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Unseen is an immersive soundwalk from Culture.pl which reimagines places which have been lost on the map of Warsaw, Poland.

Season 1 concentrates on the Interwar period and the area that is now Defilad Square and the Palace of Science and Culture.

Season 2, made in partnership with the Warsaw Rising Museum, is all about the most daring stories from the Warsaw Uprising, which took place over 63 days from August 1st to October 2nd 1944.

Season 3 is about the most significant locations from the Jewish history of Warsaw, a city that at its peak saw a third of its citizens identify as Jews.

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  2. Marszałkowska 119 // Café Fogg

Marszałkowska 119 // Café Fogg

Feb 18, 2019

Towards the end of World War II, a legendary singer decided to open a café in a ruined building in the centre of town.

Mieczysław Fogg is one of the most revered Polish singers with a career spanning a number of decades throughout the 20th century. But he did more than just entertain audiences across, the globe, however.

In 1945, Warsaw lay in ruins, as was testified by a group of Swedish radio journalists visiting the city later that year.

Meanwhile, Mieczysław Fogg opened Café Fogg, a family-run establishment, in a destroyed building facing Marszałkowska Street. Apart from coffee and cake – rare luxuries for those times – the café also provided a meeting place for people looking for loved ones after the atrocities of war.

Further reading on Culture.pl:

With thanks to:

  • Michał Fogg, the great-grandson of Mieczysław Fogg, for recalling his family history and story of Café Fogg.
  • The Polish National Digital Archive, for providing the archival recording of the Swedish radio journalists from December 1945 (Ref: 33-P-173)
  • Alicja Baczyńska, your audio guide, for help with acoustic mapping throughout the Unseen project.