ELECTRIC STREET LIGHTING IN LVIV
THE PROBLEM OF THE LAST DRAWING
"The lighting of a city is not just a matter of safety and comfort,
it is also a matter of beauty and aesthetics."
Le Corbusier
The Lviv electric street lamp is a topic that is directly intertwined with the study of electrification, cast iron, and the tram. Despite this, researchers have described it in passing, or not at all.
To reveal Lviv's historic street lamps to you like never before, I have mastered 3D graphics, data parsing, visited all relevant structures, and met with Viennese urbanists. But first things first.
sq. Mickiewicz. Source: UMA; LIM collection (Міський медіаархів)
HIGH LANTERN ("НАДВИСОКИЙ ЛІХТАР")
Let's go back to 1909. The Lviv Municipal Electric Plant (MZE) is commissioning a new power plant on Kozelnytska Street (today's TEC-1). The Lviv firm of Zygmunt Rodakowski, together with the Vienna-based Siemens&Halske, has completed the laying of new power lines through the streets of the city.
Source: Андрій Крижанівський
In the drawing below, the implemented plan for connecting the 500 Volt alternating current line to the locations of the streetlights on Svoboda Avenue and Mickiewicz Square was designed by the Zygmunts Rodakowski firm. Eventually, a lantern will appear on each of these places.
The plan for the laying of power grids in Mickiewicz Square. 1908 year
In this synergy, the story of the tallest fourteen-meter secessionist street lamps in the history of Lviv with a Viennese spirit began!
From the beginning of Svobody Avenue to Sobornaya Square, 80 units of High lanterns (or 100 arc lamps) were used to form the city's first promenade illuminated by artificial electric lighting!
I should note that the transition was slow and, despite the installation of electric lights, lights of other types of work also continued to work in a single ensemble.
Design of the lantern: A Secession-style pedestal decorated with a lily of the valley flower and a cartouche with the city's coat of arms. Technical doors with the ability to mechanically start the system of winches to replace coal lamps, since they quickly exhausted their resource, which required frequent replacement (approximately every three days).
Pedestal on Mickiewicz Square. Source: Nationaal archief
Thin cast iron pole (mast) of centrifugal casting with two levels of welding, which are covered with decorative ornamental overlays. Despite its modest diameter, the pole was also used as a support for the tram contact network.
Description of the parts of the lantern
Demonstration view of lamps on arc lamps of the beginning of the 20th century. Source: Siemens
Maintenance of an arc lamp by an employee of MZE, 1912. Source: Андрій Крижанівський
The lantern was often supplemented with planters for flowers or festive decorations on days of city celebrations.
Source: Polona
Regarding the color of the lanterns, it is difficult to say, since there is no exact information yet. But, drawing parallels with Vienna, the city where these lanterns come from, some assumptions can be made. The lantern was at least in dark shades of gray with potentially white (contrasting) decorative overlays and ornamentation.
Vienna. Am Hof square. Source: WienSchauen
Confirmation of this is the last preserved High lantern restored in its original coloring in Vienna, (homeland of this decoration variation). By the way, there these lanterns are called "Bischofsstab" or "Bishop's staff" and have a very similar life history to the ones in Lviv.
Comparison of pedestals in Lviv and Vienna. Source: Christian Philipp (Wikimedia)
Let's return to Lviv. The High lantern of this decoration variation took its place on the central promenade of the city and was not installed outside its borders.
sq. Mickiewicz's view from above.
In addition to the fact that this lantern became the first mass electric lantern of Lviv, it also became the tallest in history.
Such a height was not a "play of muscles", but had a purely practical meaning. Since electric lighting was a luxury at the time, as was the laying of lines to the lantern itself, "raising the lamp higher" made it possible to achieve a massive area of illumination from each individual arc lamp.
Such a height was not a "play of muscles", but had a purely practical meaning. Since electric lighting was a luxury at the time, as was the laying of lines to the lantern itself, "raising the lamp higher" made it possible to achieve a massive area of illumination from each individual arc lamp.
In fact, the presence of a historic lantern of such height in the city is a "litmus test" that shows that the city entered the electrified era at the very beginning of its birth.
Futuristic model
The following High lanterns were of different decorative variations and had pedestals from different manufacturers. However, approximately the same height, the system of winches for maintaining the lamp and the concept that was laid by the first lantern were kept.
It is not surprising that the least decorated lanterns were installed in the quarters furthest from the historical center.
It is not surprising that the least decorated lanterns were installed in the quarters furthest from the historical center.
Model range of ultra-high lights. Source: Polona, Alex Shutyuk, UMA; Rumjancev collection (Міський медіаархів)
During the heyday of this type of lanterns, all the largest streets and squares of the city were illuminated. They were installed in front of the main facades of the most significant architectural objects, including: the Halytskyi Sejm, the Main Station, the largest churches of the city, and others.
Lychakiv cemetery. Source: Ігор Бурлака
Lanterns around the perimeter of the temple of St. Olga and Elizabeth. Source: Polona
Poorly decorated lantern. Entrance to the National Exhibition. St. Samchuk;; Source: Polona
In general, before the Second World War, a system of lighting with super-tall lanterns was formed in Lviv with at least 130 units*.
This figure is confirmed based on data parsing, resulting in a map of each unique lantern with documentary photo confirmation.
This figure is confirmed based on data parsing, resulting in a map of each unique lantern with documentary photo confirmation.
Map of documented High lanterns. Between 1909 and 1945 years.
Dvirtseva Square. Main station. Source: Polona
The lanterns of the Main Station ensemble on Dvirtseva Square require special attention. This is the most charismatic variation of a High lantern that I have seen. Nothing even remotely similar has so far been found anywhere in Europe, making it a potentially unique Lviv lantern.
The pedestal during the Second World War on Dvirtseva Square. Source: fotopolska.eu
The design of the lantern: A deeply decorated Secession-style pedestal in the form of a four-legged base without technical doors, installed around a centrifugal-cast pole. A thin pole with a large number of decorative overlays. The end with two projecting arcs for fixing the lanterns and four smaller ones, which formed a "crown" with a pointed end at the top. The height of the lantern is approximately 14-15 meters. Later, the lanterns were repeatedly restored, for this it was necessary to use wooden scaffolding.
Description of the parts of the High lantern Dvirtseva variation
The lanterns were fixed on external mounting cables, which were attached to special crossbeams at the level of the pedestal. (System similar to a flagpole).
These lanterns appeared shortly after the electrification of the station, survived its bombing during World War II, but did not survive Soviet occupation.
Author's futuristic model
Wooden scaffolding for painting/upgrading the lantern. Source: unknown
Shashkevich Square, 1962. Source: UMA; Nykyforuk collection (Міський медіаархів)
The post-war period.
The High lantern, in fact, became one of the few historical lanterns of pre-war Lviv, with which the Soviet authorities “played” for many years.
On the one hand, thanks to this, fragments of these historical lanterns have survived to this day. On the other hand, this gave rise to a huge number of Soviet pseudo-historicisms and plundering of their original appearance.
Park of Culture. Source: Rumjancev collection (Міський медіаархів)
The brightest example of this is the laying of the trolleybus network along Svobody Avenue and Mykhailivska Square in 1954.
At that time, in order to strengthen the supports, all the lanterns were dismantled and new copies were made. The only thing that remained was the pedestals, which were transferred from the originals to the copies. The copies had completely different proportions of the support and slightly lower height.
Mickiewicz Square. Source: Rumjancev collection (Міський медіаархів)
This reconstruction also brought a rethinking of the lanterns. A matte glass bulb about one and a half meters long became the source of lighting for part of Svobody Avenue and Mykhailivska Square for several years.
The exquisite look of the "icicle" lamps of the Soviet period.
Unfortunately, more information about these lamps is currently not found.
Decorated lantern on Svobody Avenue (Hnatyuka). Source: UMA (Міський медіаархів)
For a long period of time, the lanterns stood in this form. Later, the upper completion was dismantled and replaced with ordinary modernistic lanterns on a projecting arc. This way, they stood on Mykhailivska Square until 2011, while on Svobody Avenue they still stand in some places today.
I attempt to return
In 2011, the first attempt was made to restore the original appearance.
The restoration was carried out at the expense of Polish sponsors. The lanterns were made to order by a Lviv factory, which made copies of all the elements, including the pedestal
Completion and lights of one of the lanterns on Mickiewicz Square. 2022 year
Unfortunately, the restoration was unfounded from the point of view of historical accuracy.
The biggest problem is the violation of the proportions between the pedestal, the support and the number of lanterns. The pseudo-historical cartouche with the city's coat of arms, as well as the contrived lantern constructions, borrowed from Krakow, which have no relation to Lviv. And yet, the non-compliance with the original coloring (livery).
These four lanterns around the monument are a pseudo-historical invention, weakly attached to authenticity.
II return attempt
The laying/restoration of the trolleybus network crossed the path of these lanterns twice. The second time, in 2014, during the extension of trolleybus No. 33 (formerly No. 13) to Hnatyuk. At that time, almost all the remaining historical lanterns from Svobody Avenue were dismantled.
Soon after, the municipality, together with the restoration company "Oberig-Group", began the restoration and return of these lanterns to the avenue.
Pedestal restored by Oberig Group. Source: CHAPLINSKY VLOG
The restoration was carried out at a sufficiently high level. Although it was only completed halfway, as funding stopped in 2016.
In fact, the restored part of the pedestals was returned to the avenue in the same form as they were installed in 1908 (except for the original coloring).
Why then do the lanterns not look like the originals?
After the restoration of the pedestals, the question arises of restoring everything that is above, namely the support, the completion and the lanterns. And here is the problem, since neither one nor the other has been preserved to this day. Actually, like the original drawings.
Exclusive drawings of supports ("lamp mast") for the trolleybus network on Mickiewicz Square. 1954 year.
Here, Soviet pseudo-historicism played a bad game. Both in the first and second restorations, the restorers were based on the drawings of the Soviet adaptation of the High lantern (photo above).
In fact, each subsequent restoration tried to bring back to life not the original high lantern as it was before World War II, but the Soviet imitation of the original lantern of 1954.
This is the reason why the lanterns look so specific in proportion.
Svobody Avenue. 2022 year
To this day, miraculously (!), 37 pedestals have been preserved, namely: 21 on Svobody Avenue, one each on Soborna and Franko Squares, and one more on Promyslova Street.
12 units are in storage of the "Oberig-Group" restoration company and one is broken at the base of "Lvivsvitlo".
Pedestal on the storage base of the "Lvivsvitlo", brought in 2014
Pedestals at the storage base of the "Oberig-Group" company were brought in 2014, which were never restored.
Pedestal on the square Soborna and Sq. Frank
Pedestal on the street Industrial
And that's not all, I managed to find a pedestal on the territory of the Rainbow Palace of Culture. All other elements of these lanterns are irretrievably lost.
The pedestal of one and the decorative bowl from the other pedestal of a High lantern. Rainbow Palace of Culture. Source: Vladyslav Muravskyi
Lantern on the square Stary Rynok in which authentic elements are used.
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With this article, I would like to draw attention to the cultural connection between European cities, represented by Vienna and Lviv, which is noticeable even in such inconspicuous things as street lamps.
I would also like to emphasize the importance of preserving and restoring the city's historical lamps, to which I call on international organizations!
