Backstory

Siegfried Degen was born on September 5th, 1908, to Otton and Else Degen as their middle son. His family comes from the city of Katowice, which was under the Prussian rule back then. His father worked as a miner in the Ferdinandgrube (later KWK “Katowice”); his mother took care of their house, Siegfried, and his siblings. Young Siegfried was close with his older sister, Erika, even if all of the Degen children were always close-knit – they all cared for and supported each other. The boy was calm and quiet, didn’t really like spending time with his peers, instead preferring the company of older people. His parents always said how mature for his age he was. As a child, he often had nightmares about death (both about his death and the death of his beloved ones), but never told his family. When Siegfried was 6, World War 1 broke out and his father and the eldest brother were drafted to the army. He doesn’t remember that time much (especially now since he’s dead), but he faintly remembers how his older sisters helped their mother and that she worked somewhere. Both of his family members managed to survive and came back home.
When Siegfried was eleven, the first Silesian Uprising broke out. While his father didn’t pick any side during the fights, three of his brothers decided to fight – one of them fought for Poland, which lead to a conflict within his family. Siegfried, as a kid, didn’t really understand the hassle, even if he knew basic history of Silesia and had friends in school who were Polish-speaking Silesians – he was just young and didn’t care for the politics.
Most of the Degen family voted for Germany in the plebiscite in 1921. However, even after some part of Upper Silesia – including Katowice – joined the Polish territories, Siegfried and his family stayed in the city. At the time, he was 14. They all had to get accustomed to being part of a different country.
Despite his parents’ wishes, Siegfried didn’t want to become a miner like his father and brothers. This led to yet another conflict in the family, this time between him and his parents – especially his father – who tried to force his beliefs onto Siegfried. That’s why he moved out of the house as fast as he could, as the young man couldn’t stand arguing with his parents almost every day. Another bone of contention was Siegfried’s sexuality – he was gay, and while he didn’t told his parents directly, he had no interest in looking for a wife and they were displeased.
He didn’t keep in touch with his family, except for Erika, who always supported him and understood why Siegfried didn’t want to work as a miner. He started working in the editorial board of the local newspaper and lived on his own in an apartment close to market square of Katowice. His financial situation was bad, but he still managed to live.
At the age of 22, he met a man named Herbert. He was like a catalyst for him. They worked in the same editorial office. They quickly found a common ground, despite Herbert being much more outgoing than him and sometimes joking and teasing Siegfried. They ended up as a couple – for Siegfried, it was his first serious relationship. They were together for a year.
One frosty morning in December 1931, Siegfried went to Nikiszowiec. There, in one of the lanes, he was attacked by someone and killed, stabbed to death. His body was found shortly after.
Yet, Siegfried’s soul couldn’t rest. It was sealed on the attic of one familok in Nikiszowiec, until Lidzia and Francik found him almost 100 years later. At this point, Siegfried doesn’t really remember faces or events from the past...