The historic vehicle, believed to date from the final months of World War II, was discovered buried in thick mud after the prolonged heatwave and severe drought caused the Danube to fall to unusually low levels. 

According to the Pest County Search and Rescue Service, the motorcycle remained in surprisingly good condition because it had been completely sealed beneath the mud for decades, protecting much of it from corrosion.

Specialists from the Defence Ministry, assisted by rescue teams using a landing craft, carefully recovered the heavy motorcycle before transporting it by truck to the Military History Institute and Museum. There, experts will attempt to identify its exact make, age and military history.

Local media reports suggest the motorcycle may have been used by German forces during the Siege of Budapest in 1944-45, although its identity will only be confirmed after a detailed examination. 

Historians are particularly interested in whether any markings, serial numbers or personal items have survived, especially inside the motorcycle's storage compartments, which could provide clues about its final journey.

The discovery comes just days after bomb disposal experts removed a number of World War II explosives from the same stretch of the Danube, including anti-tank mines, ammunition and a hand grenade exposed by the record-low water level. 

These finds highlight how much wartime material still lies hidden beneath Budapest's river, a legacy of the fierce fighting that devastated the city during the final months of war.

As the river continues to recede, historians believe further surprise discoveries may yet emerge in Budapest from beneath the mud.

Photo: Pest Vármegyei Kutató-Mentő Szolgálat / Facebook

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Siege of Budapest

Underneath the recovered motorcycle, staff from the MoD Institute and Museum of Military History (HM HIM) discovered human remains presumed to be connected to World War II military operations.

Experts from the institute's War Graves and Hero Cult Directorate began exhumation work; however, examination of the remains and associated artifacts established that they belonged to German soldiers.

Consequently - following the withdrawal of Hungarian war graves specialists and clearance operations by the HDF 1st Explosives Ordnance Disposal and River Warship Regiment - the site and the already exhumed skeleton were handed over to the Hungarian exhumation representative of the German partner organization, Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V. (VDK), who will carry out all further recoveries.

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