The Banks of Danube hold one of the most beautiful memorial sights we have seen in Budapest. It honors the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II.
They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of
the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried
away. It represents their shoes left behind on the bank. Look, contemplate, photograph.
Ferrania Solaris 200
Opera and its surroundings is a beautiful spot both at night and during the day. On one of the mornings we took a stroll down the Hajos street, crossing streets of Lazar, Ó and Zichy. Budapest is excellent for little strolls in the sun, admiring the architecture and deciding where to eat.
Fuji Superia 400
House of Terror, located at Andrassy street is a well developed memorial for crimes of both Nazi and Communist parties during World War II. It's situated in the walls of a huge building which was the headquarters of both aforementioned organizations. In the cellar the killings were executed. Touching piece of history, a must see. I would recommend getting an audio-guide in English, because we did not, and unfortunately most of the exhibition was in Hungarian.
You know how they always show you the pictures of the victims. One of the last rooms included the photographs of the killers. Astonishingly dreadful experience to be looking into the eyes of murderers and their proteges. 
Fuji Pro 400H & Fuji Superia 400 
Liberty Square.
Fuji Superia 200
All this pictures make me want to go to Budapest and visit the whole city. It looks like a very nice place, and it's full of history. It's absolutely done for me!
ReplyDeleteHallo! At first I have to say that I really like your blog and your photos and I am looking forward to your posts about my home city, Budapest. So please do not take anything I write as an offense.
ReplyDeleteI am completely aware of the fact that you may not have a deep knowledge of Hungarian history, and most likely know nothing about the monument at Liberty Square. This is totally fine. I really have to set you right on this one point, though.
The monument at Liberty Square is not a memorial for the Soviet liberation. It is a memorial for the German occupation of Hungary. This monument was not built to remember the victims of WW2 but to minimize the role Hungarian people played in the terror of the Holocaust. The eagle symbolizes the Nazi Germany, the angel is supposed to be the "innocent" Hungary. The idea behind the monument is that the Hungarian people have nothing to do with the death of the 600 000 Hungarian Jews, because they were "forced" by the Germans to hunt them down. This is clearly a falsifying of history. Joining the Nazi Germany was a conscious choice Hungary willingly made. To raise a monument to the purpose of concealing the truth is against all ethics. This is a monument that was and is wanted by nobody, a monument that celebrates a very, very bad decision Hungary made during WW2 and instead of honouring the memory of the victims (both Jews and Gentiles) it humiliates them.
The Hungarian Jewish Community submitted a petition against this monument even before it was built and announced a boycott against all Holocaust remembrance events organized by the state. The Israeli ambassador and a lot of prominent people of Jewish origin spoke up against this monument. There were and still are numerous demonstations against it by Hungarian citizens. Orbán (the Hungarian prime minister) agreed to postpone its constructing and inauguration to after Easter/Pesach but broke his promise two days after he got elected. The stones, flowers and plates you photographed are not there as the sign of some lovely support. They are part of the demonstration against the monument that is running since months. The spirituality of this monument is completely the opposite of that on the Danube promenade with the shoes. They should not be recognized as the same.
There is no way you should have known this when you posted these photos. It is easy to make mistakes if you are not familiar with Hungary and its present political athmosphere. There is nothing wrong with documenting this monument. It is very important to know that it was not being raised to celebrate something nice, like the liberation, though. It was being raised to falsify history and to conceal facts. It is a shame that this monument exists and even a bigger shame that it so easily deceives people who just have no chance to know it better.
Again, do not take any of this as a personal vendetta or an offense. It is not directed against you. Please keep posting some more Budapest photos ;)
Ada
Örülök, hogy végre valaki elmondta mindezt..
DeleteI am glad that someone shared this..
Wow, the shoe memorial on the banks of the river is heartbreaking. I haven't been to Budapest but we went to a couple of similar memorials in Berlin and Prague, they were so unsettling.
ReplyDeletewow, so touching, especially the shoes - haunting and a beautiful but most importantly a way to remember :)
ReplyDeletelove the first collage!
ReplyDeleteThe shoes alone the danube is very touching and moved my heart..
ReplyDeletePrzepiękne miejsca i zdjęcia!!! :)
ReplyDeleteMuszę się kiedyś wybrać do Budapesztu....
http://mademoisellejuliet.blogspot.com/
Kasiu dzieki. Fotki ladne .... Powrot do Histori Budapesztu nie latwy a jednak, dzielny z twojej strony dlatego ze jestes bardzo mloda ! Dziekujemy tez Ada za informacji historyczne .... Marenka
ReplyDeleteAlways so important to remember in a world made to forget :)
ReplyDeletethank you for these wonderful images,Kasia!
wow Budapest is so historical!!
ReplyDeleteBudapest is in my long list of places to visit. Your pictures are truly beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteThese are all mesmerizing and make me think and feel all kinds of things. For my thesis I'm researching a few war-memorial places and just seeing this being so, pretty and sunny yet so depressing and sad is absolutely amazing and even a bit mind-boggling. I love that you shared the story about the shoes on the riverbank...must have been horribly impressive to see.
ReplyDeleteThat shot of the little plants in the shoes is incredible! What a beautiful series again :) wow
ReplyDelete