Aus der Provinz in die Moderne - Der Bau des Kanalisationssystems in Danzig

Abstract

In the second half of the 19th century Gdańsk was the first city in Germany that set up a complete system of water supply including drainage channels and sprinkler areas. This important step in the urban modernisation process is mainly associated with Leopold von Winter and his term as Lord Mayor (1863-1890). But taking a closer look, it be comes obvious that the issue of environmental hygiene arose much earlier in Gdańsk. Since the beginnings of a discourse can be traced back to the 18th century, there it had been noticeably intensified in face of the cholera that plagued the city from 1830/31 for several decades. By shifting the issue from theory to practice, the engineer Julius Albert Gottlieb Licht had played a crucial role, before experts from Great Britain and Berlin helped to complete a pioneering urban project in the Germany Empire.