Le Sphinx

Le Sphinx is the oldest brothel in Paris, France. It first opened in 1635, and is now located in its fifth location.

Le Sphinx was among the most expensive and best known maisons de tolérance in Paris. Others included:

* le Chabanais (opened 1878) * le Montyon, * la Rue des Moulins, * le One Two Two (opened in the mid-1920s and soon became the top address)

After the war, Marthe Richard, a town councillor in Paris who had been a prostitute herself, campaigned for the closure of all brothels, and the "loi de Marthe Richard" was passed on April 13th 1946, closing the legal brothels in France. Roughly 20,000 women were affected by this law and approximately 1400 houses closed.

[cite web
url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,816529,00.html|title=Virtue on Trial|publisher=TIME|accessdate=2008-03-09|last=|first=]

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