Frankfurt (Germany)
Taken Mar 2016, Mar 2018, Oct 2022
SurvivingChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), so can be assumed to be surviving at least as far as that date
as of Oct 2022
2 pics above credit: Jim Terry
Georg-Voigt-Straße in the Westend-Süd district of the city, near the Messe. These types of gas fixtures, known collectively as Reihenleuchten, were developed in the 1950s as a davit mounted alternative to the older post top gaslights. According to a couple of German gas streetlight websites, these particular fixtures were made by Schneider, model number L56. They come with various numbers of mantles, these particular ones have 8.
Mar 2018
SurvivingChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), so can be assumed to be surviving at least as far as that date
as of Oct 2022
A night time view of the same street. These gas fixtures put out a resonable amount of light, maybe comparable to 70HPS or 125merc, with a large source for low glare and a colour temperature similar to incandescent electric light. It is easy to see why they have survived for so long, and why Germans seem to like them so much.
According to some sources, as of 2016 there were still some 5000 gas streetlights of various kinds in Frankfurt- from what I saw, there was no diffculty in finding them even in 2018. There is a replacement programme underway however, with several companies testing LED equipped reproductions of the various gas fixtures used. Other cities in Germany still have sizeable numbers of gas streetlights, most notably Berlin.
Oct 2022
SurvivingChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), so can be assumed to be surviving at least as far as that date
as of Oct 2022
4 pics credit: Jim Terry
A surprising sight in 2022, as the ongoing Ukraine war means Germany is very short of gas right now. Against the odds, the Rheihenleuchten in the streets around the Messe are still extant. Whilst not in as good a condition as they were - and Jim reports quite a few outages - it's great to see them hanging on. I doubt they will survive for much longer, though.
