Shoes on the Danube Bank, Budapest (must see)

The Shoes on the Danube Bank (Cipők a Duna-Parton) is a memorial that was established on April 16, 2005, in Budapest. It was created by film director Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer to honor the Jewish victims who were tragically massacred by the fascist Hungarian militia associated with the Arrow Cross Party during the Second World War in Budapest.

During this dark period, the victims were forced to remove their shoes, which held value and could be stolen and sold by the militia after the massacre. They were then shot at the water's edge, causing their bodies to fall into the Danube River and be carried away. The memorial symbolizes the shoes left behind by these victims and serves as a poignant reminder of the tragedy they endured.

The memorial is situated on the Pest side of the Danube Promenade, aligning with the hypothetical intersection of Zoltan Street and the Danube if the street extended that far. It is approximately 300 meters (980 feet) south of the Hungarian Parliament, close to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and positioned between Roosevelt Square and Kossuth Square.

The composition of the memorial consists of sixty pairs of iron shoes that reflect the period in which the tragedy occurred. These shoes are affixed to the stone embankment, and behind them lies a 40-meter-long stone bench, 70 cm high. Three cast iron signs are placed at different points, displaying the text in Hungarian, English, and Hebrew. The inscription reads, "To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45. Erected 16 April 2005."