A soproni prostitúció története (1862–1918)
The history of prostitution in Sopron (1862–1918)

Summary/Abstract: The paper describes the history of the prostitution in Sopron between 1862 and 1918 through the regulations and histories of the brothels in Sopron as well as the classification and number of prostitutes, with a brief look at national conditions. The functioning of prostitution in Hungary during the years of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, in want of special laws, was controlled by local regulations. The municipal regulations of Sopron and other towns followed those of Budapest, most of the articles being entirely identical. The most important difference between the regulations of Sopron and the capital was the maintenance of stricter medical control in Sopron. The analysis of the data on various prostitues in Sopron at the turn of the century reveals the existence of officially registered prostitutes (operating in brothels, or private operators, or certificatebearers), but the reports of the mayor indicate the presence of clandestine operators as well. Since we have exact data on the numbers of these illegal prostitutes, too, in a unique way it is possible to study the complete structure of prostitution in that town. Studying the history of the brothels in Sopron at the end of the last century, we can observe that the brothels in Sopron, just as in Budapest, were losing importance. In the mid-1880s Sopron had three brothels, in 1890 it had only two. Along with the decline of brothels, the number of illegal prostituties was increasing, street prostitution becoming more pronounced. If we compare the number of inhabitants per brothel in Sopron and in Budapest, we can say that the number of brothels was high in Sopron with respect to the number of inhabitants. A comparison with other towns in the contry, however, reveals that that number was relatively low in Sopron.

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