Graz, Austria
Aug 1999
Thanks to Martin Nỳdr for identifying the lanterns on this page for me.
2020: Retrofitted to LED
The lantern in the picture above is made by AE Austria and is a Maiglöckchen AKK5 (span wire mounting). There are lots like it all over the Innere Stadt. It's 80W MBF. Glöckchen means 'little bell' - you can see why it has this name.
At first glance this looks like a series installation but it's not. The luminaire does seem to be connected to the wires coming in on the insulators, but also there are two insulated twin cables. (exiting left and below in the pic.) These appear to be paralleled off the incoming wires- they were heading off to other fitting lighting the same square. Also this type of cable would not be the first choice for a series system.
Update May 2018: GSV has just begun to return to Austria after being banned for several years. I've not been back since I took these pics so have to rely on it for updates. Looking at some of the limited views available of the Innere
Stadt (Herrengasse, Opernring) it looks like as of early 2018, the lighting is substantially unchanged which if true, is great news.
Update July 2024: GSV is now more or less fully available as of last year. Looking around, in
the Innere Stadt, there are still a lot of spanwire fixtures around, it's not clear whether the linear fluorescent has been refitted to LED or not. The MH and mercury fixtures like the one above, seem to have been retrofitted with LED modules some time around 2020.
I
just wish I'd taken more pictures when I was there. This city seems to have it's streetlighting extremely well sorted out- most of the city centre is lit with either twin 2 or 4 foot flourescent tubes on span wires or 80W mercury vapour (and 1 or two 200W
incandescent) on span wires as above. Part of the centre has been upgraded with fittings which look much the same as the one above but which have horizontally mounted metal halide lamps with reflectors. The net result is a very pleasant atmosphere at night, for
car drivers and pedestrians alike, with white, not over- or under lit public area and street lighting.The lantern in the picture above is made by AE Austria and is a Maiglöckchen AKK5 (span wire mounting). There are lots like it all over the Innere Stadt. It's 80W MBF. Glöckchen means 'little bell' - you can see why it has this name.
At first glance this looks like a series installation but it's not. The luminaire does seem to be connected to the wires coming in on the insulators, but also there are two insulated twin cables. (exiting left and below in the pic.) These appear to be paralleled off the incoming wires- they were heading off to other fitting lighting the same square. Also this type of cable would not be the first choice for a series system.
Retrofitted to LED by Oct 2023
This picture was taken either the previous or following winter to the rest of the summer 1999 pics here. This is the same Quergasse light as the following pictures.
Residential lighting on the outskirts of town is almost always flourescent tubes on the main roads, and 50 or 80W MV on the side streets like the above.
This picture was taken either the previous or following winter to the rest of the summer 1999 pics here. This is the same Quergasse light as the following pictures.
Residential lighting on the outskirts of town is almost always flourescent tubes on the main roads, and 50 or 80W MV on the side streets like the above.
Retrofitted to LED by Oct 2023
These are also by AE Austria, model Kandelaber AHK17- 50W MV. The light in this picture is on Quergasse, Hart Bei Graz (just east of the city) and at the time (picture taken in 1999) the housing development and the fixture were almost new.
Fast forward to 2023 and most of the suburban parts of eastern Graz I checked out, were LED. In this case, the pole here now has a Philips Luma Mini roadway fixture.
These are also by AE Austria, model Kandelaber AHK17- 50W MV. The light in this picture is on Quergasse, Hart Bei Graz (just east of the city) and at the time (picture taken in 1999) the housing development and the fixture were almost new.
Fast forward to 2023 and most of the suburban parts of eastern Graz I checked out, were LED. In this case, the pole here now has a Philips Luma Mini roadway fixture.
