Bogenlampen-Kandelaber vom Potsdamer Platz, Historical street lighting structure at Potsdamer Platz, Germany.
The Bogenlampen-Kandelaber at Potsdamer Platz were two striking light towers designed by architect Emil Högg and built in 1905, each standing about 21 meters tall with four electric arc lamps per structure. They functioned both as street lighting and as support for the streetcar power lines.
The candelabra were erected in 1905 and replaced eleven older arc lamps that had illuminated the square since 1882, reflecting progress in lighting technology. They disappeared in 1937 when underground station construction at the site required new infrastructure.
These lighting structures embodied Berlin's shift toward modern electric street illumination and represented how the city's appearance was transformed in the early 1900s. They became part of a new approach that put practical design at the center of urban infrastructure.
These structures stood at the plaza itself and were visible from everywhere due to their considerable height, which helped with orientation at this major intersection. Today visitors can still understand the historical importance of this location, even though the original structures are long gone.
The design concept won a 1903 competition where Emil Högg competed against more elaborate decorative proposals with a restrained, functional approach. This prize demonstrated that Berlin deliberately chose technical elegance over ornament in its modern infrastructure.
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