What was the first town/city in Europe with electric street lighting?

*** THIS IS A FAQ. We will use this top thread to contain the best answer for this question ***

Fortunately, we can simply compare dates of claims to determine the answer.

Arc Lamp Electric

May 30, 1878: Paris, France appears to have the earliest valid claim.

On May 30, 1878, the first electric street lights in Paris were installed on the avenue de l'Opera and the Place d'Etoile, around the Arc de Triomphe, to celebrate the opening of the Paris Universal Exposition. (Fierro 1996, p. 628.)

1878: London

The first streets in London lit with the electrical arc lamp were by the Holborn Viaduct and the Thames Embankment in 1878

Incandescent Electric

1879: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

The first street to be lit by an incandescent lightbulb was Mosley Street, in Newcastle upon Tyne. The street was lit by Joseph Swan's incandescent lamp on 3 February 1879.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_light


Claims that Hammerfest was first in 1891 appear to incorrect. These sometimes neglect to mention that Hammerfest was the first in northern Europe. Other parts of Europe (as seen above) were earlier.

The first electric lamps used for street lighting were arc lamps installed experimentally in le Quai Conti and La Place da la Concorde, Paris, by Messrs Deleuil et Archereau in 1841. There was an arc lamp erected on the north tower of the Hungerford Bridge in Britain by W.E.Staite in 1849 which burned for 3 hours a night over a two week experimental period.
La Rue Imperiale in Lyons was the first street permanently lit by arc lamps installed by Messrs. Lacassagne et Thiers in 1857. Little further progress appears to have been made in France until L'avenue del'Opera, in Paris which was lit in June 1878.
Source - The New Shell Book of Firsts

The first electric street lighting employed arc lamps, initially the 'Electric candle', 'Jablotchkoff candle' or 'Yablochkov candle' developed by the Russian Pavel Yablochkov in 1875. This was a carbon arc lamp employing alternating current, which ensured that both electrodes were consumed at equal rates. Yablochkov candles were first used to light the Grands Magasins du Louvre, Paris where 80 were deployed -- improvement which was one of the reasons why Paris earned its "City of Lights" nickname.

But that was a Department Store!

Soon after, experimental arrays of arc lamps were used to light Holborn Viaduct and the Thames Embankment in London - the first electric street lighting in Britain.

The first street in the UK to be lit by electric light was Mosley Street, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The street was lit by Joseph Swan's incandescent lamp in February, 1879.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_light#History_of_street_lighting

But then:

In 1891, Hammerfest, Norway, became the first urban settlement in Northern Europe to get electrical street lights. The invention was brought to Hammerfest by two of the town's merchants who had seen it demonstrated at a fair in Paris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerfest

Then there's Blackpool:

Much of Blackpool's growth and character from the 1870s on was predicated on the town's pioneering use of electrical power. In 1879, it became the first municipality in the world to have electric street lighting, as large parts of the promenade were wired.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool#Electricity

I read somewhere that Hammerfest was the first town in Europe with electric street lightning. I nevere believed in this, and as you say: Both Paris, London, Newcastle. Blackpool etc. were earlier, as well as Timosoara, Romania.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_light#History_of_street_lighting

[ Editor: nope, it was first in NORTHERN Europe ]

The first full street lit electrically appears to be Mosley Street in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK, in February 1879.

"The first electric street lighting employed arc lamps, initially the 'Electric candle', 'Jablotchkoff candle' or 'Yablochkov candle' developed by the Russian Pavel Yablochkov in 1875. This was a carbon arc lamp employing alternating current, which ensured that both electrodes were consumed at equal rates. Yablochkov candles were first used to light the Grands Magasins du Louvre, Paris where 80 were deployed-improvement which was one of the reasons why Paris earned its "City of Lights" nickname. Soon after, experimental arrays of arc lamps were used to light Holborn Viaduct and the Thames Embankment in London - the first electric street lighting in Britain.... ...The first street in the UK to be lit by electric light was Mosley Street, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The street was lit by Joseph Swan's incandescent lamp on the 3rd February, 1879."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_light

Then when did Hammerfest get streetlights, and why does it boast being the first city to do so?

It's the northermost town in Europe, and its light were powered by water.

THIS CITY IS REALY UP THERE
The city of Hammerfest, Norway, is the northernmost city in Europe. Unlike many Arctic cities in Asia and North America that are relatively modern, this Norwegian city first achieved its town status in 1789. Located well above the Arctic Circle, the city is in the "Land of the Midnight Sun". At the height of summer, residents experience continuous sunlight for many days. But continuous sunlight in summer also means continuous darkness in winter, and in 1891 Hammerfest became the first town in northern Europe with electric street lighting.

http://www.athropolis.com/arctic-facts/fact-hammerfest.htm