ZSD Nysa

A crisp Monday morning in People's Poland. The first ray of sunshine falls on a polished wall unit, a kettle whistles in the kitchen, and citizens prepare to leave home to rush to work. In the streets, the morning hustle and bustle, typical of towns and cities where production is in full swing, and norms are not just met, but exceeded with a proud surplus. However, this doesn't happen by itself. Behind the production success of factories, behind delivering products to consumers, behind trade in general – stands (or rather drives) the Nysa, a versatile delivery van with many faces.

The Nysa was created in the Delivery Vehicle Works (Zakłady Samochodów Dostawczych) in 1957, and its regular production then continued until 1994. Its versions were improved year after year – here a strengthened front suspension beam, there reinforced tires. In 1959, the first 200 units were designated for export, with the Nysas that were destined to see a piece of the world being improved compared to those that remained permanently in the country. The biggest export boom occurred in 1973-74, during which 74% of the produced units were sent abroad.

Nysa, like any hero, also has its dark side – working for the militia. Blue Nysas spread terror on the streets of Polish cities, frightening citizens with the menacing expression of their angular bumpers. The role of a police van recedes into the background when one hears that a Nysa transported the first post-war Polish expedition to the Himalayas, bringing climbers to the summit of Malubiting.

The author of the drawing is the Wrocław artist Paweł Grabowski.