Kossuth-mauzoleum

The Kossuth Mausoleum is one of the notable monuments in the Fiumei út cemetery in Budapest, the resting place of Lajos Kossuth, which is the largest burial site in the whole of Hungary.

History

Lajos Kossuth died in 1894 at the age of 92 in Turin, Italy. His body was brought home and buried in Budapest, in the Fiumei út cemetery, in a free, temporary ornamental grave. Already then the idea of building a larger monument arose. The competition was finally announced only in 1900. Several entries (architect + sculptor / entry) were received, the following are known:

Kálmán Gerster and Alajos Strobl

Rezső Hikisch and junior Lajos Mátrai

Géza Márkus, Frigyes Spiegel and Elza Kövesházi Kalmár

Albert Schickedanz and Ferenc Herzog Fülöp

Zoltán Bálint, Lajos Jámbor and Ede Kallós

Ernő Foerk and Richárd Füredi

Emil Tőry and Gyula Donáth

Marcell Komor, Dezső Jakab and Márk Vedres

Sándor Heidelberg, Dávid Jónás and Gyula Bezerédi

Leo Schön

Béla Lajta, Ede Telcs and István Tóth

The winning pair (architect Kálmán Gerster and sculptor Alajos Strobl) was announced in 1902. (Interestingly, Gerster was also the designer of the Deák Mausoleum built in the 1880s.) Lajos Kossuth's son, Ferenc Kossuth, also considered this competition appropriate. At that time a dispute arose, because five jury members – including painter Károly Lotz, sculptor György Zala and architect Ödön Lechner – recommended the design by the pair Zoltán Bálint–Lajos Jámbor and the Art Nouveau style plan by Ede Kallós for implementation. Despite the protests, the capital city decided in 1903 in favor of the Gerster–Strobl plan. The monument was built between the spring of 1903 and December 1909, and Lajos Kossuth, his wife, sister and daughter were interred there on 25 November 1909. Ferenc Kossuth also died in 1914, and in 1923 Kossuth Lajos Tódor (another son of Lajos Kossuth) also received a fitting burial here.

The mausoleum was damaged during the Second World War and the 1956 revolution. It was subsequently more or less restored. Between 1993 and 1999 it was partially renovated again. A complete reconstruction to prevent water infiltration took place in 2014–2015 with state support of 415 million forints, with the cooperation of the National Heritage Institute. Its inauguration took place on 9 December 2015: the opening speech was delivered by Minister János Lázár, head of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Kossuth Mausoleum is the cemetery on Fiumei Road and also Hungary’s largest monument. The building is under heritage protection. Its exterior is permanently accessible, its interior is open to visitors on occasion.