There was a great need in the developing industry and state administration in post-war Poland for managing internal telephone networks designed to operate in the conditions present different employment establishments (steelworks, mines, railway, administrative buildings). It was not by accident that the Telkom-Telos telecommunications equipment factory was situated in Kraków, where, in nearby Nowa Huta, an enormous metallurgical conglomerate was built as part of the six-year plan of 1950-1955. In 1958, Telkom-Telos was put under the supervision of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, and in the 1960s it became part of the Unitra Union of Electronic and Communications Technology Industry. The development projects of the 1960s and 1970s shaped the eventual production profile of the factory, which from then on produced specialist telephones for mining (spark-safe), the rescue services, railway, the commercial fleet and the navy, which were complemented by payphones, office telephones, replacement parts and components. This specific production profile allowed the enterprise to survive after the free-market transformation that took place in the last decade of the 20th century. This was because firstly, it allowed Telkom-Telos to manufacture many devices for export markets (even as much as 40% of its production was exported in different periods) – initially to Comecon countries and later also to the West – and secondly, cheap goods from the Far East could not pose a threat. Telkom-Telos is one of a handful of Polish enterprises still operating in the telecommunications industry today.
One of the specialisms mentioned above was the production of systems for business managers. The first was the ZAS system of serially connected telephones, designed in the 1970s. The TELZES1 secretary/director’s office telephone presented here was a modernised version of the ZAS. Apart from a few modifications, the model was identical to its predecessor, but the TELZES1 was given a new housing, set of switches, and LEDs instead of lightbulbs. In later units the dial was replaced by a keypad. Depending on the version, it allowed two city lines and three or five telephones to be connected. The devices had modern segment switches. The system was powered from the local telephone line, but it was also equipped with a 24V stabilised power supply unit for handling intercom calls. It was also possible to establish conference calls with all internal subscribers, as well as recording calls by connecting a reel-to-reel tape recorder.

A hydrant is a device allowing water intake directly from the water mains. Its main purpose is to provide water to the appropriate services in case of fire, but sometimes also for living or commercial purposes. Each hydrant has a cut-off valve and an outlet that allows a receiving hose to be connected. In order to restrict access to unauthorized persons, and to protect the device against vandalism, hydrants are equipped with different locking systems that require special tools to open. There are two types of street hydrants. The first are underground designs with a box that contains the outlet and valve and are closed on the top with a cover installed at ground level. Then there are the above-ground hydrants, in which the valve and outlet are placed on a structure above the ground. Underground hydrants were used in Europe and Asia as far back as the 18th century. The first above-ground hydrants were built in the 19th century, after the invention was patented in the USA by Frederick Graff in 1801.
The object presented here was produced in a Kraków cast-iron foundry established in 1918 by Władysław Klimek, a master moulder who gained his professional experience at the factory of Ludwik Zieleniewski in Kraków. Klimek’s company produced different types of castings, including farming and industrial machinery components. The plant’s production was not interrupted even during World War II. In 1949, the enterprise was nationalised.
Interesting fact: Hydrants as we know them were not used before metal pipelines became widespread. Up until then, pipes were made of wood, so in the event of fire a hole was drilled in the pipe and water was taken from the opening, and the hole was plugged after firefighting was finished.

References:
Pipes – Wood, Page “The History of Sanitary Sewers”, http://www.sewerhistory.org/photosgraphics/pipes-wood/ (Accessed: 7.05.2021).
Władysław Klimek, photoblog „Klapyme”, https://klapyme.flog.pl/wpis/5760384/wladyslaw–klimek, (Accessed: 7.05.2021).

The Motorola MicroTAC family of telephones debuted in 1989 as the successor to the much larger models of the DynaTAC series. MicroTAC telephones were compact and unique in their folding design – the microphone was installed inside a hinged flap, which covered the keypad when folded. The device also had a retractable antenna, which made it even more convenient.
Early models in the MicroTAC family worked with first-generation analog cellular networks. The International 5200 model presented here was designed for second-generation digital networks (GSM).
Motorola is one of the most prominent enterprises in the history of telecommunication. The company was established in 1928 by brothers Paul and Josef Galvin. Initially, its profile focused on producing “battery eliminators”, i.e., mains-powered supply units for early radio receivers. The company began operation under its current name in 1930. “Motorola” was also the commercial name of the first product to achieve spectacular market success – a radio receiver for installation in cars.

An electrical vacuum cleaner is one of the most practical inventions of the 20th century. It is used for cleaning dust and loose dirt from different surfaces.
The Gamma II type A6a vacuum cleaner model was manufactured in 1960 by the Rzeszowska Fabryka Sprzętu Gospodarskiego (RFSG). The factory was built on the site of the Rzeszów branch of the H. Cegielski Machine Tools Factory, operating before World War II. In 1967 the enterprise was named “Zelmer Rzeszowskie Zakłady Elektromechaniczne im. Augustyna Micała”. Its production profile included electrical vacuum cleaners, electrical floor polishers, hairdryers, scooters, and kids bicycles, with other domestic appliances being added over time.

The Gamma II vacuum cleaner model was designed by the Design and Technology Bureau of the factory, by Leonard Krawczyński, Józef Kalembkiewicz, Kazimierz Sadłowski and Władysław Wołoszyn. RFSG’s first vacuum cleaners – the Alfa, Beta and Gama – did not differ from each other in any essential way in terms of technical design. Some enhancements were possible as the factory’s technology base developed, but some operations were still done by hand.

The body of the vacuum cleaner was cut out of hot-rolled sheet steel. There was often scaling and pitting on the surface of the metal sheets, which required surface etching and polishing before the application of decorative paint or plating. Metal sheets, cut into the required forms, were bent on a roller and then connected with a rabbet joint. To flatten the surface, the bodies were then hammered on a former with rubber or wooden mallets in order to achieve a cylindrical shape. This operation was performed by Tadeusz Rak and Stanisław Draus. The vacuum cleaner bags were hand sewn by Maria Koczur and Helena Czubara. The devices were also marked by hand, which means that the vacuum cleaner’s data was stamped onto prepared nameplates.
Starting from 1958, some vacuum cleaner components were made of pressed plastic. The covers of the item presented here were made of Bakelite, and the nozzles and pipes were made partly from Bakelite and partly from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The brushes were made of wood and they have Bakelite pipes and natural bristles. The device was equipped with a 130W suction unit manufactured in Germany (GDR).

The Gamma II model put into production in 1958 was designed as a small, light, handheld vacuum cleaner. In order to facilitate its operation the body has a Bakelite handle and a long rubber belt, allowing the vacuum cleaner to be carried on the shoulder. The vacuum cleaner was also equipped with accessories: a dryer and a spraying nozzle. The dryer, which was mounted through an additional hole in the motor cover, could be used for drying hair or small garments, and the spraying nozzle – for dampening linen before ironing, spraying flowers with water, and spraying water or diluted paint when painting walls.

Wooden pipes were an element of the water supply line that provided the residents of Gdańsk with potable water taken from the canals of the Radunia river. Gdańsk’s water pipelines, dated to the 14th century, are considered to be the oldest such system in the territory of Poland. From the beginning, they were extended with more and more publicly accessible, underwater reservoirs called sumps. Sumps were the equivalent of municipal wells, but, unlike wells, they did not use groundwater but were fed with water from remote water intakes through wooden pipes. Water supply systems were also later extended to include individual water connections for properties. Pipe sections were made by boring pine trunks using drills and gimlets, and then connecting them with iron or lead connectors with flanges that allowed the consecutive sections to be clamped together. As the wooden pipes naturally deteriorated, they were periodically replaced. In later centuries, they were gradually replaced by more durable pipes of cast iron, stoneware, lead, reinforced concrete, and plastic. The last parts of Gdańsk’s wooden pipelines remained in use until as late as the mid-19th century. The pipe sections presented here were found during renovation works conducted near St. Mary’s Church in Gdańsk.
Interesting fact: From the 16th century, the necessary pressure in the water supply system was provided by a water machine that was called the Wasserkunst (German for “water art”) in Gdańsk. It consisted of a wheel pump and a water wheel propelled by the energy of the flowing water. A similar device also worked in Kraków, where it was called the “rurmus”.

References:
Wodociągi, “Gedanopedia” website, https://www.gedanopedia.pl/gdansk/?title=WODOCI%C4%84GI (Accessed: 8.05.2021).

A slide projector is an optical device for displaying enlarged images on a screen. The projector is based on optical solutions used in a so-called laterna magica (magical lantern) – a simple device for displaying an image built of glass transparencies, where the light source was originally a candle flame and later a kerosene lamp or other chemical compounds. The invention of this device is attributed to Athansius Kircher, who described and illustrated it in 1646 in his work Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae, and to Christiaan Huygens, who presented a working prototype in 1659.
The Diapol 9839 Automat slide projector was produced in 1975-1990 by Polskie Zakłady Optyczne in Warsaw. In the second half of the 19th century, one of the most prominent establishments producing optical instruments in Warsaw was Pierwsza w Kraju Fabryka instrumentów Optycznych FOS owned by Aleksander Ginsberg – the creator of the optical industry in the territory of Poland. After his death, the factory was probably moved to St. Petersburg. In 1921, however, it resumed operation in Warsaw as Fabryka Aparatów Optycznych i Precyzyjnych H. Kolberg i S-ka. After Kolberg retired from the company in 1930, the remaining shareholders established Polskie Zakłady Optyczne.
The design of projectors in the Diapol series was the joint work of Witold Woźniakowski, Jan Figlewicz and Zbyszek Kramarz. The external design of the projector was prepared by Jan Krzysztof Meisner – the designer of industrial forms, illustrator, photographer, design theoretician, and author of the designs for the Osa scooters, the Beskid car, and the Alfa and Druh photographic cameras.
The Diapol 9839 Automat projector is designed for projecting black-and-white or colour positive slides in the 24×38 mm format, framed in 5×5 cm frames. The projector’s optical arrangement uses the Krytar 2.8 lens with a focal point of 85 mm from 0.5 to 10 m. The device is equipped with a frame for the automatic feeding of slides. After the frame with slides passes from number 1 to number 36, the tray has to be manually moved to the first slide. Automatic slide changing and setting of image sharpness is enabled by the remote-control system. Thanks to the use of a strong halogen lamp, the projector can be used in home conditions, as well as in educational facilities. As the lightbulb generates a high temperature, a fan is installed in the projector to cool the optics. When using the device, pauses of 15 minutes were recommended after every 90 minutes of projection.

Authors: Beata Krzaczyńska, Piotr Turowski, Filip Wróblewski

The Pionier was the first Polish post-war vacuum tube radio. It was developed in 1948 at the Zakłady Radiowe Diora in Dzierżoniów by the team led by inż. Wilhelm Rotkiewicz, the designer of the Detefon radio. Immediately after the War, the factory in Dzierżoniów produced radios based on surplus components left by the Germans and the Aga radios under Swedish licence. The latter type of radio was the source of inductive components used in the first batch of the Pioniers, later to be replaced by Polish products. Radios from this family were designed to be easy and cheap in production and, above all, for the price to be attractive to the buyer. It was the low price and reliable design based on parts produced domestically that drove their popularity (a total of 1.5 million units were produced). The Pionier met the needs of a society impoverished after World War II. Its importance was also noticed by the communist government, as it found the widespread sales of radios to be an opportunity for popular influence and improved processes of disseminating information.
The Pionier family of radios comprised around 17 types, which differed in technical parameters and components because the radio was continuously being improved. As many as nine types of housings were used for the design of its different versions. Other radio models were also variants based on the Pionier: the Juhas, Kujawiak, Mazur, Noteć, Polonez and Promyk.
The Pionier U2 is a superheterodyne, 585,000 units of which were sold. Its appearance harkens back to pre-war radios in the art déco style. The box housing was made of dark brown Bakelite, which allowed the production cost to be significantly reduced in comparison with similar housings made of wood and wood derivatives. A round scale with a pointer was located at the front of the radio, in a square area. Below it are two rotary switches: on the left, an on-off and volume switch, and on the right – a band selection and tuning knob. A magnetoelectric Tonsil GD 13/1,5 speaker was installed next to the scale, behind a horizontal grille and cloth cover. The letter “U” next to the radio name indicates that it is designed to be powered from direct and alternating current sources. Lack of electrification of large areas of the country drove the need to develop a battery-powered version named “Pionier B”. The simple, easily repairable design of the radio in the Bakelite housing was used until 1968, in different versions, only differing in the setup of the vacuum tubes.

Authors: Piotr Turowski, Filip Wróblewski

The Czar (Polish for “Charm”) mono radio receiver was launched in 1960 by Zakłady Radiowe im. Marcina Kasprzaka in Warsaw. In terms of the electrical system, it is a battery powered superheterodyne, comprising seven transistors and two germanium diodes. The maximum running time of the radio is between 60 and 120 hours. The radio operates in the medium and long wave bands, with amplitude modulation (AM). The Czar has five tuned circuits, allowing selectivity by means of separating the signal of a selected radio station from other stations at similar frequencies. The device was equipped with an automatic gain adjustment system, which automatically adjusts the voltage gain ratio, whose changes result from the influence of weather conditions on propagation of radio waves. The receiver has a built-in ferrite antenna and a Tonsil GD 14,5-9,5/1,5 W/C magnetoelectric speaker.
The cuboid, relatively flat housing of the receiver is made of plastic that is bonded to a broad strip of perforated sheet metal running across the front side. The glossy metallic surface contrasts with the cream colour of the remaining part of the housing. On the right, there is a transparent tuning knob with a scale, while on the left there is a built-in, oval speaker, hidden behind the perforated sheet metal; on the right, at the bottom, the name of the radio is inscribed in a handwriting-styled typeface. The top and the bottom walls are arched, with symmetrical stripes on the left part of both surfaces. In the top part there are button switches (a power and a band switch), and a leather handle strap.
The Czar was one of the first radios in Poland produced using printed circuit boards (and the first such design produced by the ZRK). The circuit board is made of an isolating material, with connections conducting electrical signals applied in the form of points and paths. The printed circuit board was developed in 1936 by Austrian engineer Paul Eisler, but work on this technology had begun earlier, at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1903, Albert Hanson created a concept description of flat foil conductors, which were laminated on a multi-layer insulating board. Some 10 years later, Arthur Berry patented a method of printing and etching boards, while Max Schoop patented the technique of thermal spraying of a structured metal layer. In 1927, Charles Ducas patented a method of plating circuit designs. Until 1948, printed circuit boards were used exclusively by the military and it was not possible to use them commercially.

Author: Filip Wróblewski

The FSM Beskid 106 is a prototype, small displacement car, designed as the successor to the Syrena 105 and Polski Fiat 126p. R&D work began in 1981 and lasted until the early 1990s, resulting in eight prototypes and one 1:1 model of the vehicle’s second variant. Despite successful tests, the shortage of funding and unfavourable political decisions halted further development of the design.

The FSM Beskid 106 was the most modern passenger car designed in Poland after World War II, although it was largely unified with the Polski Fiat 126p for economic reasons. The streamlined silhouette of the car, which has a very low drag coefficient, allowed a lot of space to be carved out for passengers (more than in the Polonez!), while keeping external dimensions small. At the same time, it reduced fuel consumption.
The vehicle has a monocoque body with a transverse engine at the front of the body that drives the front wheels. All wheels are suspended independently on struts at the front, and on trailing links at the rear. A dual-circuit brake system operates on all wheels of the vehicle, with disc brakes at the front, and drum brakes at the rear.
The author of the design requirements and the person who supervised the entire project (i.e. the chief designer) was inż. Wiesław Wiatrak. Body styling and aerodynamics were entrusted to Krzysztof Meissner of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. The interior design, as implemented in the 1989 mock-up, was prepared by designers at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts, including Prof. Jerzy Ginalski.

The black-and-white Vela 202 CRT television set was the first portable TV set manufactured in Poland (in 1975-1978). It was developed by the Unitra Polkolor industrial plant in Piaseczno, which closely cooperated with the Warszawskie Zakłady Telewizyjne. The first model of the Vela 201 was built in 1973. The Vela 202 is a transistor receiver powered by mains or battery (car battery) and designed to receive television channels in the OIRT standard in VHF and UHF ranges. The external design of the device was prepared by Włodzimierz Pańków, the technical design – by Stanisław Machnicka, and electronics – by Wojciech Krawiec. The TV set had a 12-inch, A31-310W cathode-ray tube displaying a monochrome image. The elliptical Tonsil GD 8×12/1,5-4 with a dissipationless magnetic circuit, which does not affect the video quality, is embedded under the housing. The electrical system uses 17 transistors, six integrated circuits, and 34 diodes, which are placed on a cuboid plastic frame. The Vela has three programmable channels. In the top part of the housing there is a slide-out handle for carrying the device, two telescopic antennae, knobs, and buttons. The receiver was manufactured with housings in several colour versions: white, orange, and coral. The Vela attracted a lot of interest in Poland. A total of about 220,000 units of the different versions of this device were manufactured in 1973–1990. The Vela was also exported to Germany, Austria, France, and the United Kingdom.

Authors: Piotr Turowski, Filip Wróblewski