Frenchmen In Russia In 1956
In 1956 two young French reporters Dominique Lapierre and Jean-Pierre Pedrazzaini became the first men who got a permission to travel over the USSR by car in the post-war years. They took their girlfriends with themselves and set off. Their first destination was Moscow, then the Black Sea (the distance is 15.ooo km). After the traveling they made one of the best and most impressive reports ever. Everybody applauded to them. Here is their story about their thrilling trip.
The national park of Belovezhskaya Pushcha in the first picture. At the local huntsman’s place. The translator is the second on the right.
Russian people interested in a car in the second picture. Questions about the quantity of cylinders and its maximum speed were asked 200.000 times.
Jean-Pierre Pedrazzaini, Anna Pedrazzaini, Aliette Lapierre, Dominique Lapierre.
A railroader Victor Sychenko, 48 years old, married, 3 children.
His family earns 2.400 rubles (nowadays it’s $80). They have a piano and a telephone. They pay 4 rubles for the radio monthly, the tram costs 30 kopecks. A nutritious breakfast in the morning, dinner – at a canteen. 70% of the salary is spent on food. Victor works 48 hours a week. The rent is 165 rubles ($5.5)a month.
Valentina’s wardrobe contains 4 coats (1300 rubles each ($43), 8 dresses (400 rubles each ($13), 6 pairs of shoes (from 175 to 375 rubles each ($6-12).
Victor has 3 suits, 2 uniforms, 2 coats, 4 pairs of shoes.
The family attends the stadium when having some free time (in Minsk it can hold 48.000 people), also go to the cinema. A TV set costs 1200 rubles ($40).
During the holidays they rent a village house for 500 rubles ($16) a month.
During the holidays the family goes fishing. Victor wears traditional clothes for leisure.
Frenchmen are already in Moscow. Young men with packs of rubles in their hands and poor knowledge of English try to buy coats. Teenagers exchange badges for the Eiffel Towers. Frenchmen managed to go to Zagorsk without any supervision.
Zhenya, 23 years old, the seller in the GUM store, the Moscow Highway.
The time of the opening of the store is announced by the loudspeaker every 5 minutes.
Zhenya works at the perfumer’s department.
Evening school.
Practical exercises.
Zhenya lives in a flat. A kitchen is used by another family as well.
In this way she relaxes with her friends.
Zhenya and her boyfriend Gena.
They rarely meet. Gena is 25 years old and he’s a future teacher. They can get married only in 3 years.
From Moscow to the Black Sea. Such posters can often be seen on the road. “We’ll sow as soon as possible. Tractor drivers and sowers can work in this way”.
During the harvest cars go near roads as the grains are being dried on them. Peasants constantly mix them with their shovels.
One can often meet the Gypsies on the roads. This is one of their groups settled near the road. They took out a gramophone and started dancing at once. Children were so dirty that one could see a thick crust of mud on their skin. Russians don’t like them too much.
A mobile circus with a bear and a “wall of death”.
A church wedding took part at St Volodymyr’s Cathedral. The bride was 22, the groom – 24. She wore a holiday dress and was very excited. There were paper flowers in her hair. He was in a white shirt with an open collar and a gray wooden suit. They were walking hand in hand accompanied by the badly-dressed wedding group: a picture from the last century. The wedding lasted 2 hours and once everybody had left the cathedral it started raining heavily.
A collective farmer Grigory, 30 years old, married, 2 children.
Grigory is not a member of the party but has to attend the meetings which are held on the fields during the harvest.
His own household consists of a garden (30 x 20 m), chicken, pigs, a cow and 150 hives (each gives 25 kg of honey a year). In 1956 his family received 10 rubles ($0.3), 1.5 kg of grains, 4 kg of potatoes, 1 kg of vegetables and 1.5 of hay for the working unit.
The residents of 3 collective farms buy things in a local store: a bicycle costs 580 rubles ($19), a radio set – 450 ($15). A suit and a pair of shoes cost 2 salaries.
76-year-old man and his 72-year-old wife live in a house built in their own hands. Now it belongs to the kolkhoz.
Frenchmen reached Georgia. Georgians turned out to be very hospitable. Jean-Pierre was called a brother at once and kissed by a bearded Georgian (the kisses were hot). Between Kutaisi and Tbilisi the car sticks in the middle of the river. The night stop at the village of Gori.
“Journalists. France”
Holidaymakers in the mountains. A very ambiguous impression. On the one hand they all were dressed in darn clothes. But on the other, they had cars under the sheds.
Georgy is a South man. His house is always opened for the guests. His family consists of 8 people, 5 of them work. He earns 1265 rubles ($42), his sister – 900 ($30), his aunt-teacher – 700 ($23). During the Second World War he was at the front and came back home with medals.
His wife Olga is 32 years old. She works with her husband as a doctor. They were engaged in 1939 and got married in 1947. Behind the curtain a nanny lives.
Every evening the whole family (except Georgy, his wife and children) gathers at the table – a grandmother, sister, aunt, nanny and her girlfriend. After supper Georgy smokes “Papirossi” and everybody listens to the Georgian national songs.
There are 4 rooms in their flat. A fridge and a washing machine cost 700 rubles ($23) each. The nanny gets 150 ($5). After the working day Georgy has a nap for an hour. Sometimes he and his wife go to the club.
Every Sunday the family walks down the mountains. Chinese umbrellas were very popular that season.
The Frenchmen were very surprised at the manner Russian women held themselves on the beach of Sochi. There were quite a lot of plump women among them who changed their clothes without a hint of embarrassment. Sometimes their breasts left their “bondage” and were skillfully put back with the woman’s hands. Chinese umbrellas, towels, slippers and newspapers filled the whole beach.
Near Stalin lane there is a source which is often visited by tourists in pajamas in the mornings.
The Frenchmen decided to go to the cinema. They took a taxi. Its driver chewing an American gum had his hair carefully done.
The city of Gorky. A motor mechanic Ivan working in a plant from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 43000 people work there as well. They produce cars. “Pobeda” costs 20.000 rubles ($665). He and his wife earn 1000 rubles ($33). They live with their son in a small room. Two beds, a table, 5 chairs and a wardrobe are all they have. But Ivan still hopes for the better changes in his life. His son is 22 years old and he studies in a medical university.
Ivan gets a salary.
A coat costs 1300 rubles ($43).
Saying goodbye right on the border.
When the Frenchmen returned to France, they continued their work as reporters. At that time there was a rising in Hungary and Jean-Pierre was accidentally injured there and 8 days later died…
via master-son
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Je déteste les Français!
Moi aussi.
I really don’t think anyone here cares.
This looks like a great collection of pictures. A good insight into Georgian family life too!
This is a great post, thank you.
Communism killed him in the end
I bet they did not vote for the French Communist Party after their return.
lolz…
Very nice shots.
No doubt they had a car following them for the duration of the trip.
I MIGHT BE WRONG, BUT NEXT TO LAST PICTURE: THE LITTLE GIRL IN THE RED DRESS IS GIVING THE PHOTOGRAPHER THE FINGER- HORIZONTALLY. Not shouting, didn’t notice my caps was on, too lazy to correct.
LOL,oh come on now,she is only 3.
Nah! c’mon, she is a clueless innocent girl in this photo.
Sheesh.
One of the best post ever in this site!
Truly interesting!
Thanks
Valiant
Eh, it also depends on inflation and relative economics. Just because you change the dollars over doesn’t mean that they spend dollars like another country does.
Uh… in that times 1 ruble was worth $4
In 1956, 100 Roubles were not 3 dollars, it was closer to 200 bucks at this time…
salaries and prices are all wrong. there is no way a worker would be making 1000 rubles back then. Even plant director wouldn’t be making that much.
1000 roubles it actually 100 roubles after denomination. In 1961 there was a currency reform 10:1
Muy interesante el artículo, las imagenes de rusia del 56 son muy impactantes