The exact answer to this question is unlikely to be found on the Internet. The search engine will issue the year and month of the magazine’s publication unmistakably. But here is a specific date - no.
Let's try to understand this issue together.
Creation of the first joint venture in the Soviet Union with a Western partner
It all started with the visit of the Soviet delegation to Offenburg on May 13, 1986. Employees of the USSR State Committee for Publishing, Printing and Book Trade used a trip to Dusseldorf at the Drupa Printing Fair to visit Burda printing houses and get to know Aenne Burda. On July 16, 1986, Enne Burda sent a letter to Soviet Ambassador Julius Kwitsinsky in which she expressed her readiness to grant a license to publish Burda Moden in the Soviet Union or to deliver an already printed magazine there. On October 10, Manfred Made, director of the Aenne Burda publishing house, and Vladimir Prokopov, director of the Soviet Vneshtorgizdat publishing house, signed a declaration of intent between the Aenne Burda publishing house and Vneshtorgizdat regarding the publication of Burda Moden magazine in the USSR. The joint venture was to begin work as soon as possible, the presentation of the first issue of the Russian Burda Moden in Moscow was scheduled for March 3, 1987.
Vneshtorgizdat
Unfortunately, Vneshtorgizdat's production facilities did not meet modern requirements, and it was simply impossible to produce the planned number of copies of the Burda Moden magazine in Russian. Upgrading equipment would not solve the problem.It was necessary to build a new powerful printing house, but this required time and additional huge investments. In order to be on time, it was decided to make the translation of the magazine in the USSR, and print the circulation in Offenburg.
The first issue of Burda Moden in Russian
On February 19, 1987, Enne Burda received freshly printed copies of the first issue of Burda Moden in Russian. A day later, two heavily loaded wagons set off east, on the sides of which were written in large letters "Burda Moden nach Moskau" (Burda Moden to Moscow).
Trucks carried model dresses, fashion show equipment in Moscow and 100,000 copies of Burda Moden in Russian.
On March 1, 1987, Enne Burda flew to Moscow.
And on March 3, in the famous Hall of Columns on Bolshaya Dmitrovka, a grandiose show took place, culminating in a demonstration of wedding dresses from Burda. When Enne Burda entered the podium with models, she was met by a storm of applause. A 77-year-old woman became the star of the evening and the heroine of the latest news around the world. “Fashion knows no boundaries,” it was written on a blue bag that the Russian ladies took home. It contained a set of cosmetics and the first issue of Burda Moden magazine in Russian, which was the best gift for International Women's Day on March 8.
So, the first issue of Burda Moden in Russian was published on February 19, 1987 in Offenburg. And in the USSR he appeared on March 3, 1987.
About the price
The retail price of one copy was then 5 rubles. A German-language magazine cost 50 rubles on the black market in the USSR! Therefore, it is not difficult to guess that the brand new Burda Moden instantly became the subject of speculation.In free sale, as of now, there was no magazine. It was either "taken out" or distributed at enterprises through trade union committees.
Source and photo: Ute Damen's book "Enne Burda: Burda is fashionable - it's me!"
Material prepared by Julia Dekanova
