World War II did not spare Zalaegerszeg: the seat of Zala county is ranked 27th in the list of Hungarian towns according to war damage. One of the most severe attacks was targeted on the railway station. On 27 March 1945, an ammunition train pulled in the station and exploded the same evening in an air raid. The detonation damaged not only the station building, but also destroyed a significant part of the collections of the Balaton – Darnay State Museum and the Székely National Museum that had been loaded into wagons to rescue them. These were being transported through the station to a place of safety.