The first lights appeared in St. Petersburg in 1706. After five years on the streets was already 595 lights. They were lit every evening from the end of August to the end of April. In connection with this innovation appeared the position of a lamplighter. His job was to change the wicks, refill the fuel and cleaning from soot and grime.
The most the first lights were oil. Then there were alcohol, kerosene, gas. And finally in 1873 the first electric lantern was lit. In the thirties of the last century from city streets the last oil lamp was removed. That's how the position of the lamplighter ceased to exist.
In 1998 this monument to the lamplighter was opened. It's like a reminder of a profession once needed. And for several years a man sitting on a sidewalk fence leaning against the stairs and the other hand holds a bottle with the fuel. By the way, this sculpture is located exactly on the spot where the first electric lamp was installed. Next to the lamplighter, we see the lamps of those models, which in ancient times were installed in the city streets.
Of course now, in our days, our city is very well lit and has a lot of various illumination, but this little street serves as a Museum of lanterns under the open sky.
Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Camera SONY DSC-W350
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