Kossuth Memorial refers to one of three public monuments dedicated to former Hungarian Regent-President

Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (, hu, udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos, sk, Ľudovít Košút, anglicised as Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, poli ...

in front of the

Hungarian Parliament Building The Hungarian Parliament Building ( hu, Országház , which translates to "House of the Country" or "House of the Nation"), also known as the Parliament of Budapest after its location, is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, a notable l ...

on Lajos Kossuth Square in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. The memorial is an important Hungarian national symbol and scene of official celebrations.

First memorial

After the death of Lajos Kossuth (March 21, 1894) and his sumptuous funeral in Budapest, a public subscription was almost immediately announced to build a memorial for the leader of the 1848 Revolution. During the next years 850,000

forint The forint (sign Ft; code HUF) is the currency of Hungary. It was formerly divided into 100 fillér, but fillér coins are no longer in circulation. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step in the post-World War II stab ...

s came together, a huge sum in those days. In 1906 the competition was won by János Horvay after long debates about the style and message of the memorial. Although the public was dissatisfied with Horvay’s idea the sculptor began working. Until 1914 all the figures of the group were completed except Kossuth himself but then the work came to a halt because of World War I. The colossal Ruskica marble

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In c ...

remained in the quarry in

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

and was confiscated by the invading Romanian troops. In the years following the war, Horvay completed the Kossuth statue and a new plinth was made of simple limestone. Budapest Kossuth

The first Kossuth Memorial was officially inaugurated on 6 November 1927 by Governor

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya ( hu, Vitéz nagybányai Horthy Miklós; ; English: Nicholas Horthy; german: Nikolaus Horthy Ritter von Nagybánya; 18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957), was a Hungarian admiral and dictator who served as the Regent o ...

before a crowd of 100,000 people. The speaker of the celebration was

Albert Apponyi Albert György Gyula Mária Apponyi, Count of Nagyappony ( hu, Gróf nagyapponyi Apponyi Albert György Gyula Mária; 29 May 18467 February 1933) was a Hungarian aristocrat and politician. He was a board member of the Hungarian Academy of Sc ...

. The group depicted the members of the first Hungarian parliamentary government: Lajos Kossuth (in the middle), Pál Esterházy,

Gábor Klauzál Gábor Klauzál de Szlavovicz (18 November 1804 – 3 August 1866) was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Trade during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 in the first government of Hungary. He studied in ...

József Eötvös József baron Eötvös de Vásárosnamény (pronunciation: jɔ:ʒef 'øtvøʃ dɛ 'va:ʃa:rɔʃnɒme:ɲ 3 September 1813 – 2 February 1871) was a Hungarian writer and statesman, the son of Ignác baron Eötvös de Vásárosnamény and A ...

István Széchenyi Count István Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék ( hu, sárvár-felsővidéki gróf Széchenyi István, ; archaically English: Stephen Széchenyi; 21 September 1791 – 8 April 1860) was a Hungarian politician, political theorist, and wri ...

, Prime Minister

Lajos Batthyány Count Lajos Batthyány de Németújvár (; hu, gróf németújvári Batthyány Lajos; 10 February 1807 – 6 October 1849) was the first Prime Minister of Hungary. He was born in Pozsony (modern-day Bratislava) on 10 February 1807, and was e ...

Bertalan Szemere Bertalan Szemere (27 August 1812 – 18 January 1869) was a Hungarian poet and nationalist who became the third Prime Minister of Hungary during the short period of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 when Hungary was independent of rule by the Aus ...

, Ferenc Deák, and

Lázár Mészáros General Lázár Mészáros ''(English: Lazarus Mészáros)'' (20 February 1796 in Baja – 16 November 1858 in Eywood), was the Minister of War during the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. Biography He was born into a noble family of landowners. Hi ...

. Horvay’s composition was criticized because Kossuth played only a minor constitutional role in the first cabinet. Art critics condemned the melancholic atmosphere of the memorial and the sculpture remained somewhat unpopular.

Second memorial

In 1950, the government of

Mátyás Rákosi Mátyás Rákosi (; born Mátyás Rosenfeld; 9 March 1892
– 5 February 1971) was a Hungarian

, Stalinist dictator of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, ordered the dismantling of the "pessimistic" memorial. Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl made a new bronze statue of Kossuth pointing towards a brighter future with a raised hand. Although the sculpture is a typical product of its age, Kisfaludi Strobl was a talented artist who managed to picture Kossuth as a great orator. The new memorial was inaugurated in 1952. The six other figures (among them poet

Sándor Petőfi Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; sk, Alexander Petrovič; sr, Александар Петровић; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet of Serbian origin and liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary's ...

) were made by

András Kocsis András Kocsis (1978, Sümeg) is a Hungarian diplomat. Since 6 July 2016, he is the Ambassador of Hungary to the Netherlands. Biography András Kocsis was born on 12 October 1978 in Sümeg, Hungary. He is married to Zsuzsanna Lendvai and they ...

and Lajos Ungváry. The plinth was clad with red marble blocks. Kossuth Memorial Budapest

The dismantled Horvay-group was given to the town of

Dombóvár Dombóvár (german: Dombowa; la, Iowia) is a town in Tolna County, Hungary. Twin towns – sister cities Dombóvár is twinned with: * Kernen im Remstal, Germany * Ogulin, Croatia * Vir, Croatia * Höganäs, Sweden Notable people * Ján Gol ...

in 1959 where the figures were separately re-erected in 1973 in the City Park.

Third memorial

The Hungarian government launched the overall rehabilitation of Kossuth Lajos Square in 2012 after a long period of planning. A parliamentary decision ordered the reconstruction of the historical sculptures of the square as they appeared in 1944. Strobl's Kossuth Memorial was deconstructed, then reassembled in Orczy Park in a different formation. An exact copy of the original sculpture group by Horvay (preserved in Dombóvár) was recreated and unveiled in Kossuth Square in 2014.

References

* László Prohászka: Szoborhistóriák, Bp, 2004, pp. 96–99. {{coord, 47, 30, 29.35, N, 19, 2, 50.18, E, region:HU_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Budapest Monuments and memorials in Hungary