Shoes on the Danube bank

A visit to this historic site offers a solemn and deeply moving experience. Along the banks of the Danube River, you’ll come across rows of bronze shoes, quietly facing the water. This memorial, installed in 2005, honors the memory of those who were brutally executed here in the final months of World War II.

There are 60 pairs of shoes—men’s, women’s, and children’s—representing the innocent lives taken by members of the fascist Hungarian Arrow Cross Party between 1944 and 1945. Victims were often ordered to take off their shoes—valued possessions that were later resold—before being tied together and shot at the river’s edge. In a horrifying effort to conserve ammunition, the first in line was killed, and the rest were dragged into the water by the weight of their bodies.

This spot commemorates the estimated 3,500 people murdered here, including around 800 Jewish victims. However, historians believe that the Arrow Cross Party killed up to 15,000 people during their reign of terror before the Soviet forces arrived. An additional 80,000 were deported to Austrian concentration camps.

Each pair of shoes is unique, capturing the diversity of the victims and serving as a reminder that no one—regardless of age or gender—was spared. Today, the site is often adorned with flowers, candles, and quiet tributes. A plaque tells the tragic story to passersby.

This memorial stands near what was once one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in Europe. Before the Holocaust, roughly 200,000 Jewish people lived in Budapest. Just a short distance away, you’ll find Europe’s largest synagogue, a powerful testament to the city’s rich Jewish heritage.