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. 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." Before they were stopped by the advancing Red Army, 85% of the city had been taken out. Warsaw was far from the worst off after the Nazi retreat; 97% of Jasło and 100% of Polanów were reduced to rubble. Other towns such as Wałcz fared better, with only a quarter of the city being destroyed. Ancient historical buildings in Polish cities were not spared; for example, Trzemeszno's Romanesque basilica of 1130-45 was burnt down in 1945.

Polish name	German name	Pre-war location	coordinates	Damage	Details
Bartoszyce	Bartenstein	Germany		50%
Bielsk Podlaski	Bielsk Podlaski	Poland	—	65%
Bobolice	Bublitz	Germany		75%
Bolesławiec	Bunzlau	Germany		60%
Braniewo	Braunsberg	Germany		85%
Brzeg	Brieg	Germany		80%
Dębica	Dębica	Poland		40%
Dobiegniew	Woldenberg	Germany		85%
Dobre Miasto	Guttstadt	Germany		65%
Dobrzany	Jakobshagen	Germany		60%
Dukla	Dukla	Poland		85%
Elbląg	Elbing	Germany		60%
Ełk	Lyck	Germany		50%
Frombork	Frauenburg	Germany		80%
Garwolin	Garwolin	Poland		70%
Gdańsk	Danzig	Danzig		50%	old town 80%
Gdynia	Gdingen	Poland		90% (Estimate)
Głogów	Glogau	Germany		95%	old town completely
Goleniów	Gollnow	Germany		60%
Gołdap	Goldap	Germany		90%
Goniądz	Gonionds	Poland		80%
Gryfice	Greifenberg	Germany		40%
Gryfino	Greifenhagen	Germany		70%
Gubin	Guben	Germany		90%
Iłża	Iłża	Poland		—
Inowrocław	Hohensalza	Poland		50%
Jasło	Jassel	Poland		97%
Kałuszyn	Kałuszyn	Poland		85%
Kamień Pomorski	Cammin	Germany		65%
Kańczuga	Kańczuga	Poland		50%
Kazimierz Dolny	Kazimierz Dolny	Poland		—
Kętrzyn	Rastenburg	Germany		50%
Knyszyn	Knyszyn	Poland		80%
Kolbuszowa	Kolbuszowa	Poland		—
Kołobrzeg	Kolberg	Germany		90%
Kostrzyn nad Odrą	Küstrin	Germany		90%
Koszalin	Köslin	Germany		40%
Kożuchów	Freystadt in Schlesien	Germany		70%
Krosno Odrzańskie	Crossen an der Oder	Germany		65%
Krzepice	Kschepitz	Poland	—	50%
Kuźnia Raciborska	Ratiborhammer	Germany		50%
Kwidzyń	Marienwerder	Germany		50%
Legnica	Liegnitz	Germany		60%
Leśna	Marklissa	Germany		—
Lubań	Lauban	Germany		60%
Lubin	Lüben	Germany		70%
Łomża	Lomscha	Poland		70%
Malbork	Marienburg in Westpreußen	Germany		45%
Nidzica	Neidenburg	Germany		40%
Opole	Oppeln	Germany		60%
Ostrołęka	Ostrołęka	Poland		—
Ostróda	Osterode in Ostpreußen	Germany		60% (Estimate)
Piła	Schneidemühl	Germany		75%
Polanów	Pollnow	Germany		100%
Poznań	Posen	Poland		55% (Estimate)
Przemyśl	Premissel	Poland		—
Rzepin	Reppen	Germany		85%
Stargard Szczeciński	Stargard in Pommern	Germany		70%
Szczecin	Stettin	Germany		65%	port and industry 95%
Trzemeszno	Tremessen	Poland		—	Romanesque basilica of 1130-45 burnt down in 1945
Świnoujście	Swinemünde	Germany		55%
Wałcz	Deutsch Krone	Germany		25%
Warsaw	Warschau	Poland		85%
Węgorzewo	Angerburg	Germany		80%
Wodzisław Śląski	Loslau	Poland		80%
Wolin	Wollin	Germany		70%
Wolsztyn	Wollstein	Poland		—	Classicist castle of 1845 burnt down in 1945
Wrocław	Breslau	Germany		70%
Zabłudów	Zabłudów	Poland		85% (Estimate)
Żagań	Sagan	Germany		60%
Zakroczym	Zakroczym	Poland		80%
Złoczew	Złoczew	Poland		80%
Żary	Sorau	Germany		60%
Żelechów	Żelechów	Poland		—
Żory	Sohrau	Poland		80%
Żychlin	Żychlin	Poland		40% (Estimate)

See also

• Planned destruction of Warsaw

References

Notes

Bibliography

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