Star-shapedmesogens with a phloroglucinol or a trimesic acid core and oligobenzoate arms with up to five repeating units have been synthesised. These non-conventionalmesogensform various columnarmesophases over a broad temperature range. The liquid-crystal phases were characterised by optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, dilatometry and solid-state NMR spectroscopy