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Wrocław premiere Photo 1, 2. The Fiat 126 in front of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology attracted a lot of interest. Photo by Stanisław Kokurewicz (collections of ‘Remembrance and Future’ Centre ) Photo 3. ‘Słowo Polskie’ of 27 January 1973, No. 23, p. 1 (collections of the Ossolineum Library / Periodicals Department) Photo […]
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‘Tour de Pologne’ Another campaign to encourage Poles to put their savings into a car of their own was a rally of two Fiat 126s on the Warsaw–Poznań–Szczecin–Gdańsk–Kielce–Kraków–Wrocław–Warsaw route, organised by the editorial staff of ‘Express Wieczorny’ and regional afternoon papers, including ‘Wieczór Wrocławia’, and pompously called the ‘Tour de Pologne’. Photo 1. On Saturday […]
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‘Tour de Pologne’ Photo 1. In Wrocław, the performance of the Fiat 126 was demonstrated in Wolności Square. Photo by Stanisław Kokurewicz (collections of ‘Remembrance and Future’ Centre ) Photo 2. At the wheel of the red Fiat was leading Polish racing driver, Robert Mucha… Photo by Stanisław Kokurewicz (collections of ‘Remembrance and Future’ Centre […]
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Maluch mania In the 1960s, the demand for cars in Poland exceeded supply many times over, even though the cheapest cars cost a several-year salary of an average citizen. For millions of Poles, owning a car was a dream they were prepared to sacrifice a lot for. When this dream became a little more realistic […]
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Maluch mania Photo 1. Toy versions of the Maluch for the youngest were made, among others, by Spółdzielnia Inwalidów ‘Sinol’ (‘Sinol’ Disabled Cooperative) in Oleśnica. Photo by Jerzy Hankiewicz (collections of the Ossolineum Library / Documents of Social Life Department) Photo 2. Mural with the Fiat 126 in an unknown place in Wrocław in the […]
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How to get a Maluch? Edward Gierek’s promise to produce small-engine cars was not only motivated by the desire to motorise society. It was also a clever ploy to take excess savings out of the pockets of Poles and eliminate the so-called monetary overhang. Unlike other new cars, which could be bought with a voucher, […]
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How to get a Maluch? Photo 1. Collection of the coveted Fiat 126p in Lubin’s Polmozbyt. Photo by Krzysztof Raczkowiak (collections of the Historical Museum in Lubin) Photo 2. The lucky few became owners of the Fiat 126p thanks to their victory in the competition. In the picture, the award for the best rationaliser in […]
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Maluch on the car exchange The car exchanges in communist Poland perfectly reflected the absurdities and paradoxes of the system of central planning and the state monopoly on the circulation of goods. The exchange prices of cars were even twice as high as the official prices. This was also the case with the Maluch. When […]
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Maluch good for everything The Fiat 126 was designed as a city car. In Western European countries in the 1970s, cars of this size were often the second car in the family, making it easier to get around the increasingly congested streets of large cities. In communist Poland, the Fiat 126p had to play the […]
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Maluch in service With the rapid mass development of motorisation in Poland, it was necessary to expand the car service network accordingly. At the same time as the first Maluch cars appeared on the streets of Polish cities, the existing state enterprises involved in the sale and maintenance of cars consolidated. On 1 January 1974, […]