Molnár József - Szilas Péter: Night Lights - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1993)
mined time-sequence, but it was unable to follow the actual changes in natural light. The individual dials were not synchronised and thus, due to their imprecision, they turned the lamps of the various service zones on and off at different times. This was especially confusing for the city’s traffic, as vehicles had to drive along alternately lit and unlit streets. By 1931, it had been achieved that all public lights could be operated from one single central control switch at any given time. With that the need for a system which could be constantly adapted to natural light dependent on the weather was finally satisfied, and thus the confusion caused by the imprecision of the clocks was also eliminated. Lighting for decorative purposes In the late 1920’s the authorities decided to launch a PR campaign to boost tourism on a regular basis. It was an important part ofthat initiative that all outstanding buildings and sculptures in the city, together with any other artistically remarkable feature of the man-made environment, was to be properly lit. The Electricity Works was entrusted with the task of designing and implementing the project, besides fulfilling its original duty of providing public lighting for the city. The facades of The Fishermen’s Bastion and the Mátyás Church were the first to be experimentally floodlit in the summer of 192a “A properly lit city provides a soothing, embracing environment, where it is pleasant to live. It attracts tourism, improving the quality of life for its citizens and increasing the length and frequency of their opportunities to meet people,” says the offer for floodlighting the city made by the International Committee for Lighting Technology. And indeed, each well-lit bridge, building or sculpture has its own, unique charm. When the night lights are lit they emphasise the most characteristic buildings. The city is transformed to look really beautiful, however drab it may strike us during the day. The powerful floodlights were placed on the rooftops of the neighbouring buildings, on the lamp standards used for public lighting or on supporting posts specifically erected for the purpose. There were also special floodlights fixed to suitable points of the lit building to highlight certain areas. These floodlights were custom made with metal or glass reflectors. The sources of light inside them were gas-filled bulbs with a capacity of 1500 to 2000 watts. 28
