Morris column

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A Morris column in front of the Palais Brongniart
A Morris column in front of the Palais Brongniart
Classic Litfaßsäule in Germany, celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2005.
Classic Litfaßsäule in Germany, celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2005.

Morris columns (French: Colonne Morris) are cylindrical outdoor sidewalk structures with a characteristic style that are used for advertising and other purposes. They are common in the city of Berlin, Germany, but are traditionally have been closely associated with the city of Paris, although they were invented by Ernst Litfaß in 1854. Therefore it is known as Litfaßsäule (Litfaß column) in Germany, and can be found all over the country there.

In France originally built by La Société Fermière des Colonnes Morris, from which they derive their name, they are mostly built and maintained today by the JCDecaux company, which purchased Morris in 1986. [1]

Contents

[edit] Purposes

Morris columns are most typically used to display advertisements in the form of posters; many such advertisements have traditionally concerned theater, cinema, nightclub, and concert announcements. Some are motorized and rotate very slowly. A few Morris columns house Sanisettes or telephone booths. At the beginning of 2006, there were 790 Morris columns in Paris, of which 18 contained telephones and six contained Sanisettes. Some 233 Morris columns are scheduled to be removed in the near future.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ JCDecaux. Colonne. 40 ans d'innovation. Retrieved on 2006-05-19.

[edit] References

  • Mobilier Urbain – Inventory of street installations in Paris (in French)
  • 20 Minutes – “Les colonnes Morris en voie de disparition”, 20 Minutes (Paris), 6 January 2006, Grand Paris p. 4 (in French)
  • JC Decaux – Current manufacturer of Morris columns

[edit] See also

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