Hermann Monument
(Hermann Denkmal)

Hermann (Arminius) of the Cherusci tribe led several German tribes in battle against their Roman Conquerors in 9 A.D., and defeated them in the hills of Teutoburg Forest near present Detmold. To later unified Germany, Hermann symbolized liberty and unity. In 1874, Ernst Von Brandel completed a colossal German Monument dedicated to Hermann near the Teutoburg site.

As a project of the National Sons of Hermann Lodges in the United States, Julius Berndt, New Ulm architect and county surveyor, conceived the building of a similar monument half the size in New Ulm. Local Lodge No. 21 acquired the New Ulm site in 1885 and named it Hermann Heights. Berndt completed the base and cornerstone in 1888. Alphonso Pelzer, of Salem, Ohio, created a plaster model 32 feet high. W.H. Mullins Company made the statue of copper sheet sections; abutting edges were riveted to metal strips, part of the interior bracing. The interior framework was produced by Milwaukee Bridge and Iron Works.

The 32 feet statue arrived boxed at New Ulm in 1890. Inadequate financing though slowed the monument construction, some lodges protesting assessment because of the site; a secluded country place somewhere in the wilds of Minnesota. In 1894, the statue was mounted on the pedestal above the uncompleted monument where, with an overall height of 102 feet, it was plainly seen from Sleepy Eye and other neighboring towns. Completed in 1897 the dedication was a three day celebration. Total monument cost was about $24,000.

With persistent effort by Otto Oswald and other local Sons of Hermann, New Ulm was given the monument and site in 1929. In 1972 Hermann Monument became a registered Minnesota Historic Site, in 1973 it was designated a Registered National Historic Place.

Erected in 1976 by Brown County Historical Society with the Otto Oswald Memorial Fund.