On the Pest bank of the Danube, a short walk south of the Hungarian Parliament, Shoes on the Danube Bank is among Budapest’s most affecting monuments. Sixty pairs of iron shoes line the embankment, their varied styles suggesting the men, women and children who once might have worn them.
Created in 2005 by filmmaker Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer, the memorial honours Jews murdered by Arrow Cross militiamen during the winter of 1944–45. Many victims were forced to remove their shoes before being shot at the river’s edge, their bodies falling into the water. The empty shoes give that history a devastatingly human scale without the grandeur of a conventional monument.
The memorial is outdoors and free to visit, and 15 to 20 minutes allows time for quiet reflection. Come early if you prefer a calmer visit, and remember that this is a place of mourning when taking photographs. It is easy to combine with a walk past Parliament or along the riverside toward the Chain Bridge.