The Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial located on the Pest side of Budapest, overlooking the Danube River. The 60 shoes commemorate the thousands of lives lost at the hands of the Arrow Cross Party in 1944 and 1945. The Arrow Cross Party would line up their victims along the bank of the Danube River and then shoot them, with the bodies falling into the river. Before being executed, the victims were asked to remove their shoes, as shoes were a valuable commodity during World War II.
Visiting the Shoes on the Danube Bank
The Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial is a poignant reminder of the atrocities committed by the Arrow Cross Party and the thousands of innocents who lost their lives. I learned about this memorial through my parents, who visited Budapest a few months before my trip, as it is not listed in many travel sites and guidebooks.
This memorial is situated south of the Hungarian Parliament building and can be accessed via walking or public transportation. When I visited the memorial, I rode bus route 16 to a stop near the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and from there, walked to the site, which took about 10 minutes. The path from the bus stop consisted of sandy and at times uneven terrain. For those with mobility issues, it’ll be best to take the path leading from the Parliament Building, as that path is paved with cobblestones and is more even.
Per one of my guides in Budapest, the yellow ribbons were added in the spring of 2024 as a form of political protest. The ribbons are not part of the memorial.
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