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Shoes and Yet More Shoes


Shoes and Yet More Shoes
Photo Information
Copyright: Doreen Eden (doreengeden) Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 29 W: 0 N: 63] (490)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-11-16
Categories: Event
Camera: Nikon Coolpix 4800
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Shoes in Strange Places [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-11-23 6:02
Viewed: 608
Points: 6
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The comments below were written before Attila's explanation, which I suggest you read. In view of the explanation I have changed the categoey to EVENT, not knowing what else to put it in. Thank you Attila.

Walking along the embankment in front of the Parliament Building we came across these shoes. Haven't been able to find out why they are there, how long they have been there or even, who put them there.
Equally undecided about the category to put them in. Being shoes they are transport. This is what passes as artwork these days. Humorous? - they made us smile. Daily life? - they must be passed, and photographed by many people during the course of the day. On the other hand are they tragic? - in memory of people who have fallen into the Danube and lost their lives.

I have cropped the photo to show just the shoes.
GoogolGuy, biblio has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Attila: Thank you very muchdoreengeden 2 11-24 08:21
To Nina_Stevens: Thank you fordoreengeden 1 11-23 06:46
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Critiques [Translate]

Vraiment très spécial...
J'espère que tous ces souliers ne rappellent pas un triste événement.
TFS
Nina

During World War II, nazi-dominated Hungary allowed hundreds of thousands of its citizens to be taken to gas chambers and/or forced labor camps and/or to be executed without any court procedure.

This is a memorial for the Jewish Hungarians/Hungarian Jews who were shot into the Danube in a systematic mass execution style by German/Hungarian troops, soldiers and gendarmerie. The bodies drifted downstream, across the country and into the territory of our southern neighbors, ending up in the sea.

As far as I know, some of them had to be pushed under the ice to get out of sight and out of mind.

Again, as far as I know, this was the actual site of the government-approved mass murder. Any 'still usable' clothes, shoes and personal valuables such as wedding rings were looted. Hence the motive of the shoes without their owners.

The memorial is fairly new, and it is one step on the Hungarian nation's journey towards realizing that not all the blame falls on nazi Germany. Hungary would have stood a chance if she had decided to fight for its citizens. And many Hungarians did fight to help them, as other memorials in Hungary and in Israel are witness to that side of the story.

Amazing Photo Doreen made even more poignant when we read Atila's remarks.
Regards
Chris

Great, simbolic place and shot...
Tomasz

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