Hermann Heights Monument

Last updated

Hermann Monument
HermannHeightsMonument.jpg
Hermann Heights Monument in 2013
USA Minnesota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationHermann Heights Park,
New Ulm, Minnesota
Coordinates 44°18′25.52″N94°28′21.47″W / 44.3070889°N 94.4726306°W / 44.3070889; -94.4726306
Built1888–1897
ArchitectJulius Berndt
SculptorAlfonz Pelzer
NRHP reference No. 73000965 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 2, 1973

The Hermann Heights Monument is a statue erected in New Ulm, Minnesota, United States. The statue depicts Arminius (German : Hermann), an ancient Cheruscan, but locals refer to the statue as Hermann the German. The only National Register of Historic Places property of its kind in Minnesota,[ citation needed ] the monument is a remembrance of the German ancestry of many Minnesotans. Visitors to the statue can climb the spiral staircase to an observation platform at the base of the statue, which commands a view of the town and the Minnesota River Valley below.

Contents

Significance

The monument rises above New Ulm HermannMonumentNewUlmMN.JPG
The monument rises above New Ulm

This statue commemorates the German victory over the Romans at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, a symbol of German patriotism.

While Arminius had been known in Germany since the rediscovery of the writings of Tacitus in the 15th century, German Protestant intellectuals in the first half of the 18th century christened him "Hermann Deutsch" and promoted his status from that of a local tribal leader with family ties to Rome to that of a hero of Alemmani resistance to "Roman" (i.e. Papal) authority; the 19th century added another layer of meaning, namely Pan-German unity and resistance to Revolutionary France and her language. [2] As depicted in this statue, Hermann's eastward gaze and upraised sword signify freedom from Rome. Perhaps not coincidentally, a statue of St. Paul atop the nearby Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Trinity also gazes eastward, with his sword point-down, planted firmly in the ground.[ citation needed ]

Characteristics

The Hermann Monument has a total height of approximately 102 feet (31 m). Constructed of sheet copper molded over iron, the 27 feet (8.2 m) statue stands on a 70 feet (21 m) iron column encircled by a spiral staircase to the dome, which is supported by 10 iron columns and a Kasota stone base.

History

Following the completion of the similarly commemorative Hermannsdenkmal statue in Detmold, Germany, in 1875, the Germanic-American fraternal order of the Sons of Hermann, under the leadership of Julius Berndt, who headed the New Ulm chapter and was then national secretary of the order, paid for the erection of the American monument. [3] Berndt designed the monument setting, for which the cornerstone was laid in 1888. [4] The statue was created by Alfonz Pelzer of the W. H. Mullins Manufacturing Company in Salem, Ohio [5] and shipped to New Ulm. It arrived in 1890 and was dedicated in 1897. Structural and cosmetic restoration projects were carried out in 1998 and again in 2004.

The Hermann Heights Monument was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is the third largest copper statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty and Portlandia in Portland, Oregon.

The 106th United States Congress (2000) designated the Hermann Monument in New Ulm to be a symbol of all citizens of Germanic heritage. [4] [6]

The legend of Hermann the German inspired a stage play, Hermann the German: The Scandal that Rocked New Ulm!. Co-written by Minneapolis comic Bill Young, the play was a comedy based on the real-life attempt by the city of New Ulm to boost tourism by creating a fictitious legend about a giant cement footprint supposedly made by the legendary Hermann. The play was first staged as part of the 2014 Minnesota Fringe Festival, then ran at the New Ulm Actors Community Theatre later that year. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Panoramic view from the top of the Hermann Heights Monument.jpg
Panoramic view from the top of the Hermann Heights Monument

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Liberty</span> Colossal sculpture in New York Harbor

The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Teutoburg Forest</span> 9 AD Roman defeat by Germanic tribes

The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varus Disaster or Varian Disaster by Roman historians, was a major battle between Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire that took place somewhere near modern Kalkriese from September 8–11, 9 AD, when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed three Roman legions led by Publius Quinctilius Varus and their auxiliaries. The alliance was led by Arminius, a Germanic officer of Varus's auxilia. Arminius had acquired Roman citizenship and had received a Roman military education, which enabled him to deceive the Roman commander methodically and anticipate the Roman army's tactical responses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arminius</span> Germanic Cherusci chieftain (18/17 BC – AD 21)

Arminius was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe who is best known for commanding an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, in which three Roman legions under the command of general and governor Publius Quinctilius Varus were destroyed. His victory at Teutoburg Forest precipitated the Roman Empire's permanent strategic withdrawal from Germania Magna, and modern historians regard it as one of Rome's greatest defeats. As it prevented the Romanization of Germanic peoples east of the Rhine, it has also been considered one of the most decisive battles in history and a turning point in human history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Brown County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,912. Its county seat is New Ulm. The county was formed in 1855 and organized in 1856.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Ulm, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, United States

New Ulm is a city and the county seat of Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 census. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River and the Cottonwood River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teutoburg Forest</span> Forest in Germany, site of a major Roman defeat

The Teutoburg Forest is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Until the 17th century, the official name of the hill ridge was Osning. It was first renamed the Teutoburg Forest in 1616 in commemoration of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, which most likely took place at Kalkriese instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victory column</span> Monument in the form of a column

A victory column, or monumental column or triumphal column, is a monument in the form of a column, erected in memory of a victorious battle, war, or revolution. The column typically stands on a base and is crowned with a victory symbol, such as a statue. The statue may represent the goddess Victoria; in Germany, the female embodiment of the nation, Germania; in the United States either the female embodiment of the nation Liberty or Columbia; in the United Kingdom, the female embodiment Britannia, an eagle, or a war hero.

<i>Hermannsdenkmal</i> German sculpture

The Hermannsdenkmal is a monument located southwest of Detmold in the district of Lippe, in Germany. It stands on the densely forested Grotenburg, sometimes also called the Teutberg or Teut, a hill in the Teutoburger Wald range. The monument is located inside the remains of a circular rampart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther College</span> Private liberal arts college in New Ulm, Minnesota, United States

Martin Luther College (MLC) is a private Lutheran college in New Ulm, Minnesota. It is operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Martin Luther College was established in 1995, when Northwestern College (NWC) of Watertown, Wisconsin, combined with Dr. Martin Luther College (DMLC) of New Ulm on the latter's campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)</span> Monument and historic site in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 284 ft 6 in (86.72 m) tall neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. In the years since its public dedication on May 15, 1902, the monument has become an iconic symbol of Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1973, and was included in an expansion of the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza National Historic Landmark District in December 2016. It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District. It is also the largest outdoor memorial and the largest of its kind in Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flandrau State Park</span> United States historic place

Flandrau State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the Cottonwood River adjacent to the city of New Ulm. Initially called Cottonwood River State Park, it was renamed in 1945 to honor Charles Eugene Flandrau, a leading citizen of early Minnesota who commanded defenses during the Battles of New Ulm in the Dakota War of 1862. The park was originally developed in the 1930s as a job creation project to provide a recreational reservoir. However the dam was repeatedly damaged by floods and was removed in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Gag</span> Bohemian-American painter (1859–1908)

AntonGag was a Sudeten-American painter and studio photographer known for his portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and murals. Immigrating to the United States at the age of 14 with his family in 1873, he later settled in New Ulm, Minnesota, where he spent most of his working life.

Herman the German or Hermann the German may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Agnes (Saint Paul, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The Church of Saint Agnes is a Catholic church of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The parish was founded in 1887 and the current church building was completed in 1912 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straus Park</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

Straus Park is a small landscaped park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, at the intersection of Broadway, West End Avenue, and 106th Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Brown County, Minnesota</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Brown County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sons of Hermann</span> German-American mutual aid society

The Order of the Sons of Hermann is a mutual aid society for German immigrants that was formed in New York City on July 20, 1840, and remains active in the states of California, Ohio, and Texas today. Now open to members of any heritage, the order provides low-cost insurance and mutual aid and has historically promoted the preservation of the German language and traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Hotel (New Ulm, Minnesota)</span> United States historic place

The Grand Hotel is a historic hotel in New Ulm, Minnesota, United States. The private, commercial structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on June 21, 1990. The building is notable because of its association with the development of New Ulm's business district and as an example of Italianate architecture in a commercial building.

Arminius is an oratorio by the German composer Max Bruch. Bruch wrote the work between 1875 and 1877 during the consolidation of the newly founded German Empire. He picked the story revolving around Arminius and the Cherusci-led defeat of three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D., which served as a German national myth from the 16th to the early 20th century.

William C. "Bill" Young was an American stand-up comedian from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Young appeared on three comedy albums released by Stand Up! Records, including the posthumous career retrospective Eat the Cake!, released in 2023.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. Down from Olympus: Archaeology and Philhellenism in Germany, 1750–1970 by Suzanne L. Marchand, Princeton University Press.
  3. Germany and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History, ed. Thomas Adam, ABC-CLIO, 2005, ISBN   1-85109-628-0 pp. 985–86 .
  4. 1 2 Hermann on the Prairie, City of New Ulm, Minnesota, retrieved April 25, 2011.
  5. Harris, Moira F., Monumental Minnesota: A Guide to Outdoor Sculpture, Pogo Press, 1992, p. 5.
  6. In 2011, placement at the monument was authorized of a rock engraved with the words "The 106th Congress of the United States of America designates the Hermann Monument in New Ulm, Minnesota as an official symbol recognizing the great contribution by Americans of German Heritage A.D. 2000.": Josh Moniz, "Commission OKs Hermann archway, rock monument," The Journal (New Ulm) March 22, 2011.
  7. "A guide to all things Fringe". Star Tribune . Minneapolis, Minnesota. August 1, 2014. p. E8. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  8. "2014-2015 Season". New Ulm Actors Community Theatre. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  9. "Hermann the German making an appearance in New Ulm". Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch. Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. October 9, 2014. p. 3.
  10. "The New Ulm Actors Community Theatre presents Hermann the German". Southern Minn Scene. Faribault, Minnesota. September 23, 2014.