The siege of Budapest: One of World War II’s longest urban battles
The siege of Budapest was one of World War II’s longest and most intense urban battles, marked by brutal street combat and aggravated by the presence of civilians who had not been evacuated. In its scale, intensity, and devastation, it ranks alongside the battles of Leningrad, Stalingrad, Berlin, and Warsaw. However, unlike some of those conflicts, which lasted for shorter periods, faced fewer street battles, or saw more successful civilian evacuations, Budapest endured a relentless last stand. While cities like Vienna and Prague were spared Soviet heavy artillery, in Budapest, the fighting continued down to the last bullet.
The siege of Budapest
The battle ended on February 13, 1945, between the Soviet Red Army and a joint Hungarian-German defense force. The Soviets had reached the outskirts of the city 102 days earlier, and by Christmas, the siege had fully encircled Budapest, turning the city into a living hell.
The eastern Pest side fell on January 18, while the western Buda side only succumbed between February 11 and 13 after a desperate breakout attempt by German and Hungarian troops, which resulted in devastating losses. Only a small fraction of those who attempted to escape made it through to German lines.
During the siege, Germany launched three attempts to relieve Budapest. Despite the Soviets losing nearly 1,000 tanks in repelling these efforts, none of the offensives—known as Operations Konrad I, II, and III—achieved their objectives. The third and most successful offensive managed to push within 30 kilometers (18 miles) of Buda from the south, but ultimately, all attempts to break the siege failed, prolonging the bloody urban battle.
Casualties of the siege
The Red Army suffered an estimated 240,000 wounded and 80,000 dead during the siege and related military operations. The German and Hungarian defenders collectively lost around 100,000 men in killed, wounded, and captured troops. Civilian casualties, inflicted by combat conditions, extreme hardship, and forced deportations to the Soviet Union, were similarly catastrophic.
Budapest was the first major Western European city the Red Army encountered as an enemy stronghold. Soviet troops, unfamiliar with Western urban life, viewed elements such as flush toilets, bookshelves, and eyeglasses with suspicion, cementing the locals in their minds as enemies of the proletariat. This led to rampant looting, widespread sexual violence, and constant abuses against the vulnerable civilian population.
Architectural destruction
Only a quarter of the city’s residential buildings remained intact, mostly in the outskirts. Another quarter suffered severe damage or was completely destroyed. In the 1st District (Castle District), the population was halved, while the 2nd District saw a two-thirds decrease from pre-siege levels.
All of Budapest’s iconic Danube bridges were demolished, including the famed Elisabeth Bridge, which was never restored to its original form.
The western Buda side suffered particularly heavy destruction due to the prolonged fighting. The Buda Castle complex was extensively damaged—the Royal Palace was virtually destroyed and was never reconstructed in its original grandeur. Important government buildings, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Military High Command, were obliterated. The once grand Riding Hall and Guard Barracks were lost, and the historic National Archives building never regained its original splendor. The Maria Magdalena Church was also dismantled. Barely any buildings in the 1st, 2nd, 11th, and 12th districts escaped without heavy damage.
On the Pest side, the elegant buildings along the Danube promenade were among the worst hit. Grand hotels, such as the Grand Hotel Dunapalota and the Grand Hotel Hungária, were gutted by fire. The headquarters of the First Hungarian General Insurance Company also stood in ruins. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences lost all its windows, suffered internal fires, and saw its ceilings collapse onto floors below.
Beyond the city center, the 13th and 14th districts endured heavy artillery shelling and extensive destruction. Particularly shocking was the devastation of public buildings, which had once been symbols of the city’s elegance.
Most of Budapest’s schools sustained damage. Thermal baths were also hard-hit: the Gellért Baths lost 70% of their structure, the Rudas Baths suffered 90% destruction, the St. Imre (now Rác) Baths faced 95% damage, while the Széchenyi Baths sustained 15% losses.
The once grand palaces, theaters, public buildings, and residential homes—many reduced to burnt-out shells—were never fully restored. Postwar rebuilding efforts adhered not to the grandeur of the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy but rather to the practical and ideological realities of the new socialist regime. The illusion of the Kingdom of Hungary faded, replaced by the reality of the People’s Republic of Hungary.
The destroyed landmarks of Budapest are discussed further here.
Source: Krisztián Ungváry: The Siege of Budapest
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