Round poster columns are common on city streets throughout Europe. These columns are virtually synonymous with outdoor advertising in Europe and form an essential part of the urban environment. Several years ago, at an international advertising conference held in Vienna, Viennese poster columns were used as the symbols for the event and contributed to the success of the occasion. The poster columns on both sides of the entrance to the royal palace where the main events were held were so well produced that one would have thought that real examples had been brought along and installed. However, looking around the city later, I noticed that the real things were considerably superior and larger in scale. The ornate decoration on the heads of the columns hinted at the former glory of the Austrian empire.

The enthusiasm of Europeans for beauty in the urban environment and long years of tradition have now resulted in these columns being created as means for preventing posters proliferating chaotically throughout their cities. Poster columns have different designs and features from one country to another; those of Vienna fully convey the city�fs brilliance.