Figure 1.-- Notice the rounded structure behind the soldiers. This was called a Litfaßsäule / Litfasssäule. They were used to display advertisements, posters, and public announcements in Europe and other countries in the years before television.

The "cylindrical structure" behind the soldiers here was called "Litfaßsäule" or "Litfasssäule" for those who have not a German character set on their computer. In France they were called a Morrois column. It was a 19th century innovation that became common throughout Europe--but curiously not in America. It was primarily used as a means for advertisements, commercials, cultural and public announcements, and election advertising. The name is derived fronm the inventer--Ernst Amandus Theodor Litfaß (1816–74). Litfaß was a German printer and publisher who is better known for inventing these colums. Litfaß was born in Berlin and as an adult ingerited his stepfather's publishing business (1845). He edited newspapers and pamphlets. He completed the publication of the 242 volumes Oekonomische Encyklopädie begun by Johann Georg Krünitz in 1773 (1858). Litfaß was apparently disturbed by people pasting posters all over Berlin which was creating an unsighly mess. Posters were a major form of advertising. The posters were every where in the street--includung the trees. He came up with the idea of erecting coluns in the street where postrers could be posted in a more organized fashion. Berlin authorities granted hom permission to build the coluns in public areas (December 1854). They were at first called Annoncier-Säulen or advertising columns. The first 100 colums were unveiled in Berlin (July 1, 1855). The German public called them Litfaß-Säulen. It was a windfall for "Litfaß. He had a monopoly from the city and could charge for permission to post on his coluns. The idea was so sucessful that the columns gradually appeared in other German cities as well as cities in other countries. A number of innovations appeared, revolving column, columns that double for subway vents, columns with a hidden door for storage. In modern Germany the Litfaßsäule have disappeared in many places because TV advertisements are much more effective and cheaper. A Brutish reader writes, "I have an observation regarding the illustration on this page. Take a look at the boy in the foreground, he looks very much like a British schoolboy judging by the cap he's wearing. This impression creates a very interesting thought. If the RAF had failed this could have been a scene in Britain with those German soldiers were proudly marching up a street somewhere in London." The cap does look a bit like a British school cap, but the image is not real clear. German boys had school caps, but they were quite different. We have seen Dutch boys wearing these caps, but they would have been I think rather unusual in Germany. Note the pin on his cap, it could be a Hitler Youth pin. He is also wearing something oin his lapel.

Created: 5:45 AM 1/31/2006
Last updated: 7:55 PM 9/7/2007