Ernst Litfass

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Ernst Litfaß, signed portrait
Advertising space in Berlin-Mitte

Ernst Theodor Amandus Litfaß (born February 11, 1816 in Berlin , † December 27, 1874 in Wiesbaden ) was a printer's owner and publisher . Litfaß became known as the inventor of the advertising pillar named after him . Litfaß organized donations for disabled soldiers with many charity events.

life and work

Training and urge for youth

Ernst Theodor Amandus Litfaß came to Berlin on February 11, 1816 as the son of Ernst Joseph Gregorius Litfaß and Caroline Wilhelmine Litfaß, née. Klitzing to the world. Eight days after his birth, his father, the founder of the Litfaß printing house, died. Ernst Theodor Amandus became a half-orphan . The widowed mother then married the well-known Berlin printer and bookseller Leopold Wilhelm Krause . Characterized by the family business, the young Litfaß already received lasting impressions and a variety of suggestions.

After attending school, Ernst Litfaß completed an apprenticeship as a bookseller in the Schlesinger book and music shop. He did not practice this profession at first, but instead went on extensive educational trips to western Europe and tried his hand at acting . During this time he founded the Theater Lätitia am Rosenthaler Tor in Berlin, which was later renamed the Suburban Theater . It was not until 1845 that he entered the book trade business.

Professional career as a printer and bookseller

After joining the stepfather's printing and publishing house , Ernst Litfaß took over the business completely after the death of his stepfather on January 16, 1846. With the publication of the Declamatorium , a continuously published “selection of serious and cheerful poems for presentation in public and private companies “, The company won many customers and became a real gold mine.

During the March Revolution, Litfaß became the publisher of some pamphlets and newspapers such as the Berliner Krakehler , which was banned six months later, the Berliner Schnellpost (later renamed Berliner Curier ), the North German Spring Almanac , the Berlin Figaro and the Berlin Tagestelegraphen , which appeared for the first time in 1851 and taught the Berlin public through concerts, theater performances as well as entertainment and gastronomy offers in the city and had an extensive advertising section (published from 1859 under the name Theater-Zwischen-Acts-Zeitung ). As a publisher, he finally completed the Economic Encyclopedia founded by Johann Georg Krünitz in 1856 with the edition of the 248th volume .

But not only in laying Litfaß worked, he reformed the Offizin : He led Schnellpressen and color print by the French-English lines, and printed the first giant poster size 20 x 30 feet (6.28 × 9.42 m). In 1846, Litfaß became popular everywhere with the enlargement of the format and the furnishing of the notices, which were then called “Advertisements”. In 1856 he founded an international artist agency ("Central-Kanzlei"), which had to cease operations three years later.

Because of his "unbreakable loyalty to the royal house" he was appointed "Commissions-Rath" in 1861 and in 1863 as the royal court printer. Later he received from the Prussian king the sole right to publish the war dispatches and reports of victory from the wars of 1866 and 1870–1871 . In 1867 he was finally given the title "Secret Commission Council" .

For the free attack of 192 war dispatches , he was awarded the Prussian Royal Crown Order including the insignia of the red Cross of St. John .

Charity in the post-war years

Grave of Ernst Litfaß in the Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof in Berlin

With his commitment to charity, he helped wounded soldiers and survivors in the post-war period of the wars of 1864, 1866 and 1870–1871 to alleviate financial problems. This was done through extensive activities such as concerts, fireworks and boat trips, largely at their own expense. He donated the proceeds from these events to the committees concerned.

End of life

Ernst Litfaß died on December 27, 1874 during a cure in Wiesbaden. The business was handed over to his underage heirs and existed until the 1920s. As the “King of Advertising” he was given an honorary grave in the Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof in Berlin-Mitte . During his lifetime, his life and work were recorded in a commemorative publication by Mrs. Tietz.

Remembrance

The advertising pillar

Advertising memorial in Münzstrasse near Alexanderplatz

But Ernst Litfaß became best known for the billboards he introduced in Berlin, which are called advertising columns in his honor . Apparently he was bothered by the wild billboards in lively Berlin . Announcements and advertisements for orchestral performances , theatrical performances or for the circus were wildly glued to walls and houses. That is why he took the cities of Paris , Brussels and London , which he had visited several times, as models. On December 5, 1854, he received from the police chief of Hinckeldey the concession to "erect a number of billboards on fiscal street terrain for the free acceptance of posters from public authorities and commercial publications of private advertisements". This allowed the installation of initially 150 "advertising pillars" (100 new pillars were erected and 50 existing fountains and urinals were clad with wood for the purposes of billposting). Ernst Renz took over the financing of these first pillars .

On April 15, 1855, the first column was erected at the so-called " billy goat guard " in Münzstrasse ( Berlin-Mitte ), but it was not until July 1, 1855 that the 100 columns and 50 fountain casings were presented to the public. A specially composed advertising polka gave the festive ceremony flair. In the following years Litfaß set up other such advertisements . Through his foresight, Litfaß recognized the coming business of advertising early on and secured the sole right to post posters for Berlin, which later made him very wealthy. In Berlin vernacular , Litfaß was also called the “pillar saint” in reference to the ancient temple statues . When the license was re-tendered in 1880, his descendants were subject to competition from the Nauck & Hartmann company in Berlin, which had submitted an offer of 35,000 marks.

The fact that it was possible to advertise conspicuously with the advertising pillar in central locations is also confirmed by the fact that such pillars were set up all over Germany after the death of the letterpress printer Litfaß . Today there are still 67,000 advertising pillars all over Germany, of which around 50,000 are used to advertise cultural events. No other German was ever erected as many “ monuments ” as Ernst Litfaß. Since 2006, a bronze advertising pillar has been commemorating him in Münzstrasse where his first advertising pillar once stood. The memorial was donated by VVR Berek , the legal successor to the company founded by Litfaß.

Commemorative stamps

Postage stamp "125 years of advertising column" of the German Federal Post Office Berlin , 1979

The Landespostdirektion Berlin issued a commemorative stamp in 1979 for the 125th anniversary of the advertising pillars in Berlin. In January 2016, Deutsche Post issued a commemorative stamp on the occasion of Ernst Litfaß's 200th birthday. The motif was designed by Gregor Schöner from Bremen. The value of the stamp is € 0.70 for standard letters.

Advertising space in Berlin

Litfaß Monument , Litfaß-Platz 2, Berlin-Mitte

Since January 2011 there is the Litfaß-Platz in Berlin. The square was created on the newly built area south of the Hackescher Markt train station , the Hackescher Quartier. The Berlin advertising agency Scholz & Friends , which was involved in the naming of the square, has its headquarters at Litfaß-Platz 1 . In the middle of the square is a 5.25 m high column that indicates the name of the area.

The Ernst Litfaß School

The Ernst-Litfaß-Schule, upper level center for printing and media technology in Berlin-Wittenau bears his name in his honor.

Honors

  • On July 1, 2020, on the 165th anniversary of the inauguration of the first advertising pillar in Berlin , Litfaß was honored with a Google Doodle .

literature

Literature used as a source

  • Sabine Reichwein: The advertising column. The 125-year history of street furniture from Berlin. Press and Information Office of the State of Berlin, Berlin 1980, DNB 810346176 (part of the library of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels eV, Frankfurt am Main).
  • Rudolf Schmidt : German bookseller. German book printer. Contributions to a company history of the German book industry. 6 volumes, Schmidt, Eberswalde 1902–1908, DNB 560897278 , reprint in one volume: Olms, Hildesheim, New York, NY 1979, ISBN 3-487-06943-1 (part of the library of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels eV, Frankfurt am Main ).
  • Fr. Tietz, E. Litfass industrial and private effectiveness. To celebrate its 25th anniversary as a principal and citizen based on authentic facts. Festschrift, Berlin 1871, reprint of the original Festschrift by Fr. Tietz from 1871 by Ernst Litfass 'Erben, Berlin C 19, Adlerstrasse 6, F. Volckmar, Leipzig / E. Litfass' Erben, Berlin 1921, DNB 361763212 .

Further literature

Movie

  • The inventor of the advertising column turns 200! TV report, Germany, 2016, 6:48 min., Script and direction: Dagmar Lembke, moderation: Gerald Meyer , production: rbb , editing: Theodor. Story (s) from the Mark , first broadcast: February 7th, 2016 on rbb, synopsis from ARD , online video from rbb.

Web links

Commons : Ernst Litfaß  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cf. Berlinische Nachrichten von Staats- und schehrtenachen No. 122, October 10, 1812, supplement.
  2. ↑ https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/Bilderstrecken/Sondermarken/Programm_2016/Programm_2016_Bilder/1602_Litfa%C3%9F.html .
  3. ↑ Isabell Jürgens: Berlin-Mitte. What makes the Hackesche Quartier so special. In: Berliner Morgenpost , October 16, 2011.
  4. ↑ Lothar Heinke : Send middle. Berlin discovers Litfaß-Platz. In: Tagesspiegel , April 18, 2011.
  5. ↑ In honor of the advertising column. July 1, 2020, accessed on August 21, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Litfaß, Ernst
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Litfaß, Ernst Theodor Amandus (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German print shop owner and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH February 11, 1816
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH December 27, 1874
Place of death Wiesbaden