Langstrasse (literally "long street") is a street and quarter in district 4 in Zurich. Langstrasse begins near the district courts and extends north-northeast to the train tracks of Zurich Hauptbahnhof. The following short segment of Langstrasse leads towards Limmatplatz in district 5. Langstrasse is also referred to as a general area including the street and its surrounding tertiary streets.
The quarter has a population of 10,500 on an area of 1.13 km². It is notorious as Zurich's red light district, with a soaring crime rate, drug dealing and brothels. It is also the most overtly multicultural spot in Zurich, with a rate of 42% foreign residents, among the highest in Zürich. Due to the problems in this district, the City Council approved on 14 March 2001, the comprehensive project "Langstrasse PLUS" to achieve an improvement in public order and safety.
As the historical quarter of factory workers during Industrialisation, Aussersihl is also the traditional center of socialist and communist agitation in Zurich, the Helvetiaplatz on Langstrasse being a traditional site of May Day manifestations.
Coordinates: 47°22′34.57″N 8°31′36.02″E / 47.3762694°N 8.5266722°E