KOSSUTH MONUMENT - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

The KOSSUTH MONUMENT was erected on the northeast corner of East Blvd. and EUCLID AVE.. in 1902 (dedicated 27 Sept.) by the Magyar American Citizens to commemorate Hungarian patriot Lajos (Louis) Kossuth's visit to the U.S. in 1851-52. Kossuth had arrived in Cleveland on 31 Jan. 1852 and remained for 2 days, delivering speeches and raising over $1,500 in relief funds for Hungarians. The Magyar group initially wished to place the monument on PUBLIC SQUARE but was prevented from doing so by Cleveland's SLOVAKS, who viewed the Magyars as their Old World oppressors and were resentful of any efforts to honor a Hungarian in the city's central square. Working in concert with other Slavic immigrant groups (in one of the first such coordinated efforts), they succeeded in getting the city to rescind permission to place the statue on Public Square by arguing that honoring one ethnic group on the Square would set an awkward precedent in a city composed of dozens of nationality groups.

See also MONUMENTS, IMMIGRATION AND MIGRATION.

Related Article(s)

• FINE ARTS AND LITERATURE
• IMMIGRATION AND ETHNICITY