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 Julius Berndt, who headed the New Ulm chapter and was then national secretary of the order, paid for the erection of the American monument. Berndt designed the monument setting, for which the cornerstone was laid in 1888. The statue was created by Alfonz Pelzer of the Wm Mullins company in Salem, Ohio 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 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.
In August 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.
Read more about this topic: Hermann Heights Monument
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