It is hard to imagine today that a few centuries ago, even the streets of Europe’s largest cities plunged into darkness after sunset. In such conditions, oil lamps came to the rescue, being the first to be used to illuminate streets and roads. This was the case in Budapest as well. Later, kerosene lamps took over, proving to be cheaper and more efficient than oil lamps, according to budapestfuture.eu.
Technological progress did not stand still, and with the advent of electricity, the streets of European cities began to be lit by electric lamps. The first such lamps appeared on the streets of Hungary’s capital in 1873.
The First Kerosene Lamp Installed by an Experimental Doctor
Before the appearance of gas lamps and electric lanterns, the streets of Pest (the modern eastern part of Budapest) were illuminated by oil lamps. In 1715, a decree was issued prohibiting city residents from being on the streets after dark without candles or lanterns. During the dark hours, lamplighters—people carrying candles and oil lamps—appeared on the streets.
The public spaces and streets of Pest began to be lit by oil lamps starting January 1, 1790, while in Buda (the modern western part of Budapest), the first primitive oil lamps appeared slightly earlier—in November 1777.
At that time, this was by no means a cheap affair. Installing one oil lamp cost 40 forints. Moreover, the lamps required constant attention—oil needed to be refilled and the wick replaced regularly. At dawn, the lamplighter had to extinguish each lamp.
In the early 19th century, kerosene began to be used for lighting—a product of hydrocarbons formed by fractional distillation of oil. Bold experimenters started installing kerosene lamps in factories, workshops, and eventually in homes.
It is known that the first person to install a kerosene lamp in Pest was the scientist and experimental doctor from Óbuda (an ancient and independent city in the center of the country until 1873), Lajos Tegel. The first street kerosene lamp was installed on June 5, 1816, in University Square, specifically on the façade of the National Museum.
This innovation primarily appealed to the wealthy residents of Pest, and soon kerosene lamps began appearing in their homes as well. However, not all city residents were thrilled with kerosene lamps, with some complaining about the unpleasant smell of kerosene and the weak light of the lamps.
Large-scale street kerosene lighting in Pest began after 1856, when the Austrian company „Trieste” received the right to install street lamps. In 1859, kerosene lighting appeared on the Chain Bridge.
By the time of the cities’ unification in 1873, there were 1,669 kerosene lamps in Pest, and just over 500 in Buda.
Transition to Electric Lanterns
The first electric lanterns appeared in Hungary’s capital in 1873. This was the year when the cities of Pest, Buda, and Óbuda merged to form Budapest. It is known that during the visit of the heir to the throne to Budapest in 1882, public spaces in the capital were lit by 36 arc lamps.
In 1909, the first experimental section with direct current lamps (37 V) on cast-iron candelabras was put into operation in Budapest. Over time, the network of electric lanterns in Budapest expanded. Incandescent lamps from the company „Siemens & Halske” were used for street lighting during the dark hours. At that time, the company not only produced these lamps but also installed lighting systems and equipped the city with electrical devices.
The use of electric energy for lighting led to the gradual decline of kerosene lamps. However, even in the early 1930s, there were still 16,000 kerosene lamps in the Hungarian capital, and more than a hundred lamplighters tirelessly lit each lamp every evening, ensuring the city’s streets were illuminated.
