Shoes on the Danube: The most important shoes in Budapest.

Shoes on the Danube is a memorial for victims who were shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross Militiamen from 1944-45. The memorial was erected in 2005. The reason for the shoes is that before the militiamen shot the victims, the victims were forced to remove their shoes because they were valuable.

The memorial is made out of a steel-like material. My people place flowers and candles in and around the shoes. As you can see it is right on the edge of the river. 

My classmates and I agreed that this memorial is beautiful and an interesting idea for a memorial. There was a silence that hovered over us and we felt a sense of great sadness. We spoke about how it must have been to have been standing on the ledge in 1944 knowing that you were about to die. It was almost too much to think about. 

Budapest has a large history and many museums and memorials regarding the Holocaust. The city is moving forward yet not leaving behind its past.