis. (German)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Soccer Fans Will Get a Kick out of Berlin's Latest Brothel, Der Spiegel, 23 September 2005
  3. 1 2 "So lief die Puff-Ballerei im "Artemis"". B.Z. (in German). 17 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "Artemis, " McDonald's " du sexe, accueille 250 clients par jour". Le Monde (in French). 26 February 2006.
  5. ↑ "Wie wird ein Lehrer zum Huren-Chef?". B.Z. (in German). 7 December 2009.
  6. ↑ "World Cup Brings Little Pleasure to German Brothels", New York Times, 30 June 2006.
  7. ↑ "Artemis-Schießerei: Verdächtiger verhaftet". B.Z. (in German). 12 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Germany trafficking: Mass police raid on Berlin mega-brothel". BBC. 14 April 2016.

Further sources

External links

Coordinates: 52°29′58.2″N 13°16′56.6″E / 52.499500°N 13.282389°E / 52.499500; 13.282389

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