List of Polish cities and towns damaged in World War II

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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 German retreat; 97% of Jasło[4] and nearly 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] Various ancient historical buildings in Polish cities were not spared; for example, Trzemeszno's Romanesque basilica of 1130–1145 was burnt down in 1945.[5]

More information Polish name, German name ...
Polish name German name Pre-war location coordinates Damage Details
AugustówPoland70%[6]
BartoszyceBartensteinGermany54°15′N 20°49′E50%[5]
BiałystokBialystokPoland70%[7]
Bielsk PodlaskiBielsk PodlaskiPoland—65%[5]
BisztynekBischofsteinGermany20% of residential buildings, 15% of public buildings, 18% of industrial buildings destroyed[8]
BoboliceBublitzGermany53°57′N 16°35′E75%[5]
BolesławiecBunzlauGermany51°16′N 15°34′E60%[5]
BraniewoBraunsbergGermany54°23′N 19°49′E85%[5]
BrzegBriegGermany50°52′N 17°29′E70%[9]–80%[5]
BytomBeuthenGermany12%[10]
BytówBütowGermany70%[11]
CzęstochowaTschenstochauPoland10%[12]
DębicaDębicaPoland50°03′N 21°25′E40%[5]
DobiegniewWoldenbergGermany52°58′N 15°45′E85%[5]
Dobre MiastoGuttstadtGermany53°59′N 20°24′E65%[5]
DobrzanyJakobshagenGermany53°21′N 15°26′E60%[5]
DuklaDuklaPoland49°34′N 21°41′E85%[5]
ElblągElbingGermany54°10′N 19°24′E60%[5]–65%[13]
EłkLyckGermany53°50′N 22°21′E50%[14][15]
FromborkFrauenburgGermany54.357°N 19.681°E / 54.357; 19.68180%[5]
GarwolinGarwolinPoland51°54′N 21°37′E70%[5]
GdańskDanzigDanzig54°21′N 18°40′E65%[16]old town 80%[5]
GdyniaGdingenPoland54°30′N 18°33′E66% (Estimate)[17][18][19]
GliwiceGleiwitzGermany15%[20]
GłogówGlogauGermany51°40′N 16°05′E90%[21]–95%[5]old town completely[5]
GoleniówGollnowGermany53°34′N 14°49′E60%[5]
GołdapGoldapGermany54°18′58″N 22°18′34″E90%[22]
GoniądzGoniondsPoland53°29′N 22°44′E80%[5]
Gorzów WielkopolskiLandsberg an der WartheGermany50%[23]
GrudziądzGraudenzPoland70%[24]
GryficeGreifenbergGermany53°54′53″N 15°11′55″E40%[5]
GryfinoGreifenhagenGermany53°15′N 14°29′E70%[5]
GubinGubenGermany51°57′N 14°43′E90%[5]
IłżaIłżaPoland51°10′0″N 21°15′0″E—
InowrocławHohensalzaPoland52°48′N 18°16′E50%[5]
JasłoJasselPoland49°45′N 21°28′E97%[4]
JezioranySeeburgGermany60% of residential buildings, 15% of public buildings, 21% of industrial buildings damaged or destroyed[25]
KałuszynKałuszynPoland52°12′30″N 21°48′42″E85%[5]
Kamień PomorskiCamminGermany53°58′N 14°46′E65%[5]
KańczugaKańczugaPoland49°59′02″N 22°24′31″E50%[5]
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz DolnyPoland51°19′N 21°57′E—
KętrzynRastenburgGermany54°05′N 21°23′E50%[5]
KnyszynKnyszynPoland53°19′N 22°55′E80%[5]
KolbuszowaKolbuszowaPoland50°15′N 21°46′E—
KołobrzegKolbergGermany54°11′N 15°35′E80%[26]–90%[5]
Kostrzyn nad OdrąKüstrinGermany52°35′18″N 14°39′00″E90%[5]
KoszalinKöslinGermany54°12′N 16°11′E40%[5][27]
KożuchówFreystadt in SchlesienGermany51°45′N 15°36′E70%[5]
Krosno OdrzańskieCrossen an der OderGermany52°03′N 15°05′E65%[5]
KrzepiceKschepitzPoland—50%[5]
Kuźnia RaciborskaRatiborhammerGermany50°13′N 18°18′E50%[5]
KwidzynMarienwerderGermany53°44′N 18°55′E50%[5]
LegnicaLiegnitzGermany51°13′N 16°10′E60%[5]
LeśnaMarklissaGermany51°01′25″N 15°16′00″E—
Lidzbark WarmińskiHeilsbergGermany45%[28]
LubańLaubanGermany51°07′N 15°18′E60%[5]
LubinLübenGermany51°24′N 16°12′E70%[5]
LublinLublinPoland51°24′N 22°57′E—
ŁomżaLomschaPoland53°11′N 22°05′E70%[5][29]
ŁódźLodzPoland40% of industry destroyed[30]
MalborkMarienburg in WestpreußenGermany54°02′N 19°03′E45%
NamysłówNamslauGermany50%[31]
NidzicaNeidenburgGermany53°22′N 20°26′E40%[5]
OleśnicaOelsGermany80%[32]
OlsztynAllensteinGermany50%[33]
OpoleOppelnGermany50°40′N 17°56′E50%[34]–60%[5]
OstrołękaOstrolenkaPoland53°05′N 21°35′E—
OstródaOsterode in OstpreußenGermany53°42′N 19°59′E60% (Estimate)[5]
PiłaSchneidemühlGermany53°09′N 16°44′E75%[5][35]
PiszJohannisburgGermany70%[36]
PolanówPollnowGermany54°06′N 16°42′E90%[37]–100%[5]
PoznańPosenPoland49°47′10″N 22°46′26″E55% (Estimate)[5]
PrzemyślPremisselPoland54°15′N 20°49′E40%[38]
PułtuskPultuskPoland70%[39]
RacibórzRatiborGermany60%[40]
ReszelRößelGermany20% of residential and industrial buildings, 14% of public buildings destroyed[41]
RybnikRybnikPoland25%[42]
RzepinReppenGermany52°21′N 14°50′E85%[5]
SiedlcePoland50%[43]
Skarżysko-KamiennaPoland60% of industry destroyed[44]
SłupskStolpGermany35%[45]
StargardStargard in PommernGermany53°20′N 15°03′E70%[5][46]
SuszRosenberg in WestpreußenGermany60% of residential buildings, 33% of public buildings, 21% of industrial buildings destroyed[47]
SuwałkiSudauenPoland54°5′N 22°56′E30–35%[5]about 20% was caused by Soviet forces, remaining 10–15% by German occupation of Suwałki[5][48]
SycówGroß WartenbergGermany50%[49]
SzczecinStettinGermany53°25′N 14°35′E63%[50]–65%[5]port and industry 95%[5]
SzczytnoOrtelsburgGermany43%[51]–47%[52]most significant historic buildings survived[52]
ŚwidnicaSchweidnitzGermany50% of industry destroyed[53]
ŚwinoujścieSwinemündeGermany53°55′N 14°15′E55%[5]
Tomaszów MazowieckiPoland25%[54]
TrzemesznoTremessenPoland52°33′31″N 17°49′09″E—Romanesque basilica of 1130–45 burnt down in 1945[5]
WałczDeutsch KroneGermany53°16′N 16°28′E25%[5]
WarsawWarschauPoland52°13′48″N 21°00′39″E85%[3]See: destruction of Warsaw
WęgorzewoAngerburgGermany54°13′N 21°45′E80%[5]
Wodzisław ŚląskiLoslauPoland50°00′N 18°27′E80%
WolinWollinGermany53°55′N 14°30′E70%[5]
WolsztynWollsteinPoland52°07′N 16°07′E—Classicist castle of 1845 burnt down in 1945[5]
WrocławBreslauGermany51°07′N 17°02′E70%[5][55]
ZabłudówZabłudówPoland53°01′N 23°21′E85% (Estimate)[5]
ZakroczymZakroczymPoland52°26′16″N 20°36′43″E80%[5]
ZłoczewZłoczewPoland51°25′N 18°36′E80%[5]
ZłotówFlatowGermany30%[56]
ŻagańSaganGermany51°37′N 15°19′E55%[57]–60%[5]
ŻarySorauGermany51°38′N 15°08′E60%[5]
ŻelechówŻelechówPoland51°48′N 21°54′E—
ŻorySohrauPoland50°03′N 18°42′E80%[5]
ŻychlinŻychlinPoland52°14′43″N 19°37′25″E40% (Estimate)[5]
Close
Ruined Warsaw in January 1945

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