Prague Castle to get environmentally friendly lighting upgrade
For the first time in 30 years, Prague Castle is set to receive new outdoor lighting. The aim is to better highlight the city’s iconic landmark while making the lighting more economical and environmentally friendly.
Prague Castle, the largest castle complex not only in Czechia but anywhere in the world, is the dominant of the city’s distinctive skyline. It has been regularly illuminated at night since the 1990s, but the current lighting system is outdated, and the Prague Castle Administration plans to replace it. To ensure the new system is efficient and environmentally friendly, they are working with experts from the Czech Technical University.
Last week, scientists from the university’s Faculty of Civil Engineering measured the brightness of the current lighting system. These measurements were carried out from various parts of Prague, including the Smetana Embankment, the roof of the Museum of Agriculture, and the Palacký Bridge. The goal was to assess the impact of the castle’s lights on their surroundings and to determine how much they contribute to overall light pollution in the area.
To carry out these measurements, scientists used a device known as a brightness tester. This appliance, which resembles a regular camera, is equipped with a special filter that mimics how the human eye perceives light in different colours. Lenka Maierová, a member of the team conducting the study, explains:
“If we look closely, we can see that the palace and castle walls don’t have the same colour. Some areas have a warmer white tone, while others have a colder, almost greenish tint. This is because the lighting at Prague Castle is over 30 years old. It dates back to the 1990s, to the time of Václav Havel, when we received it as a gift from France. In terms of lighting technology, 30 years is like going back to the Middle Ages.”
The current system used at Prague Castle relies on sodium lamps, which require more maintenance and are being phased out worldwide in favour of more energy-efficient technologies, such as LEDs.
According to Pavel Vyhnánek, head of the Prague Castle Administration, the new system should save up to 50 percent in costs. More importantly, it will be more environmentally friendly, reducing the light pollution over Prague Castle, explains Ms. Maierová:
“Light at night is a foreign element. All of nature recognizes the difference between daylight and night time darkness. When this difference fades or disappears, organisms become confused.”
The first results of the brightness analysis by experts from the Czech Technical University are expected by the end of this year. However, it will still take several years before Prague Castle gets its new lighting system fully installed and operational.
