It is located northwest of the city centre, about 200 metres southwest of the University of Duisburg-Essen[2] (built in 1972) and 300 metres northwest of the Limbecker Platz shopping centre (built in 2008/2009).

[2] After the introduction of the Gesetz zur Bekämpfung der Geschlechtskrankheiten (Venereal Disease Control Act) in 1927, Essen police took control of the entrance to Stahlstraße and took down the names of men entering the street.

[3] In 1965, the magazine Der Spiegel reported Stahlstraße had 17 brothels with a total workforce of over 200 prostitutes on occasions.

[6] In January 2020 police, supported by customs, immigration, tax and regulatory officers, raided all 17 brothels on the street.

[7][8] Prostitution in Stahlstraße was temporarily suspended in mid-March 2020 as part of the preventative measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.