In 1655, the graveyard was cleared and moved to a new location beyond the city limits, creating the present square.

As part of the so-called Project 1012 (first presented in 2007), the Amsterdam city government is trying to reduce the number of prostitutes on Oudekerksplein.

The city wants to remove all brothels from the square and replace them with restaurants, shops, artists' workshops, and such.

[1][2][3] In March 2019, it was announced that the city is to ban guided tours of the red-light district from January 2020.

The plaque on this statue reads (in English): "Respect sex workers all over the world".