The collapse of the Soviet Union was accompanied not only by secession of the republics and the change of the political paradigm. Disappeared and material culture. Some items – for example, a school uniform, in those years, every year more and more difficult to find, but the Soviet household appliances is still in the ranks. Of refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and washing machines that have created “forever” – in the material RIA Novosti.
Things with a soul
“Grandma always washed clothes by hand, despite the fact that the bathroom stood a washing machine “Vyatka”, which for some reason were not even connected. This has piqued my interest for household appliances,” — says Ivan Borisov, Turner aviation plant and collector. In his spare time, Ivan guided tours in the Museum of industrial culture in Lublin, collects old appliances and seems to know everything about them.
“The product was not created in order to make a profit, but to relieve life. Originally they were laid a different meaning,” says Ivan.
“From any thing of those years, even trimmed with veneer, lacquered, emanates warmth”.
Some devices are really created not for profit. For example, the first washing machine, EA, which were called “home” and was produced at the Riga electric factory, in the 50-ies were sold for 600 rubles with an average salary of 1300. However, their cost is 1600 rubles – wrote one of the plant engineers in his memoirs. Machine wash 2,5 kg of Laundry and she squeezed it. It looks like a “rocket” because of its design, although was created in “gocomics age,” says Ivan.
“Someone had recorded and was waiting for six months, the fridge, someone won the lottery, and someone gave a technique for winning the competition. And people had stories, pleasant memories associated with this thing. If you bought it, it took a lifetime, and knew how to appreciate.”
To do for centuries
The Cleaner “The Seagull”
All the Soviet equipment in the collection of Ivan in working condition. For example, a vacuum cleaner, 1945 or refrigerator ZIS (Zavod imeni Stalina) and in 1956 of release. The collector says that the main thing is to install the equipment, and then there will be failures.
“Soviet equipment was very reliable, because the calculation of the design was the reserves of power, resources. If a modern chip is supposed to work 3000 hours, and it is after that period dies, it Soviet much you can get. Motors vacuum cleaner can operate for 40 years. In the passport it is specified that after 300 hours no need to change carbon brushes. Open – and there these brushes not erased, although it clearly has worked several times more.”
The first vacuum cleaner was released in 1935. The famous “Seagull” was produced in Moscow plant “Kommunar” in 1955. Long in-line cleaner was by today’s standards a low-power – then it was thought that the vacuum cleaner needs to suck up dust, not debris – and cost about 45 rubles. All vacuums that time had blown the hole – it was possible to attach a nozzle to pour water and to spray the flowers, lacquer – and coating them with furniture, whitewash or to paint the ceiling. In the late 50’s there were Uralets – pearl finish “crystal”, Soviet inventions: applying tin to the metal by electroplating.
Ivan Borisov shows a vacuum cleaner “Uralets” in the Museum of industrial culture
The first created entirely of domestic components refrigerator appeared in 1950 at the Moscow factory “Gazoapparat”. Before compressors were purchased abroad. In 1955, the refrigerator called “North” — one appeared in the frames of the film “Moscow does not believe in tears”. He was distinguished by silent operation and low cost. The improved model was produced until the mid-90s.
Lasted until the time and refrigerators ZIL, camera which was made of steel and covered with a silicate enamel. It gave good hygienic properties: the fridge was easy to clean, it does not absorb odors. The popularity of the refrigerator, added a lock on the handle that allowed them to store food even in a communal apartment.
In Russia, no longer produced
Production of Soviet technology, with the collapse of the Soviet Union stopped. The market flooded by cheap imports, and domestic goods become unclaimed. Soviet equipment was more bulky because they are created of durable materials, and, accordingly, inferior to foreign appearance, ergonomics. Increasingly, the once coveted and necessary items to be in the dustbin.
Microwave ovens, which appeared in the 70s, had a large amount of functionality in comparison with foreign analogues, and models of the 80-ies there was even a “touch” control panel. Now in Russia anything similar does not produce. Same as sewing machines – their decline began even earlier, in the 80s, when a lot of things and the necessity of stitching clothes themselves, disappeared. “Goswamis”, “Volga”, “Rzhev”, “Tula” are still working.
The Museum of industrial culture
Stopped producing and compressors are the “heart” of the refrigerator. Them again have to be purchased, despite the fact that several plants survived in the 90s and continued to work (in stores, you can find Belarusian “Atlant” and the Russian “Saratov”). Foreign components often can not tolerate voltage drops, and quite fast, compared to the Soviet fail, says Ivan.
“This horror of our time: not only do we offer every day a new product that is no better than the previous one, his release quicker out of order and had to buy a new one”.
Material memory
Ivan Borisov in the Museum of industrial culture
When people find out that in 30 or 40 years of Soviet factories produced equipment which still works, they are very surprised, says the collector.
“Abroad, there are entire communities that maintain old equipment. We considered it a wild. When I say collect half a century of refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, people look at me like I was crazy. We were led to believe that all of that was before 1991, is bad and we have to live in new ways. New is not learned, and all that was good in the past, forgotten.”
According to Ivan, “a soulless piece of iron” have much more meaning than it may seem at first glance. They are monuments of that time can remind people about things that for various reasons would prefer to forget. In design, design you can see a lot of nuances, attitudes, aspirations and hopes. Ivan is confident that his task is to keep the technique as a monument to Soviet industry and industrial culture: “When I look at this technique, I see a people who built “new world” and hope for the future. Then it was all strange. And now there is nothing to surprise”
PS mom still lo vacuum cleaner “Rocket” works really buzzing hard, but for 50 years, without a single repair!!!
