Strip bars are no rarity in Tallinn's Old Town, but the arrival of one directly opposite the 13th-century Dominican Monastery has sparked complaints from both the monastery officials and a nearby, Catholic-connected grade school, writes ERR News with reference to Postimees daily.
The strip club - Amsterdam Gentelmen's Club - is renting the space at Müürivahe 52 from the city government.
“Instead of a strip club, it will be a brothel,” said one person close to the monastery who said information on the Internet reveals that there are several brothels operating under the name of Amsterdam Gentlemen’s Club elsewhere.
“And the tourists will love the view – a brothel and a monastery next side by side. Talk about shame,” added another.The case prompted the St. Catherine's Monastery, which operates in the historic complex, to write a letter of protest to the head of district Mihhail Korb.
The zoning blunder also upset the Old Town Educational College, whose faculty is concerned that young students have to traverse a daily gauntlet of low morals on their way to school.
The church and school said such establishments don't belong in the historical Old Town district and that having them there is an embarrassment for the city.
In response, Korb said that the city was unaware of the renter's intention to open a strip club in the location, because there is currently no legal differentiation between clubs, pubs, restaurants and similar establishments.
Korb said the city cannot break the rental agreement or prevent the establishment from operating. He said, though, that the city's authorities would keep an especially watchful eye out for violations and “aggressive” advertisement campaigns.
Toomas Hõbemägi
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