There are places that remain in our souls at the same time with admiration and pain... Such a place is the Hungarian Parliament Building and the bank of the Danube near, on which there is a memorial to the innocent victims of fascist crimes...
I wrote earlier about our second visit to the capital of Hungary. This was the first city of our #TheLongestTrip. The place where we spent two weeks, recovering after the terrible realization: the war in Ukraine has started...
For the first few days, we stayed for many hours in our cozy hotel room, from the panoramic window of which we could see the beautiful domes of ancient buildings.
Thanking God for giving us shelter from this terrible situation that was happening in our native country...
It was the beginning of March - a great time for walking among the magnificent architecture of Budapest. One day we came again to the most beautiful building that stands on the banks of the Danube and is the heart of the capital of Hungary. A few years ago, my Victoria and I visited here for the first time, but Darinka was not with us. So now all three of us have gathered. We came out on a large square, on which stands the Parliament building. A very beautiful sight are the yellow trams, which smoothly move along the houses, like a snake, and go to the embankment of the Danube River.
We stop at the monument to the national hero of Hungary, Prince Ferenc II Rakocza, which is located on Lajos Kossuth Square, on the southeast side of the Hungarian Parliament building. Ferenc II Rákoczi was the leader of the national liberation war of the Hungarian people against the Austrian rule, which ended in the defeat of the Hungarians. The monument, a joint work of the sculptor János Pastor and the architect Denes Györgya, was erected in 1935, before the bicentenary of Rakocza's death.
The building of the Hungarian Parliament itself impresses with its beauty and grandeur.
This building is one of the most impressive architectural structures in Europe. Its uniqueness and grandeur make it the most visited place in Budapest.
Neo-Gothic elements, like the Palace of Westminster, and the influence of the Parisian Beaux-Arts are intricately woven into the architecture of the Parliament.
This building is the largest in Hungary; it has 691 rooms, 29 stairs and 10 courtyards.
The facades are decorated with many statues and sculptures symbolizing various historical figures and events.
The project was created by the architect Imre Steiner and was later completed by Miklos Igaz and Jozef Kotzman.
This house is amazing. Built of light stone and decorated with numerous towers, spires, columns, sculptures, and other decorative elements.
The House of Parliament of Hungary is symmetrical, and its structure corresponds to classical bicameral parliaments. Similar to the US Capitol in Washington, the north and south wings of the building serve the needs of the lower and upper chambers of the State Council. The two wings connect in a magnificent giant domed hall, which once served as the place for the only parliamentary sessions. The height of the domed hall is 27 meters, and since January 1, 2000, the Holy Crown of Hungary and the coronation regalia have been located here.
The facade of the building is decorated with statues of Hungarian rulers and rulers of Transylvania. The interiors are richly decorated, have a magnificent decor for the Middle Ages, in particular, with the use of mosaics, panels and stained glass windows.
Having enjoyed the full beauty of this majestic architectural masterpiece, we went down to the embankment of the Danube River and walked along the river. Suddenly we saw strange things. A large number of old scattered shoes stood on the edge of the embankment. And flowers were placed near them. Coming closer, we noticed that these shoes are metal! But it was done so masterfully that it looked real.
This monument-memorial the sight of which simply breaks the heart, was installed in 2005 on the embankment of the Danube River near the building of the Hungarian Parliament... These are bronze shoes of different sizes, women's, men's, children's, in appearance new and old, worn and old-fashioned. The monument "Bronze Shoes" was opened in memory of the Jews who died during the Second World War.
The Nazis ordered the Hungarians to exterminate all Jews. This process became especially active when the Soviet troops began to approach Budapest. The Jewish population of the city was gathered on the embankment of the Danube.
having previously ordered to remove their shoes, the Jews were shot and their bodies fell into the Danube River...
People come here to honor the memory of the innocent victims of fascism. Candy and toys are put in children's shoes... They put candles and put flowers.
We walked for a long time on the embankment of the Danube river, thinking about the terrible things that people did in different times and eras on this Earth. And again, people led by Satan continue to commit crimes, kill, destroy...
A few years ago, I told my daughters: you were born in a blessed time when wars were in the past... But the war came to our Ukraine like a terrible dream... That is why these metal shoes stand on the embankment of the Danube, as a reminder to appreciate life, which is so fragile and precious.
Thanks to everyone following our #TheLogestTrip 💕