MémorialEntrée gratuite

Shoes on the Danube Bank

#2sur 9 lieux à visiter à BudapestBudapest, Central Hungary, Hungary

Aussi appelé Cipők a Duna-parton · Shoes on the Danube Promenade

L'essentiel

Horaires d'ouverture : No fixed opening hours. L'entrée est gratuite. Comptez 20 min. Meilleure période : Early morning or after 19:00.

Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026 · Rédigé par Traveliac, avec assistance IA · 4 min de lecture

ItinéraireSite officiel

Photo: Nikodem Nijaki / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Horaires d'ouverture: No fixed hours; Open to visitors 24 hours a day, all year, on the public Danube embankment.
Prix d'entrée: Gratuit
Durée nécessaire: 20 min
Meilleur moment de la journée: Early morning or after 19:00
Meilleurs mois: Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
Adresse: Id. Antall József rakpart, 1054 Budapest, Hungary (Pest bank of the Danube, south of the Hungarian Parliament)

À propos de Shoes on the Danube Bank

The Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial consists of 60 pairs of cast-iron shoes fixed to the stone edge of the Pest embankment, and it is free to visit at any hour, as of 2026. The work by the film director Can Togay and the sculptor Gyula Pauer was unveiled on 16 April 2005, and it stands a short walk south of the Hungarian Parliament, between Roosevelt tér and Kossuth Lajos tér. Shoes on the Danube Bank shows men's, women's and children's shoes of the 1940s, rusted and scattered as if left at the water's edge. The cast-iron plaques carry an inscription in Hungarian, English and Hebrew.

Meilleur moment de la journée : Early morning or after 19:00. When the embankment is quiet and visitors can stand without crowds; candles and flowers are visible after dark.

Horaires de Shoes on the Danube Bank

Horaires d'ouverture: No fixed hours; Mon–Sun No fixed hours; Open to visitors 24 hours a day, all year, on the public Danube embankment.
Fermé le: Ouvert tous les jours

Mon–Sun	No fixed hours

Bon à savoir : The promenade can be flooded or fenced when the Danube is high, when the river level rises; the memorial may be unreachable on those days.

Horaires d'ouverture établis à partir de budapestinfo.hu et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Prix d'entrée de Shoes on the Danube Bank

Entry fees for Shoes on the Danube Bank
Billet	Prix
Billet standard	Gratuit
Tarif réduit (étudiant / senior)	Gratuit
Enfants	Gratuit

The Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial is free and open at all hours, as of 2026, with no ticket or gate. The lower Danube promenade can be closed to pedestrians when river levels are high; verify local conditions.

Tarifs établis à partir de budapestinfo.hu et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Meilleure période pour visiter Shoes on the Danube Bank

Quiet
Moderate
Very busy

06:00 - 09:00
Early MorningBest time to go
Few visitors and clear light on the river; the quietest window for reflection.
Quiet
09:00 - 12:00
Morning Groups
Walking tours and small groups arrive from Parliament and the Old Town.
Moderate
12:00 - 18:00
Daytime Peak
Tour groups and independent visitors crowd the narrow promenade, and it is hard to stand unobstructed.
Very busy
19:00 - 24:00
Evening
Crowds thin after sunset; candles and the lit Chain Bridge give a quieter atmosphere.
Moderate

Histoire de Shoes on the Danube Bank

The Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial commemorates the victims shot into the river by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45. The Arrow Cross was the Hungarian fascist party that took power in October 1944 under German occupation, and its gangs rounded up Jews and others, forced them to the embankment, and shot them so the bodies fell into the Danube. Victims were typically made to remove their shoes first, because leather shoes were valuable. The figure commonly quoted is about 23,500 people, some 20,000 of them Jews, though estimates vary.

The Shoes on the Danube Bank were conceived by Can Togay and made by Gyula Pauer, and the memorial was erected on 16 April 2005, on the Pest bank between Roosevelt tér and Kossuth Lajos tér. Iron plaques with an inscription in three languages record the dedication, and the shoes themselves are cast iron and fixed to the stone edge, weathered by river spray. The memorial has been desecrated on occasion, and in August 2023 a tourist was reported to have stepped into the shoes for photographs, which prompted criticism online.

Règles et étiquette à Shoes on the Danube Bank

Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial to murder victims, and visitors should not step into, sit on, or move the shoes. Posing, jumping, or staging photographs on the shoes is disrespectful, and a reported incident in 2023 drew public criticism. Visitors are asked to stand back, keep voices low, and let others reach the shoes.

Shoes on the Danube Bank is often marked with candles, flowers and small stones placed by visitors, following Jewish custom for stones on memorials, and these should be left as they are. Selfie sticks and loud tour commentary are out of place at the water's edge. The promenade is narrow and near the tram line, so watch for trams on the embankment. Pickpockets operate around crowded riverside stops, so keep bags closed. There is no entry fee or ticket desk at the site.

Conseils pour visiter Shoes on the Danube Bank

1
Shoes on the Danube Bank is best visited early in the morning or after dark, when the embankment is quiet and the memorial can be seen without tour groups. The site is a 10-minute walk south of the Hungarian Parliament along the embankment, so it pairs naturally with a visit to that building.
2
Shoes on the Danube Bank lies on the Pest promenade, with the Chain Bridge to the south and Margaret Bridge to the north. Do not expect guides; cast-iron plaques at the site give the dedication, and the Dohány Street Synagogue and the Holocaust Memorial Center, a few kilometres away, give fuller context. Bring a small stone or flower only if you intend to leave it, and avoid leaving litter. When the Danube is high the lower path can be closed, so check conditions before walking down.

Comment se rendre à Shoes on the Danube Bank

L'étoile rouge indique Shoes on the Danube Bank ; les repères numérotés sont les 8 lieux les plus proches de nos guides, chacun avec son classement dans sa ville. Touchez un repère pour plus de détails.

Id. Antall József rakpart, 1054 Budapest, Hungary (Pest bank of the Danube, south of the Hungarian Parliament)Itinéraire sur Google Maps

Depuis Hungarian Parliament Building
0.6 km · 10 min
Free on foot
Depuis Deák Ferenc tér
1.3 km · 12 min
HUF 500 single ticket (as of 2026, third-party listing; verify at BKK)
Depuis Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport (BUD)
20 km · 55-65 min
HUF 2,500 for the 100E plus a HUF 500 ticket (as of 2026, third-party listing; verify at BKK)

Aéroport le plus proche

Depuis Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), about 20 km; 100E bus to Deák Ferenc tér, then a 15-minute walk or tram 2.

Gare la plus proche

Depuis Kossuth Lajos tér (metro M2), roughly a 10-minute walk; tram 2 runs along the embankment.

FAQ — Shoes on the Danube Bank

Is the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial free?

Yes. The memorial is free and open 24 hours a day, as of 2026, on the public Danube embankment.

What do the Shoes on the Danube Bank commemorate?

They commemorate the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45, commonly put at about 23,500 people, some 20,000 of them Jews, though estimates vary.

Who made the Shoes on the Danube Bank?

Can Togay conceived the memorial and Gyula Pauer made it, and it was unveiled on 16 April 2005. It consists of 60 pairs of cast-iron shoes.

Can you touch or stand in the shoes?

No. Visitors are asked not to step into, sit on, or move the shoes, and a reported 2023 incident in which a tourist stepped into them drew public criticism.

Rédigé avec l'assistance de l'IA à partir de sources officielles et de registres publics, et publié seulement après les vérifications décrites dans Comment nous rédigeons ces guides. Personne chez Traveliac ne s'est rendu sur place. Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Comment nous classons et vérifions les lieux