List of Polish cities damaged in World War II

Ruined Warsaw in January 1945

As the German army retreated during the later stages of the Second World War, many of the urban areas of what is now Poland were severely damaged as a result of military action between the retreating forces of the German Wehrmacht and advancing ones of the Soviet Red Army. Other cities were deliberately destroyed by the German forces. One of the most famous of these planned destructions was the razing of Warsaw, the capital of Poland.^[1] While extensively damaged by the failed Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and Warsaw Uprising, the city later underwent a planned demolition by German forces under order from Adolf Hitler and high officials within the Nazi government. On 17 October 1944, SS chief Heinrich Himmler famously stated, "The city must completely disappear from the surface of the earth and serve only as a transport station for the Wehrmacht."^[2] Before they were stopped by the advancing Red Army, 85% of the city had been taken out.^[3] Warsaw was far from the worst off after the Nazi retreat; 97% of Jasło^[4] and 100% of Polanów were reduced to rubble.^[5] Other towns such as Wałcz fared better, with only a quarter of the city being destroyed.^[5] Ancient historical buildings in Polish cities were not spared; for example, Trzemeszno's Romanesque basilica of 1130-45 was burnt down in 1945.^[5]

Polish name	German name	Pre-war location	coordinates	Damage	Details
Bartoszyce	Bartenstein	Germany	54°15′N 20°49′E / 54.250°N 20.817°E	50%[5]
Bielsk Podlaski	Bielsk Podlaski	Poland	—	65%[5]
Bobolice	Bublitz	Germany	53°57′N 16°35′E / 53.950°N 16.583°E	75%[5]
Bolesławiec	Bunzlau	Germany	51°16′N 15°34′E / 51.267°N 15.567°E	60%[5]
Braniewo	Braunsberg	Germany	54°23′N 19°49′E / 54.383°N 19.817°E	85%[5]
Brzeg	Brieg	Germany	50°52′N 17°29′E / 50.867°N 17.483°E	80%[5]
Dębica	Dębica	Poland	50°03′N 21°25′E / 50.050°N 21.417°E	40%[5]
Dobiegniew	Woldenberg	Germany	52°58′N 15°45′E / 52.967°N 15.750°E	85%[5]
Dobre Miasto	Guttstadt	Germany	53°59′N 20°24′E / 53.983°N 20.400°E	65%[5]
Dobrzany	Jakobshagen	Germany	53°21′N 15°26′E / 53.350°N 15.433°E	60%[5]
Dukla	Dukla	Poland	49°34′N 21°41′E / 49.567°N 21.683°E	85%[5]
Elbląg	Elbing	Germany	54°10′N 19°24′E / 54.167°N 19.400°E	60%[5]
Ełk	Lyck	Germany	53°50′N 22°21′E / 53.833°N 22.350°E	50%[6]
Frombork	Frauenburg	Germany	54°21′25″N 19°40′52″E / 54.357°N 19.681°E	80%[5]
Garwolin	Garwolin	Poland	51°54′N 21°37′E / 51.900°N 21.617°E	70%[5]
Gdańsk	Danzig	Danzig	54°21′N 18°40′E / 54.350°N 18.667°E	50%	old town 80%[5]
Gdynia	Gdingen	Poland	54°30′N 18°33′E / 54.500°N 18.550°E	90% (Estimate)[7]
Głogów	Glogau	Germany	51°40′N 16°05′E / 51.667°N 16.083°E	95%[5]	old town completely[5]
Goleniów	Gollnow	Germany	53°34′N 14°49′E / 53.567°N 14.817°E	60%[5]
Gołdap	Goldap	Germany	54°18′58″N 22°18′34″E / 54.31611°N 22.30944°E	90%
Goniądz	Gonionds	Poland	53°29′N 22°44′E / 53.483°N 22.733°E	80%[5]
Gryfice	Greifenberg	Germany	53°54′53″N 15°11′55″E / 53.91472°N 15.19861°E	40%[5]
Gryfino	Greifenhagen	Germany	53°15′N 14°29′E / 53.250°N 14.483°E	70%[5]
Gubin	Guben	Germany	51°57′N 14°43′E / 51.950°N 14.717°E	90%[5]
Iłża	Iłża	Poland	51°10′0″N 21°15′0″E / 51.16667°N 21.25000°E	—
Inowrocław	Hohensalza	Poland	52°48′N 18°16′E / 52.800°N 18.267°E	50%[5]
Jasło	Jassel	Poland	49°45′N 21°28′E / 49.750°N 21.467°E	97%[4]
Kałuszyn	Kałuszyn	Poland	52°12′30″N 21°48′42″E / 52.20833°N 21.81167°E	85%[5]
Kamień Pomorski	Cammin	Germany	53°58′N 14°46′E / 53.967°N 14.767°E	65%[5]
Kańczuga	Kańczuga	Poland	49°59′02″N 22°24′31″E / 49.98389°N 22.40861°E	50%[5]
Kazimierz Dolny	Kazimierz Dolny	Poland	51°19′N 21°57′E / 51.317°N 21.950°E	—
Kętrzyn	Rastenburg	Germany	54°05′N 21°23′E / 54.083°N 21.383°E	50%[5]
Knyszyn	Knyszyn	Poland	53°19′N 22°55′E / 53.317°N 22.917°E	80%[5]
Kolbuszowa	Kolbuszowa	Poland	50°15′N 21°46′E / 50.250°N 21.767°E	—
Kołobrzeg	Kolberg	Germany	54°11′N 15°35′E / 54.183°N 15.583°E	90%[5]
Kostrzyn nad Odrą	Küstrin	Germany	52°35′18″N 14°39′00″E / 52.58833°N 14.65000°E	90%[5]
Koszalin	Köslin	Germany	54°12′N 16°11′E / 54.200°N 16.183°E	40%[5]
Kożuchów	Freystadt in Schlesien	Germany	51°45′N 15°36′E / 51.750°N 15.600°E	70%[5]
Krosno Odrzańskie	Crossen an der Oder	Germany	52°03′N 15°05′E / 52.050°N 15.083°E	65%[5]
Krzepice	Kschepitz	Poland	—	50%[5]
Kuźnia Raciborska	Ratiborhammer	Germany	50°13′N 18°18′E / 50.217°N 18.300°E	50%[5]
Kwidzyń	Marienwerder	Germany	53°44′N 18°55′E / 53.733°N 18.917°E	50%[5]
Legnica	Liegnitz	Germany	51°13′N 16°10′E / 51.217°N 16.167°E	60%[5]
Leśna	Marklissa	Germany	51°01′25″N 15°16′00″E / 51.02361°N 15.26667°E	—
Lubań	Lauban	Germany	51°07′N 15°18′E / 51.117°N 15.300°E	60%[5]
Lubin	Lüben	Germany	51°24′N 16°12′E / 51.400°N 16.200°E	70%[5]
Łomża	Lomscha	Poland	53°11′N 22°05′E / 53.183°N 22.083°E	70%[5]
Malbork	Marienburg in Westpreußen	Germany	54°02′N 19°03′E / 54.033°N 19.050°E	45%
Nidzica	Neidenburg	Germany	53°22′N 20°26′E / 53.367°N 20.433°E	40%[5]
Opole	Oppeln	Germany	50°40′N 17°56′E / 50.667°N 17.933°E	60%[5]
Ostrołęka	Ostrołęka	Poland	53°05′N 21°35′E / 53.083°N 21.583°E	—
Ostróda	Osterode in Ostpreußen	Germany	53°42′N 19°59′E / 53.700°N 19.983°E	60% (Estimate)[5]
Piła	Schneidemühl	Germany	53°09′N 16°44′E / 53.150°N 16.733°E	75%[5]
Polanów	Pollnow	Germany	54°06′N 16°42′E / 54.100°N 16.700°E	100%[5]
Poznań	Posen	Poland	49°47′10″N 22°46′26″E / 49.78611°N 22.77389°E	55% (Estimate)[5]
Przemyśl	Premissel	Poland	54°15′N 20°49′E / 54.250°N 20.817°E	—
Rzepin	Reppen	Germany	52°21′N 14°50′E / 52.350°N 14.833°E	85%[5]
Stargard Szczeciński	Stargard in Pommern	Germany	53°20′N 15°03′E / 53.333°N 15.050°E	70%[5]
Szczecin	Stettin	Germany	53°25′N 14°35′E / 53.417°N 14.583°E	65%[5]	port and industry 95%[5]
Trzemeszno	Tremessen	Poland	52°33′31″N 17°49′09″E / 52.55861°N 17.81917°E	—	Romanesque basilica of 1130-45 burnt down in 1945[5]
Świnoujście	Swinemünde	Germany	53°55′N 14°15′E / 53.917°N 14.250°E	55%[5]
Wałcz	Deutsch Krone	Germany	53°16′N 16°28′E / 53.267°N 16.467°E	25%[5]
Warsaw	Warschau	Poland	52°13′48″N 21°00′39″E / 52.23000°N 21.01083°E	85%[3]
Węgorzewo	Angerburg	Germany	54°13′N 21°45′E / 54.217°N 21.750°E	80%[5]
Wodzisław Śląski	Loslau	Poland	50°00′N 18°27′E / 50.000°N 18.450°E	80%
Wolin	Wollin	Germany	53°55′N 14°30′E / 53.917°N 14.500°E	70%[5]
Wolsztyn	Wollstein	Poland	52°07′N 16°07′E / 52.117°N 16.117°E	—	Classicist castle of 1845 burnt down in 1945[5]
Wrocław	Breslau	Germany	51°07′N 17°02′E / 51.117°N 17.033°E	70%[5]
Zabłudów	Zabłudów	Poland	53°01′N 23°21′E / 53.017°N 23.350°E	85% (Estimate)[5]
Żagań	Sagan	Germany	51°37′N 15°19′E / 51.617°N 15.317°E	60%[5]
Zakroczym	Zakroczym	Poland	52°26′16″N 20°36′43″E / 52.43778°N 20.61194°E	80%[5]
Złoczew	Złoczew	Poland	51°25′N 18°36′E / 51.417°N 18.600°E	80%[5]
Żary	Sorau	Germany	51°38′N 15°08′E / 51.633°N 15.133°E	60%[5]
Żelechów	Żelechów	Poland	51°48′N 21°54′E / 51.800°N 21.900°E	—
Żory	Sohrau	Poland	50°03′N 18°42′E / 50.050°N 18.700°E	80%[5]
Żychlin	Żychlin	Poland	52°14′43″N 19°37′25″E / 52.24528°N 19.62361°E	40% (Estimate)[5]

See also

• Planned destruction of Warsaw

References

Notes

1. Anthony M. Tung. Preserving the world's great cities:The Destruction and Renewal of the Historic Metropolis (2001 ed.). Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-70148-0.
2. Wituska, Tomaszewski 2006, p. xxii.
3. Free Europe Committee 1970, p. 10.
4. Lisa Chapman (July 7, 2009). "Polish town at odds over Hitler's oak". Austrian Times. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
5. "На карте Польши", библиотечка "Польши" (2)
6. Terence Neiland (July 23, 1995). "Q and A". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
7. Nowak 1989, p. 214.

Bibliography

• Free Europe Committee. East Europe, Volumes 19-20 (1970 ed.). East Europe Pub.
• Nowak, Margaret Collingwood. Two who were there: a biography of Stanley Nowak (1989 ed.). Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1883-5. - Total pages: 276
• Krystyna Wituska, Irene Tomaszewski. Inside a Gestapo prison: the letters of Krystyna Wituska, 1942-1944 (2006 ed.). Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3294-3. - Total pages: 127