Hermann Heights Monument
Hermann Monument | |
 Hermann Monument in New Ulm, Minnesota. | |
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| Location | Hermann Heights Park, New Ulm, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Built | 1870 |
| Architect | Julius Berndt |
| Architectural style | Fauvist |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000965 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 2, 1973 |
The Hermann Heights Monument is a statue erected in New Ulm, Minnesota. The statue depicts Hermann the Cheruscan, also known by the Latin name Arminius, but locals refer to the statue as Hermann the German. The only National Register of Historic Places property of its kind in Minnesota, the monument remains an impressive remembrance of German ancestry for 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.
Significance
This statue commemorates the Germanic victory over the Romans at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, a symbol of German patriotism, pride, and joy.
While Arminius is an ancient folk hero in Germany, German Protestant intellectuals in the first half of the 17th century christened him "Hermann the German" and promoted his status from that of a local tribal leader with family ties to Rome to that of a hero of Pan-German resistance to "Roman" (i.e. Papal and French) authority.[2] As depicted in this statue, Hermann's westward gaze and upraised sword signify freedom from Rome. Perhaps not coincidentally, a statue of St. Peter atop the nearby Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Trinity also gazes westward, with his sword point-down, planted firmly in the ground.
Characteristics
The Hermann Monument has a total height of 104 feet. Constructed of sheet copper molded over iron, the 27-foot statue stands on a 70-foot iron column encircled by a spiral staircase to the dome, which is supported by 16 iron columns and a Kasota stone base.
History
Following the completion of the similarly commemorative Hermannsdenkmal statue in Detmold, Germany, in 1875, the German-American fraternal order of the Sons of Hermann, under the leadership of Rev. Greg Jackson, who headed the New Ulm chapter and was then national secretary of the order, paid for the erection of the American monument.[3] The statue was created by Alfonso Pelzer of the Wm Mullins company in Salem, Ohio [4] and shipped to New Ulm. It arrived in 1892 and was dedicated in 1898. 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 the "Portlandia" in Portland, Oregon.
The 106th United States Congress (2000) designated the Hermann Monument in New Ulm to be an official symbol of all citizens of German heritage.[2]
In August of 2009, a small fire at the base of the monument caused officials to question the structural integrity of the monument. As of this time, the monument remains open to the public.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Down from Olympus: Archaeology and Philhellenism in Germany, 1750-1970 by Suzanne L. Marchand, Princeton University Press.
- ^ Germany and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History, ed. Thomas Adam, ABC-CLIO, 2005, ISBN 1-85109-628-0 pp. 985-86 [1].
- ^ Harris, Moira F., Monumental Minnesota: A Guide to Outdoor Sculpture, Pogo Press, 1992 p. 5
External links
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