What the Danube Reveals

Normally, this is where the harbor is, and the boats are moored here. But the water level of the Danube is so low that remnants of World War II are emerging in Budapest: The bodies of two soldiers were recovered next to a motorcycle.

There are additional relics on the riverbed near Budapest: According to the German War Graves Commission, two more soldiers were exhumed from the muddy riverbed. The Commission reports that it sent an exhumation specialist to Budapest, who carried out the recovery with the help of Hungarian colleagues.

In addition to the soldiers’ remains, which had been preserved by the mud, numerous German Tellermine 35 anti-tank mines were also found. Since the harbor sludge at the bottom of the Danube near Batthyány Square is mixed with diesel fuel, it has created ideal conditions for the preservation of wreckage and human remains. According to the Volksbund, the exhumation specialist explained that, thanks to this petroleum product, the mud had also preserved the dog tags exceptionally well, so that letters and numbers are still clearly legible.