The water level of the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, reached a record low of 33 centimetres (13 inches) in October 2018. It is now once again approaching that historic low, with the Budapest water gauge fluctuating between 47 and 48 centimetres (18.5–19 inches) on Friday, 24 July.
The unusually low water level has revealed several fascinating artefacts in recent years that had remained hidden beneath the Danube’s surface for decades.
Near the Digáncs tributary outside Mohács, Baranya County, Hungary, a World War II shipwreck has once again become visible. Another sunken WWII vessel has also re-emerged near Nagybajcs in Győr-Moson-Sopron County, in the northern part of Hungary. Experts believe it is most likely a Soviet full-rigged pinnace, which was first discovered four years ago but has become visible again due to the exceptionally low water level.
Within a few miles of Mohács, three shipwrecks lie in the dried-up riverbed of the Danube next to the Külső-Béda branch.
They are believed to have sunk sometime after the two world wars. According to Hungarian urban exploration content creator Gyula Hajner, they were likely ordinary cargo barges that ran aground. Since salvaging them would have been too costly, they were simply abandoned, as were many other wrecks along the river.
In the early hours of Friday morning, authorities recovered the remains of World War II ammunition found near Margaret Island in Budapest. Meanwhile, 27 explosive devices have been discovered near Százhalombatta over the past month alone.
However, the Danube’s near-record low water levels have revealed more than just mines, grenades, and other unexploded ordnance. They have also exposed the remains of ships that have been submerged for decades, including in neighbouring Croatia, where the wreck of a vessel that sank nearly 90 years ago has resurfaced near Opatovac (Apáti), according to the Hungarian news site Index.
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