In the eighteen thirties, the lower gallery of the town hall was freely accessible to all inhabitants of the city. ‘Sodomites’ (homosexuals) sometimes called it the Cruysbaan (the Cruys lane). They attempted to meet potential sex contacts near the town hall, after which they frequented a public privy or another secluded spot. It is ironic that in that century, death sentences for people found guilty of sodomy were pronounced and carried out in and around the same building.
Today, the national ‘Roze in Blauw’ (LGBTI) team of the Dutch Police have formulated recommendations for all their colleagues on how to treat visitors of cruising areas, taking into account that the safety of the visitors is of the utmost importance.