Public Lighting – Past and Present

The first public lighting of the streets in Targoviste dates back to 1831, when, at the initiative of the City Council, six lanterns were installed bought with funds from the institution. At first, tallow candles were used, which were placed in lanterns and mounted on pillars in the shopping center, in front of the headquarters of public institutions and then on the main streets.

In 1860, kerosene lighting was introduced, copying the model of Bucharest city. The general urban development of the city led to the gradual expansion of the public lighting from the city center to the outskirts, reaching in 1897 the existence of 555 lanterns, supervised by 10 lampposts.

The electrification works of the city began in 1910, and with the introduction of electric lighting, in 1913, the lamps of different systems were dismantled and then sold to communal or city halls.

Currently, Targoviste municipality has smart street lighting. The old street lamps have been replaced by thousands of lighting fixtures based on LED technology, powered by photovoltaic panels, equipped with sensors, and when there is no circulation, the intensity of the lights decreases.