Although the concept of the environment only gained its current significance in the second half of the 20th century, contemporaries of early industrialization already had a pronounced awareness of the pollution of their urban environment caused by the emerging industry. This work analyzes a larger number of protests against the establishment of industrial and commercial facilities in Aachen and Duisburg between 1815 and 1914 in a structured manner. How was the perception of the urban environment altered by industrialization in the 19th century from the perspective of urban residents? Did they suffer from the increasing smoke pollution, or did they welcome the dynamic progress represented by the smoking chimneys? And in what context could any discomfort about what we today define as the downsides of industrialization be articulated?.