Citroën advertising on a cultural monument
Sometimes you have to walk past something several times before you see it. An enameled Citroën logo on a 15th century house in Tournus in southern Burgundy, for example. What is that? Text: "Maison du XVe siècle, monument historique". The plaque dates from 1928, is almost a hundred years old and, thanks to the enamel, is as fresh as on the first day. The house is around 500 years old and its exterior is also in good condition.
Did Citroën contribute to the restoration? We do not know. But the plaque is unlikely to have been installed without something in return. Especially as it is debatable whether it does not detract from the façade. One thing is certain: Citroën was always good for an original advertising idea. The name of the sponsor only appears very small - but the logo with the cogwheel motif (Citroën was originally a cogwheel factory, among other things) was apparently enough in 1928 to immediately trigger an association with the car manufacturer.
The relationship between the car brand and the cultural monument should probably be understood in tourist terms: Visit the most beautiful cultural monuments in France, and preferably in a Citroën! "I believe that the car today is the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals" - with this confession, the sociologist Roland Barthes began his report from the Paris Motor Show in 1955 in view of the debut of the Citroen DS. The fact that Citroën would create a (technical) cultural monument 27 years later with the DS itself was not yet foreseeable in 1928.
