Why we celebrate
From Teutoburg Forest to HermannFest
The statue of Herman the German atop of his monument overlooking the City of New Ulm since 1897. Photo by Clay Schuldt
Employees of the W. H. Mullins Company of Salem, Ohio, who originally constructed New Ulm’s Hermann statue, stand around its base after completion in 1897. At the time, it was the largest statue the company worked on and the workers were proud of the final project. Photo courtesy of Salem Historical Society
A panel on display at the New Ulm Public Library describing and showing the construction process of the Hermann statue at the W. H. Mullins Company is Salem, Ohio. Interpretive displays originally in the Hermann Monument have been relocated to the New Ulm Public Library.
A diorama depicting the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, on display at New Ulm Public Library. Photo by Clay Schuldt
A depiction of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest created in 1888 by Kurz & Allison.
The statue of Herman the German atop of his monument overlooking the City of New Ulm since 1897. Photo by Clay Schuldt
Employees of the W. H. Mullins Company of Salem, Ohio, who originally constructed New Ulm’s Hermann statue, stand around its base after completion in 1897. At the time, it was the largest statue the company worked on and the workers were proud of the final project. Photo courtesy of Salem Historical Society
A panel on display at the New Ulm Public Library describing and showing the construction process of the Hermann statue at the W. H. Mullins Company is Salem, Ohio. Interpretive displays originally in the Hermann Monument have been relocated to the New Ulm Public Library.
A diorama depicting the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, on display at New Ulm Public Library. Photo by Clay Schuldt
A depiction of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest created in 1888 by Kurz & Allison.
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NEW ULM - Saturday, New Ulm will once again celebrate HermannFest in the shadow of Hermann Monument.
The celebration is always held the second Saturday in September to commemorate the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, which happened between Sept. 8-11 in the year 9 CE.
The Battle of Teutoburg was a major turning point in European history. In the battle, an alliance of Germanic tribes crushed three Roman legions, which halted the spread of the Roman Empire. At the same time, the battle united several previously separate German tribes. For some, the battle is seen as the start of Germany uniting as a people.
What does this battle have to do with Hermann the Monument? Hermann was the man responsible for leading the German tribes to victory in the Teutoburg Forest.
Hermann's real name was Arminius and he was born a prince in the Cherusic tribe, which was one of the Germanic tribes. Unfortunately, his high status in the Cherusic tribe made him a target for invading Roman armies.
At age 10, Arminius was taken as a hostage back to Rome after his tribe was defeated in combat. By taking high ranking sons captive, Rome insured the Germanic tribes would not rise up against them without risking their children.
Though he was a hostage the Romans treated Arminius well. He was allowed to gain Roman citizenship and he eventually joined Romain military. From the Roman perspective, Arminius was a great soldier, serving with distinction in several conflicts. That all changed when he was sent back to Germania to aid the local Roman governor in conquering the Germanic tribes.
Arminius never forgot his Germanic origins. Soon after returning to his homeland he began plotting with the Germanic tribes to revolt against Roman rule.
Uniting the Germanic tribes was no easy task. Many of the tribes had been former adversaries, but their shared dislike of the Roman governor Publius Quinctilius Varus helped formed the alliance.
As a member of the Roman army, Arminius was aware of their tactics and their weaknesses. He knew how best to defeat them. It helped that Arminius was a close advisor to Governor Varus, making it easy to manipulate him into sending his legions into an ambush.
Arminius provided Varus with false reports of a rebellion in northern Germany to force the three legions to take a different route back to its winter camp. The route took the Roman legions through the Teutoburg Forest.
Arminius chose Teutoburg Forest as the site of the ambush as it slowed the Roman army and spread out the lines. The Germanic tribes had constructed an earthen wall along the route that allowed the tribes to attack the Roman soldiers from cover.
It was a nearly perfect ambush with between 15,000 and 20,000 Roman casualties. Roman accounts of the battle list it as a total defeat.
Rome would retaliate and attempt to retake territory but the conflict reached a stalemate. Roman expansion into Northern Europe ended. The Rhine River became the boarder for the Roman Empire. This allowed the Germanic tribes to develop a culture without the influence of Rome.
Twelve years after the battle that made him famous, Arminius was assassinated by his own people who felt he was growing too powerful. His name would fall into obscurity for several centuries, but in 15th Century, there was renewed interest in telling his story and the Battle of Teutoberg Forest. Arminius--now called Hermann der Cherusker (Hermann the Cheruscan)--became a symbol of German nationalism.
In 1875, a monument to Hermann was erected in Detmold, Germany near where the battle was believed to be fought. Around the same time in the United States, special lodges were being founded called the Sons of Hermann. The first lodge was formed in 1840 in New York, but in Oct. 1870 a Sons of Hermann lodges was formed in St. Paul, MN.
In 1885, during a national meeting of the Sons of Hermann, it was decided to build a monument to Hermann in America.
New Ulm was chosen as the location of the monument due to its high German population, but also because architect and designer Julius Berndt was a resident of the community.
Funding for the project was difficult, with some lodge reluctant to chip in the cost. The cornerstone of the monument was laid in 1888. The statue of Hermann arrived in New Ulm in 1897 with a dedication for the monument held in September that year.
In 2009, New Ulm hosted a re-enactment of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest on its 2,000 year anniversary on the hill below the monument.
In 2013, a special celebration was held near Hermann Monument to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the New Ulm Battery and the 125th Anniversary of construction starting on the Hermann Monument. The dual celebration proved popular and in 2014 the community turned it into an annual tradition called HermannFest.
The 2026 HermannFest is the first year that access to the monument is restricted. An assessment of the monument found water infiltration created a freeze-thaw cycle that was eroding its base, leaving reconstruction as the only option. The cost estimate for deconstruction and reconstruction of the monument is projected at $11.6 million.
Fundraising efforts are underway to help the city rebuild the monument. The project will take significant community support. The deconstruction and reconstructions are expected to take several years to complete, but that is a small time to wait compared to Hermann's 2,000 year legacy.