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Nowadays, we are used to seeing our cities lit up throughout the day. We are used to having access to the spaces of the cities in which we live at potentially all hours of the day, and this also often gives us a greater sense of security.
However, this could only happen with the advent of public lighting and illuminating gas availability.
The first city to have public lighting was Paris in 1825, leading to its nickname, La Ville Lumiere. London, Berlin, and Vienna then followed.
Public city lighting was an innovation that profoundly changed the way of living in cities, making them safer and more accessible.
The lighting of the city of Amsterdam has always been a crucial issue in the lives of its citizens. Before the advent of gas lighting, the city had already equipped itself to overcome the many problems of a dark city.
In addition to high levels of crime, there were many cases of people falling into canals and drowning. To ensure public safety, the streets needed to be lit. This was a tough challenge at the time since electricity did not yet exist.
In the 14th century, the problem was solved by a law requiring everyone abroad after 9 p.m. to carry a lamp.
The first innovation for public lighting in Amsterdam and all of Europe came from the artist Jan van der Heyden in 1669. He had invented a municipal lighting plan burning oil rather than candles. By 1670 Amsterdam boasted 1,800 streetlamps, and by 1681 2,400 lamps. This new lighting system was so popular that cities across Holland, Europe, and eventually Japan, began to implement the same
Westergafabriek gas was necessary to illuminate the streets of Amsterdam, this profoundly changed the image and way of experiencing the city. Prior to the introduction of coal gas in the Netherlands, individuals illuminated their homes using candles, grease lamps, or oil lamps, and sourced their heat from wood or peat. Subsequent to the advent of coal gas, there was a gradual transformation in the lighting practices throughout the country.
Image from Amsterdam City Archives Collection: Construction Drawings, Jesse, H.J., Gosschalk, Izak (1838-1907)
The Light of Lamp-Lanterns: Street Lighting in 17th-Century Amsterdam, Lettie S. Multhauf, Technology and Culture, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr., 1985), pp. 236-252 (18 pages).
Jan van der Heyden and the Dawn of Efficient Street Lights, Cynthia Green, JStor daily, ART and HISTORY, January, 2015.