Christmas is always sad at the time of war – this was especially true during December 1944. The Soviet army had just encircled Budapest on Christmas Eve, this was when the siege of the capital started. Ágota Steinert, who was only four years old at the time, has the following memories from that day:
„We went to the basement, where everybody – according to their temper – prayed, cursed, was furious or stayed silent. Something baffling and unimaginable happened. Just as if an earthquake had started and the walls had wanted to collapse on us. The whole house was trembling, there was whooshing and weird noises, buzzing and booming.”
She and her family moved to the Hospital in the Rock on Christmas Day.
Ágota Steinert and her sister during Christmas.
Janka Benkő’s verification from the hospital.
Christmas display from the Hospital in the Rock Museum in 2007.
Entrance to the office of Dr. István Kovács.
