“Publicandum against the Seduction of Young Girls to Brothels” as an Example of Prussian Regulation of Prostitution in Warsaw, 1796–1806

Abstract

Selling one’s body, in addition to the obvious desire for profit, is one of the social phenomena whose causes are located in economic realities. The escalation of pathological forms of prostitution is promoted by poverty and lack of prospects, which was particularly evident among the diverse population of major urban centres, many of whom were counted among the so-called non-permanent population. This state was common in Warsaw, including during the Prussian captivity 1796–1806, when the administration was forced to control the ill effects of prostitution on society. The purpose of this study, in addition to showing the causes of fornication, is to draw attention to the hygienic conditions and the legal system in force in the last decades of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Prussian administration’s approach to the problem of prostitution during the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The normalizing decree introduced by the Prussians in 1802 defined the limits of voluntary prostitution and the rules by which it was controlled in Warsaw. This rationing system consisted of registering prostitutes, forcibly examining and treating harlots, and licensing brothels.