Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
,
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. It is located in Zeedijk street and was opened in 1927 by Bet van Beeren, herself a
lesbian
A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
. The Amsterdam Museum holds a small replica of 't Mandje.
't Mandje is often presented as the first
gay bar
A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...
in the Netherlands, but that is not correct: in Amsterdam there were already some gay bars in the first decade of the 20th century. Also, 't Mandje was not specifically a bar for gay men, but more of a tolerant place where
prostitutes
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-p ...
Café 't Mandje, on Zeedijk 63 in the historic heart of Amsterdam, was opened in 1927 by lesbian Bet van Beeren. After her death in 1967, her youngest sister Greet continued the business until it closed in 1982, but the bar and its entire interior was preserved by her ever since and could be visited upon request. Just before her death in August 2007, she took the initiative to have the bar reopened. The bar has been open under the management of her niece Diana since 29 April 2008.Orlando Lansdorf used to work at 't Mandje as a barman.