Siege of Przemyśl
Siege of Przemyśl
The siege of Przemyśl was a major WWI battle on the Eastern Front. Przemyśl is a fortress town on the San River, in the area now part of southeastern Poland. The fighting began on 16 September 1914 when Russian forces surrounded the fortress, making it the longest siege in Europe during the war.
The siege happened in two stages. The first siege (September–October 1914) ended with Austro-Hungarian forces holding the fortress, helped by relief efforts from their side. The second siege began in November 1914, with the Russians attacking again under generals Radko Dimitriev and, later, Andrei Selivanov. This time the Russians focused on starving the garrison rather than breaking through with direct assaults.
Relief attempts by Austro-Hungarian forces failed, and the siege continued through the harsh winter. Finally, on 22 March 1915, the remaining Austro-Hungarian garrison surrendered after about 133 days of siege in total. Roughly 117,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers were captured, with heavy casualties on both sides.
The fall of Przemyśl was a severe blow to Austria-Hungary and a strategic win for Russia. It tied up large numbers of troops and diverted German concerns toward the eastern front. Przemyśl remained in Austro-Hungarian hands until late 1918, but the empire never fully recovered from the losses suffered there.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:13 (CET).