The old walls of Pálya utca 15 in Budapest’s 1st district hold memories of intense battles in 1945, with a huge number of bullet holes. I visited this site multiple times and took the photos I’m sharing with you just yesterday. Luckily, I found articles detailing the historical events linked to this house. It’s essential to note that some of these articles might have been written during the Hungarian People’s Republic, possibly leading to exaggerations.

Based on my research, the frontline was on this street in early February 1945. On the 7th, soldiers from the “Bem József” lovas-tüzérosztály artillery battalion sought shelter in the basement, while German units occupied the upper floors. The Hungarian soldiers switched sides, aligning with Hungarian members of the Buda Volunteers Regiment fighting alongside the Soviets. They created a tunnel from the basement to an adjacent building held by the Red Army, reclaimed the floors with Soviet help, and successfully repelled attacks. The staircase showed numerous bullet holes fired within the house. After the fights on Pálya utca, the Hungarian soldiers teamed up with the Buda Volunteers Regiment for further combat.