The last glimmer of the past. From distrust to enlightenment: how gas lit up the streets of Warsaw!

Publication date: 07.11.2025

Today, it is difficult to imagine that something as obvious as street lighting could once have been a source of fear. And yet, when gas lamps were first lit in Warsaw in the mid-19th century, many residents viewed them with uncertainty. What was this new, blazing flame? Could it cause a fire? Could it really light up the city streets?

The last glimmer of the past. From distrust to enlightenment: how gas lit up the streets of Warsaw!

However, it only took a few moments for fear to give way to delight. The evening walks of Warsaw residents began to follow the path of the lamplighter, who, with a long stick in his hand, lit one lamp after another – from Powiśle to Krakowskie Przedmieście. Each lit flame was a small miracle of technology and a symbol of modernity.

In 1856, gas flowed from the gasworks on Ludna Street, lighting the first 92 street lamps. A year later, there were already over seven hundred of them. Warsaw lit up – literally and figuratively.

Although electricity began to replace gas at the beginning of the 20th century, its warm glow did not fade for a long time. In the 1930s, modernised gas street lamps appeared – elegant, automated, ready to light up on their own at designated times.

Today, historic street lamps can still be found in several corners of the capital. Their subtle light does not dazzle – rather, it invites you to stop for a moment and look into the past.

Is it really darkest under the lamppost? Jerzy Tarłowski, a passionate historian of the city and lover of gas lanterns, tells the story of how gas lighting changed Warsaw and the whole of Europe.

Let yourself be carried away on this extraordinary journey through time! Visit the Warsaw Gasworks Museum – a place where the flame of history never goes out.