Emily Tourguidehungary

Hungary remembers the heroes of the war of independence (1848-49) and the martyrs of Arad (6 Oct 1849).
Flags are half-mast at Parliament and guards watch the main entry.

Here you can read more about the event:

National day of mourning: Hungary honors the martyrs of Arad – national flag at half-mast - Daily News Hungary Hungary commemorated the 13 martyrs of Arad by raising and then lowering the national flag to half-mast in front of the Parliament.

Look who is shooting a film in Hungary, at the Formula One track!

Brad Pitt is in Hungary, here you can meet him! - PHOTOS - Daily News Hungary The American film star and celebrity Brad Pitt is in Hungary to shoot at the Hungaroring before this weekend's Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

If you have been on a tour with me, then most of these fun facts are (should be) familiar to you!
If you haven't yet, then these could be some reasons (among many others) to come to Hungary/ Budapest!
Enjoy reading them!

5+1 fun facts about Hungary – Some may come as a surprise - Daily News Hungary Join us as we unveil 5+1 fun facts about Hungary! Did you learn something new today about the country?

Formula One races have started in Hungary, near Budapest.
Watch out for some famous faces in the streets of the city!

Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2024: free buses and more trains from Budapest for the fans! - Daily News Hungary The MÁV-Volán Group will launch new buses and increase railway capacities during the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2024 this weekend.

Budapest turns into Hollywood again!

As I shared a few months ago Angelina Jolie was filming in Budapest (scroll down to see the article).
And now Russel Crowe is filming in the Hungarian capital city. They are shooting a famous historical event, the Nuremberg trials, and he is playing Hitler’s right-hand man. He is filming near the famous Andrassy Avenue.
In his free time he was seen to have played tennis near my old home (Wekerle).
So let's see if we can spot him during our tour in the next few weeks/months!

Russell Crowe is in Budapest! - Here is where you can meet him Here are the places where Russell Crowe has already been spotted in Budapest, so there is a chance you may meet him as well

The famous "Shoes on the Danube" memorial is really moving. I usually include it in all my Budapest tours.

The 2 stories I want to share are:
1) the real historic event
2) how the artist(s) got the idea to create the memorial

1) The real history briefly
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Close to the end of WW2 the Holocaust was very harsh in Hungary. Hungarian N***s (known as Arrow Cross Militiamen - see picture below) killed thousands and thousands of Jews (but many others as well such as gipsies, handicapped, homosexuals etc) by taking them to the ice-cold river Danube (mainly in Nov-Dec 1944 and Jan 1945), told them to line up, take off their shoes (and wintercoats) and then they shot those people into the river. This happened several times, not only once.
Today (in order to remember these events) bronze shoes are erected on the spot as a memorial, see pictures below.

2) How the artists got the idea
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A sculptor and painter (Gyula Pauer) created the bronze shoes that look exactly like the shoes people used to wear at that time. His friend, a movie director (Can Togay) came up with the idea because he saw an old movie made in 1955 (Budapest Spring - see old poster below). Zoltan is in love with Judith (Jewish girl) and one day when he comes home he can't find her. He starts to look for her in the streets and finally goes down to the river where he recognizes Judith's shoes at the river bank ... (maybe the ones in the picture below). Then he realizes what happened to his love.
This moment in the movie inspired the artists to create this moving memorial.

Come to Budapest and don't miss the "Shoes on the Danube" memorial.

Many people know about the famous "Shoes on the Danube (bank)" memorial.

And did you know it was chosen to be the 2nd best public sculpture in 2016.

But do you know wherefrom the idea came? Stay tuned! I will share the story very soon!

Budapest by night is simply fantastic!
Why not enjoy a photographic night tour with me from the best viewpoints for the most breathtaking pictures!

Let's see if we can find a famous Hungarian in the US Capitol... Oh...there he is... Mr Kossuth. Nice to see you again, so far from Hungary.