Shoes on the Danube Bank

Death Marches to the Danube in 1944

winter of 1944

In the winter of 1944, people like thirteen-year-old Lampel Tomi were rounded up from their homes on Pozsonyi út by the Arrow Cross, accompanied by SS. They were forced from their cellars and marched through snowy, deserted streets towards the Danube bank, near Margit Bridge. Those being marched understood they were going to be shot into the water, among the drifting ice floes. Such death marches occurred daily, always in one direction, and no one ever returned. Lampel Tomi was among those marched towards this fate, but he managed to escape.

Sources: Hosszúlépés Budapesten (2021)

The Danube Bank Shootings: A Holocaust Trauma

The Holocaust

During the Holocaust, in the winter, horrific events unfolded on the Danube bank in Budapest. Jewish residents were rounded up from their homes by the Arrow Cross men, accompanied by SS soldiers. They were forced out of their cellars and marched through the snowy, deserted streets of the city. The victims understood they were being taken to the Danube bank to be shot into the icy water, amidst drifting ice floes. Such tragic processions occurred, always heading in one direction, and no one who was taken ever returned. These events represent a profound trauma of the Holocaust and a betrayal committed by Hungary against its own people. The poet Radnóti Miklós, whose posthumously found poems gave voice to this suffering, became an icon for many Jewish families in Budapest who identified with his story, and his story is commemorated by plaques.

Sources: Hosszúlépés Budapesten (2021)

What to Look For

• The individual details and styles of the 60 pairs of cast iron shoes, reflecting various ages and professions.
• The specific location along the Pest side of the Danube, not far from the Parliament building.
• The somber reflections in the river and the quiet, contemplative atmosphere.
• Any small tokens, flowers, or candles left by visitors as personal tributes.