The synagogue complex consists of the Great Synagogue, the Heroes' Temple, a graveyard containing the bodies of over 2,000 Jews who died in the Ghetto in the harsh winter of early 1945 (their bodies were piled in the courtyard), the Tree of Life Memorial and the Jewish Museum. Dohány Street is a leafy street in the city centre and carries strong Holocaust connotations as it constituted the border of the Budapest Ghetto.
The entry fee included a guided tour of the synagogue complex, which lasted about an hour, and entry to the museum, where there was a half-hour guided tour. Both tours were very interesting, and well-presented, including general information on the Jewish religion alongside the specifics of the Dohany St Synagogue; the museum is well-laid out with four rooms, one of which covers the holocaust; given that some 400,000 Jews (from a population of 600,000) were murdered in 1944-45, it seems appropriate to remember.
A further memorial to the holocaust is the "Tree of Life" memorial, a beautiful metal sculpture in the shape (and size) of a weeping willow, the leaves of which are inscribed with the names and identification numbers of victims. The Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park behind the synagogue building, where the tree is located, is also home to a memorial to Swedish diplomat Wallenberg and other Righteous Among the Nations, including: Swiss Vice-consul Carl Lutz; and Giorgio Perlasca, an Italian man who, with a strategic escamotage, declared himself the Spanish consul, releasing documents of protection and current passports to Jews in Budapest without distinction (he saved five thousand), as well as others including a number of church-men.
It contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes in 20th-century Hungary and is also a memorial to the victims of these regimes, including those detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in the building. In the basement, there are photos of the victims, and interestingly, also of the victimizers - a reminder that the victims and the perpetrators were both people.
No photos allowed, so let's move on. Interestingly, as I walked along Andrassy St (where the Terror House is located), I suddenly realised that I was moving at a very fast pace, and wasn't with myself at all - I seem to have been focussed on putting as much space as possible between myself and the museum; at which point it struck me just how distressing it is - but important to remember the history, in an attempt to ensure we don't repeat the horrors of the past.
The next stop was the Parliament building. the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings, lying in Lajos Kossuth Square, on the bank of the Danube. It is currently the largest building in Hungary and along with St Steven's Basilica is still the tallest building in Budapest - they are the same height (96 metres - in memory of the formation of Hungary in the year 896), representing the equality of church and state; by law, no other building in Budapest can be taller.
Gothic Revival style, the building is symmetrical and thus has two absolutely identical parliament halls out of which one is used for the politics, the other one is used for guided tours; it is 268 m long and 123 m wide.
It is easiest, and perhaps best, to simply quote the news report from 2005, when the memorial was erected:
"The composition entitled 'Shoes on the Danube Bank' gives remembrance to the people shot into the Danube during the time of the Arrow Cross terror. The sculptor created sixty pairs of period-appropriate shoes out of iron. The shoes are attached to the stone embankment, and behind them lies a 40 meter long, 70 cm high stone bench. At three points are cast iron signs, with the following text in Hungarian, English, and Hebrew: 'To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45. Erected 16 April 2005.'"
This is an excellent and thought-provoking memorial, particularly with the depiction of shoes from men, women, and children.
As the day was drawing to a close, it was time to head back through the city to the apartment; here are a few photos from that walk:
The interactive fountain in Freedom Square is a series of water jets arranged in the rectangular shape of the prison that used to stand in the square (hence the name of the square); the jets represent the fence of the prison - however, as you approach the fountain jets, they stop in that section,