Zegrze

The 24-year-old Witold Lutosławski spent his obligatory year of military service at the Training School for Non-Commissioned Officers of the Signal Corps in Zegrze, near Warsaw. Although he had been assigned to the artillery, he was alarmed at the prospect of losing his hearing; thanks to the intervention of a family friend, he managed to transfer to radiotelegraphy. For him, that was an almost ideal specialisation, since his good memory for changing rhythms and pianistic dexterity allowed him to send Morse Code signals quickly and accurately.

After the war, he returned to Zegrze many times, but with a different purpose in mind. As an eager sailor, he would navigate the Zegrze Reservoir on board his yacht DAWI.