New roads for th Maluch

The rapid motorisation of the country in the 1970s necessitated investment in road infrastructure. Wrocław’s transport system had been in place since before the Second World War and remained essentially the same until the reign of comrades Edward Gierek and Ludwik Drożdż. Meanwhile, the number of cars registered in the city grew rapidly – from 16,000 in 1970 to over 72,000 in 1982, and over 100,000 in the last year of the Polish People’s Republic.

Photo 1.

The W-Z route in the mid- 1980s.

Photo by Tadeusz Szwed (collections of the Ossolineum Library / Documents of Social Life Department)

Photo 2.

Even before the mass production of the Fiat 126, the press often wrote about the traffic jams on Wrocław’s roads. By the 1970s, it was clear that the city’s outdated transport system needed to be rebuilt. The photo illustrating an article about traffic jams in Wrocław shows a Fiat 126 – probably one of the first in the city.

‘Słowo Polskie’ of 31 October 1973, No. 258, p. 8 (collections of the Ossolineum Library / Periodicals Department)

Photo 3.

The flagship road investment in Wrocław in the 1970s was the construction of the W-Z route. It was a highly controversial project, because although it removed car traffic from the Market Square, it disrupted the medieval layout of the Old Town. The photo shows the first section of the W-Z route on the day of its ceremonial opening, 22 July 1974.

Photo by Stanisław Kokurewicz (collections of ‘Remembrance and Future’ Centre )

Photo 4.

The construction of the tunnel along Kazimierza Wielkiego and Oławska Streets lasted until 1978. It was opened on 7 May 1978.

‘Słowo Polskie’ of 10 May 1978, No. 105, p. 1 (collections of the Ossolineum Library / Periodicals Department)

Photo 5.

A map of the Wrocław’s transport system after the opening of the second section of the W-Z route.

‘Słowo Polskie’ of 10 May 1978, No. 105, p. 8 (collections of the Ossolineum Library / Periodicals Department)