FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2026-088

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (May 28, 2026) – This edition of Fun with Maps helped ensure the general population could get in the driver’s seat in Germany.

The Bug

Volkswagen (VW) was founded on May 28, 1937.

In the early days it produced affordable cars for the German population.  The original design was conceived by Hungarian Bela Barenyi.

VW was lucky in how the post World War II Occupation Zones were drawn, as its headquarter and main production facility in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony was barely in the British Zone, bordering the Russian Zone.

The iconic “bug,” which was the original the people’s car, and bus along with the Jetta were the early hits for VW.

Today the Volkswagen Group is the world’s largest automobile manufacturer. Aside from VW, it owns Audi, Porshe, Bentley, Skoda (Czech auto maker), Lamboghini and SEAT (Spanish auto maker).

Lower Saxony is pictured in this map by Cary from 1801.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps. Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon