Shoes on the Danube Bank filled with candy and flowers
Shoes on the Danube Bank filled with candy and flowers

Shoes on the Danube Bank

Shoes on the Danube Bank is one of the most prominent and grim mementos of World War 2 in Hungary.

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Budapest is a city famously bisected by the Danube. No matter which side you’re exploring, both banks have promenades full of splendor: Buda offers a stroll dotted with historical buildings like the Buda Castle, while the Pest side has some of the most dazzling monuments in the capital. Among all the flurry of sights, there is one, however, that is known not for its fancy architecture or coveted history. The ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’ is a quiet and grim memento of World War 2. But what does this installation commemorate, and how can you reach it? Read on to find out.

The sights of Budapest along the river Danube
The sights of Budapest along the river Danube

A short history lesson

The story of the Shoes starts just before the 20th century. Miklós Voglhurt was a well-known artist born in 1898 to a Jewish family. He always knew that his career lay in music and theatre. Although he quickly became a prominent artist, due to anti-Semitism being on the rise in Budapest, he was forced to changed his name into Miklós Vig (‘víg’ means cheerful in Hungarian, alluding to him trying to cheer up his audience with his music). Although Miklós Vig didn’t have a Jewish name and he was married into a Catholic family, he was still taken by the Arrow Cross Party for Jewish activities. 

Along with Miklós, many other Jewish people were stripped naked and forced to stand on the banks of Danube, with their faces towards the river. A firing squad would then proceed to execute each and every one of them; they all fell into the ice-cold river, their bodies carried away by the current. This didn’t only happen to Miklós but to thousands of innocent Jewish and Hungarian people. No burial was held, and they all became victims of a pointless massacre that affected the entire continent by then. Their shoes (a valuable commodity at the time) were all removed; an act which, 60 years later, prompted two artists to create an installation commemorating the victims.

The Shoes on the Danube Bank, facing the Buda side
The Shoes on the Danube Bank, facing the Buda side

Remembering the victims

Sculptor Gyula Pauer and film director Can Togay came up with the idea of ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’ back in 2005 to commemorate the victims who were shot without mercy while standing on the bank of Danube. The installation consists of 60 pairs of shoes, all true-to-life in shape and size, sculpted out of iron. The variety of shoes (men’s boots, women’s high heels, and even children’s tiny footwear) represents how no one could escape the unparalleled cruelty of the firing squads of the Arrow Cross Party. As you walk along the installment, you’ll find three plaques commemorating the massacre with the following text: 

To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45.
Erected 16 April 2005

The Shoes on the Danube Bank in Budapest, a grim memorial consisting of 60 pairs of shoes sculpted out of iron
The Shoes on the Danube Bank in Budapest, a grim memorial consisting of 60 pairs of shoes sculpted out of iron

How it fits in a sightseeing trip

As you might’ve already realized, Shoes on the Danube Bank is one of the grimmest landmarks in the entire city. For that reason, we recommend that you include it in specific itineraries that revolve around second world war sights or the Jewish District itself. Be sure to check our guide to Jewish Budapest; some of the guided tours include this installation in their stops. If you’d like to make it a truly memorable part of your trip, visit the Shoes at sunset: there’s nothing quite like seeing the sun dip behind the city, painting the sad memento with bittersweet tones of red and yellow.

Shoes on the Danube Bank at sunset – a truly memorable experience in Budapest
Shoes on the Danube Bank at sunset – a truly memorable experience in Budapest

Similar sights

Budapest has a handful of sights that offer tourists a piece of the darker side of Hungarian history. The Holocaust Memorial Center, for instance, provides an overview of the events and victims of the Hungarian Holocaust, while the House of Terror puts the terror of the Communist regime on display. None of these sights are easy to stomach, so if you’re only staying for a few days, we recommend you not include them all in your itinerary.

Getting there

Shoes on the Danube Bank is pretty easy to find as it’s right across the street in front of the majestic building of the Parliament. There are two ways of getting there: you can either take tram line 1, or get off metro line 2 at Kossuth tér, and then take a short walk. 

Q & A

What is ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’?
Shoes on the Danube Bank is an art installment commemorating the Jewish people murdered on the bank of Danube during the Second World War.
Where is ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’?
You can find the Shoes on the bank of the Danube, right in front of the Parliament. They’re located on the edge of the curb, all facing the river.
Is ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’ free to visit?
As it’s a public installment, the Shoes on the Danube Bank is free to visit any time during the year.
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