Lajos Kossuth was a leading figure in the struggle for Hungarian independence from the Austrian Hapsburg Empire in the 1800s.

In the early hours of 5 May 1837, Kossuth was resting at the Isten Szeme Inn (which no longer exists) when he was arrested and taken to Buda Castle by the royal imperial officer József Eötvös and 50 soldiers under the command of Captain József Thurn. He was locked in the same prison from where, on 20 May 1795, Martinovics, Hajnóczy, Sigray and other revolutionaries were sent to their executions – a bad omen for Kossuth. He later declared this about his imprisonment: “I lost two years of my life, but in exchange I won the rest of my life.”  

The memorial which stands at the intersection of Mátyáshegyi and Tündérhegyi Roads was made in 1913 thanks to members of the Zugligeti Association and marks the location of Kossuth’s arrest. It was created by István Tóth under the supervision of the architect of the Kossuth Mausoleum, Kálmán Gerster. The bust was made at one and a half times life size and placed on stepped pedestal made from irregular stones. Mounted on the pedestal is a relief which depicts the arrest of Kossuth.  The original relief was removed in 1945, but a replica was put in its place in 1999. This is an important memorial because it was the first memorial dedicated to Kossuth in Hungary.