Jewish Ghetto Wall

In 1944, the Jewish people in Budapest, much like those before them in major cities across Europe, were forced to live in a small 20-block area of the 7th district. Many tourists today will learn about the plight of Hungary’s Jewish citizens through the history of the Dohány Street Synagogue (The Great Synagogue), the Holocaust Memorial, and the Hungarian Jewish Museum. There are also some more subtle remnants of the impact of the Nazi pogrom on the people of Budapest, if you know where to look.

One of the more hidden memorials isn’t entirely authentic, but its location is. The wall surrounding the Jewish ghetto was erected in November 1944 and destroyed in 2006. However, the 30-meter section that sits at the back of the courtyard at 15 Király Utca was reconstructed in 2010 (minus the original barbed wire) to serve as a permanent reminder of the tens of thousands who were forced to live in the area. You can find carefully placed stones and votive lamps along the wall in memory of the people who were interred there.

A small plaque on the street describes the memorial wall in Hungarian, English, and Hebrew. Getting to the wall itself requires entering the courtyard of the private apartments currently occupying the location. Pass through the courtyard and continue out through the short tunnel to a second courtyard to find the remains of the wall and a small plaque showing a map of the original ghetto.