Trompettersteeg

Central Amsterdam and its main Red Light District (also known as De Wallen) are known for their narrow pedestrianized walkways and alleyways. Trompettersteeg (which translates into English as “Trumpeter Street”) is by far the narrowest of these walkways. Located just south of the Oude Kerk, the street is only one meter wide near the end where it reaches the canal. Hence, this street is widely heralded as the narrowest street in Amsterdam.

While Trompettersteeg’s narrowness is a novelty that may have attracted some visitors to the area, the street’s location within Amsterdam’s Red Light District meant that it had in the past attracted many more people who wanted to see the prostitutes in the area, especially since the street was lined with the windows where the prostitutes worked. Tourists walking down the street could become literally jammed inside the narrowest part of the passageway.

However, as part of the city of Amsterdam’s work to reform the Red Light District, all of the windows on Trompettersteeg as well most of the windows on the nearby streets have now ceased to function as places to find sex workers, and have been converted into commercial spaces for small businesses. The street is now much quieter and only attracts people looking for new businesses, people looking for the Red Light District using out-of-date travel information, or people looking for the alleyway itself.

Notably, the narrowest part of Trompettersteeg near the canal is coated with ever-changing graffiti. Sometimes the passage contains well-planned and rather elaborate street art. For example, in 2021, street artists Dopie and Ultimo.11 painted a three-dimensional version of Amsterdam’s coat of arms within the passageway. Other times, however, Trompettersteeg’s eastern end is covered mainly in hastily-drawn tags.