Shoes on the Danube

On the banks of the Danube, just in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building, stand 60 pairs of iron shoes, pointed towards the river. Poignant in their simplicity, a tragic story lies behind this memorial to the hundreds who lost their lives as a result of the atrocities committed by Budapest’s Arrow Cross militiamen during the Second World War.

During this time, Jews in Budapest were often rounded up on the banks of the Danube before being shot, falling into the water which would then carry them away. Even more harrowingly, they were regularly forced to remove their shoes as these were a valuable commodity during the war; their murderers would then sell them or use them themselves.

Different styles and sizes can be seen, showing that nobody was safe – not men, women or children. Today, candles are placed in the shoes, flowers are laid alongside them and a plaque reads “To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45. Erected 16 April 2005.”Read more