Empty shoes may also symbolize death . In Greek culture , empty shoes are the equivalent of the American funeral wreath . For example , empty shoes placed outside of a Greek home would tell others that the family 's son has died in battle . At an observation memorializing the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks , 3,000 pairs of empty shoes were used to recognize those killed . The Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial in Budapest , Hungary . Conceived by film director Can Togay , he created it on the east bank of the Danube River with sculptor Gyula Pauer to honor the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II . They were ordered to take off their shoes , and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away . The memorial represents their shoes left behind on the bank
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Shoe