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:

• Biography of Mieczysław Fogg
• Polish Tangos: The Unique Inter-War Soundtrack to Poland's Independence

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.