17–18 January 1945
Soviet Troops Liberate the Budapest Ghetto
Historical context
On 17–18 January 1945, Soviet troops liberated the Pest ghetto. Tens of thousands of Jews were still inside. Buda fell a month later.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- 17–18 January 1945
- Verified sources
- 1
- Archive threads
- 6
On 17–18 January 1945, Soviet forces took the eastern half of Budapest, including the closed Pest ghetto. Tens of thousands of Jews were still inside. The Arrow Cross government had forced remaining Jews into that ghetto in November–December 1944, after earlier deportations and the November marches toward Austria.
Buda, west of the Danube, was not taken until mid-February. Arrow Cross killings along the river in the preceding weeks are a related crime, not a single total for this day.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- 17 January 1945: Liberation of the Budapest Ghetto · Holocaust Memorial Day Trust · HMD Trust View source
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