City Lighting

Our capital ranks among the top five most illuminated cities in the world. Bright and beautiful lighting not only ensures safety but also creates a festive atmosphere and highlights the city's beauty.

Thousands of various lamps, lanterns and light fixtures illuminate our streets every evening and night. This has become so commonplace that we might not consider the effort behind these seemingly ordinary features. Today, it's hard to imagine that until the early 18th century, Moscow had no centralized street lighting. Even in the city's central alleys, nightfall brought complete darkness; streets emptied at dusk and became quite unsafe.

Street lamps appeared in Moscow under Empress Anna Ioannovna. By her decree, on December 25, 1730, oil lamps were installed in the city.

Our exhibition showcases the evolution of street lamps. After oil lamps, streets were lit by spirit-turpentine, kerosene, and gas lamps. In the 20th century, with the advent of electricity, electric lamps began to illuminate the city's streets.

Today, as part of a program to modernize outdoor lighting systems, Moscow is upgrading street lamps with LED bulbs. This reduces energy consumption for city lighting, even as the number of fixtures gradually increases.

An intelligent street lighting control system operates in the capital. These systems can individually manage each light fixture, adjust brightness and operating times, and detect malfunctions. This system also allows quick identification and resolution of issues in specific areas.

Furthermore, Moscow has established a centralized automated system for remote control of city lighting. Street lamps are turned on and off according to a special schedule that considers natural light levels.

At night, Moscow streets are illuminated not only by traditional street lamps. Special lighting enhances small architectural forms. Architectural illumination of buildings and structures makes the nighttime city unique.

Using the model of the Bolshoi Theatre, you can explore elements of the capital's architectural lighting, understand the stages of its creation, and even create a unique light show on the theatre's facade.