Contributions to the History of Public Lighting in Cluj-Napoca (1808–1906)
Contributions to the History of Public Lighting in Cluj-Napoca (1808–1906)

Summary/Abstract: In Hungary, the socio-economic changes that took place after 1867 (capital imports, the emergence of capitalist market relations, population growth, the appearance of factories, and the increase in industrial production) brought new challenges to cities regarding public health and security. The effects of these changes also reached Cluj-Napoca. Thus, major infrastructure developments were implemented in this city. The once rural-type municipality of the years following 1867 was already a modern, developed urban centre by the early 20th century. This short half-century saw a large number of public utility investments, absorbing several million koronas. The largest expenditure was on the introduction of electricity (approx. 5 million koronas). Our information on this enormous infrastructural investment is scarce, and the background of the issue of public lighting is hitherto unknown as well. Hence, the aim of this paper is to present the main stages in the introduction of public lighting in Cluj-Napoca during the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century. The primary sources of this research consist of contemporary press publications (Ellenzék, Kolozsvár, Kolozsvári Hírlap, Nemzeti Hírlap, Budapesti Hírlap, Fővárosi Lapok), official reports (the report of the Kolozsvár Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the annual accounts of the Free Royal City of Cluj-Napoca’s Treasury, the Mayoral Reports, and the report of the Office of Engineering), the minutes of the Cluj-Napoca Municipal Commission’s general meetings, the data of the Hungarian Statistical Office, and the contemporary specialist reports published in the Bulletin of the Hungarian Engineers’ and Architects’ Association.

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