General Government Commission for the General National Exhibition, Government Exhibition at the General National Exhibition [1929]

Title: Government Exhibition at the General National Exhibition.

Author: General Government Commission for the General National Exhibition [an agency established to prepare the state administration’s participation in the Poznań exhibition].

Publisher: Poznań, Government Exhibition Commission of the General National Exhibition

Year of publication: 1929.

Format: 20 cm.

Volume: 156, [1] pp. + fold-out map.

Binding: Cloth-bound.

This is an official publication of the Government Exhibition Commission, prepared for the General National Exhibition in Poznań, the famous PeWuKa. The exhibition was organized to commemorate the tenth anniversary of regaining independence and ran from May 16 to September 30, 1929. Over 100 buildings were erected on 65 hectares, and 1,427 exhibitors presented exclusively Polish products. The exhibition was visited by approximately 4.5 million people, including about 200,000 guests from abroad. It was the largest economic event of the Second Polish Republic. Among other structures, the “Polonia” hotel and the university buildings Collegium Heliodori and Collegium Anatomicum were built for the occasion. Cyryl Ratajski, Stanisław Wachowiak, and architect Roger Sławski played leading roles. This volume presents the section of the exhibition where state institutions showcased the achievements of the first decade of independence in administration, the economy, transportation, education, and defense. It was published just a few months before the New York Stock Market Crash of October 1929. The Great Depression soon dashed the optimism reflected in these presentations. This piece also includes Part II, described by the publisher as unofficial, featuring a fold-out map of the exhibition grounds and a section of advertisements from Polish factories and companies. It is a valuable testament to the language and graphics of interwar advertising.

Provenance: no stamps or ownership markings.

This is an official PeWuKa souvenir featuring a complete set of advertisements and an exhibition map. A must-have for researchers of the economy of the Second Polish Republic, collectors of vintage Polish advertising and commercial art, enthusiasts of urban cartography, and collectors of Posnanica items.

The block is compact, bound with metal staples, on clean paper; the set of advertising inserts is intact, and the fold-out exhibition map is preserved without damage. The publication cover is in good condition.

Catalog ID: 12737-20-A-X