Similar to the bullet holes and inscriptions left by Soviet soldiers clearing buildings of explosives in 1945, signs indicating the presence of shelters also serve as intriguing memories of the conflicts Budapest had to endure in its history.
Shelters, whether independently built bunkers or reinforced basements, were constructed in great numbers starting in 1938 to provide protection against bombings. Arrows were painted on the walls of buildings to indicate the presence of a shelter.
Some of these painted arrows can still be seen today, and I am sharing with you those I have documented.
A sign with the letters ‘OH’ for ‘óvóhely’ (shelter) at Szentkirályi utca 32b.
Shelter sign on a bullet-riddled building on Egressy út.
A shelter sign on the wall of a school located on Jurisich Miklós utca.
Buildings Tell Tales 
Leave a comment