The Lupanar is the ruined building of an ancient Roman brothel in the city of Pompeii. It is of particular interest for the erotic paintings on its walls, and is also known as the Lupanare Grande or the "Purpose-Built Brothel" in the Roman colony. Pompeii was closely associated with Venus, the ancient Roman goddess of love, sex, and fertility, and therefore a mythological figure closely tied to prostitution.
The Lupanar at VII, 12, 18–20. Vico del Lupanare is on the right. Vico del Balcone is to the left.
The upper floor can be seen here prior to the changes made to it.
Inside the entrance to the Lupanar
Graffiti inside the Lupanar
A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub parlours, studios, or by some other description. Sex work in a brothel is considered safer than street prostitution.
Joachim Beuckelaer, Brothel, 1562
The Pascha brothel in Cologne, Germany, is the largest brothel in Europe. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the poster had the Saudi Arabian flag and Iranian flag blacked out after protests and threats.
De Wallen, Amsterdam's red-light district, offers activities such as legal prostitution and a number of coffee shops that sell marijuana. It is one of the main tourist attractions.
Brothel Hafenmelodie Trier (Germany)