Timișoara are quite proud that they were the first city in Europe with electric street lighting when it was introduced on 12 November 1884. There were over 700 street lamps, so it was all something of an effort.
It’s perhaps in some need of cleaning, but it’s a nice little commemoration of their forward thinking. The reality is slightly more complex though, as it often is, as the city’s gas lighting contract was coming to an end and the company wanted a lot more money. The city wasn’t prepared to sign, but the infrastructure was owned by the gas company and so Timișoara could have been plunged into action if they hadn’t acted…..