Hermann

has landed

Crowd cheers hero's return

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM ­ Standing bundled up in chilly, slightly breezy weather, cameras and video recorders in hand, a crowd of 200 people cheered Hermann the German's return to his post on Tuesday morning.

After a seemingly long absence, the 32-foot copper statue of the Germanic hero was carefully hoisted back on to its pedestal, effectively completing what some say is just the first phase of a plan to revitalize the entire Hermann Heights Park.

The statue of Hermann the Cheruscan, who united many Teutonic tribes to defeat the Romans in 9 A.D., stood watch over New Ulm from the city' highest point since its was completed in 1897. The statue and the monument were recently restored after city officials realized the extent of the statue's deterioration. The restoration project cost nearly $1.2 million.

The park that surrounds the monument was abuzz with news media, New Ulm city officials, historians and curious onlookers. They snapped frame after frame with their cameras, applauded, waved 'good-bye' and captured the liftoff on videotape. Workers from Schaefer Crane Service of New Ulm carefully hoisted the statue back onto its base. Students at nearby Martin Luther College watched from the north end of campus from across the street. School children down the hill from the college also took some time to witness the event.

Patty Koessler lives in the neighborhood and brought her three children over to the park. They saw Hermann when he was still on the ground a week earlier.

"We probably won't get to see it come down in our lifetime. That's why we came out," she said.

Mary Steinhaus, Queen Mother of Hermann's Frauleins, the New Ulm chapter of the Red Hat Society, arrived at 8:30 Tuesday morning -- an hour and a half before the liftoff was scheduled -- just to see the "goings-on." She came dressed in the society's trademark purple with a bright red hat and plenty of Hermann the German pins on the front of her clothing.

"It's beautiful and it was interesting to see it come down," she said. "Now it's back up.... I just thought it was a really neat, once-in-a-lifetime experience."

It took the construction crew close to three hours to take the newly-restored statue from its place on top of a short stand to its original spot at the top of the monument and then weld the statue back into place. They used a large hydraulic crane to pick Hermann up and had him back in place within a minute. The welding crew made two circular passes before the support beams were loosened and lifted away to the applause of the spectators.

"It's important because it's a National Register site," said Darla Gebhard, a member of the Brown County Historical Society and the Hermann Perpetual Restoration Society. "It's an important piece of New Ulm history."

New Ulm Mayor Joel Albrecht noted that the statue of Hermann, who was a "freedom fighter" in his day, was raised on the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Hermann Commission member Denis Warta, who led the efforts to restore the monument, said that while the monument and the statue are complete, the surrounding park could see some updates. The commission is working on a recommendation to the city council to set goals that will have the park's master plan realized by 2009. That plan includes improvements to the park's restrooms and parking spaces, additional handicapped-accessibility and construction of an observation platform, Warta said.

Former New Ulm Mayor and MLC professor Arnold Koelpin described the return of Hermann as "a joyous day after some auspicious beginnings."

He still has the video of Hermann that he took after the 1998 wind storm that blew one of the wings off Hermann's helmet. The wind landed in a spot where it was discovered by his daughter, Beth, who was the park supervisor. She brought it home. The wing's fate first called the city's attention to the declining condition of the statue.

In February of 2003, Hermann came down off the top of the monument for the first time in more than 100 years.

It took a Washington D.C. preservation firm three months to repair and patch some 32 different holes, strengthen and reinforce Hermann's inner structure. Workers replaced worn and rusted parts and restored features that were missing for years, including the retrieved wing.

The statue now has a new right foot to replace the original, which was too corroded to fix. Hermann's right shoulder, which sagged as the iron piping inside weakened, was repaired and strengthened. The base around Hermann's feet was restored to its original design and dimensions. The Roman helmet and shield, on which Hermann rests his left foot, were rebuilt by a sculptor. The ball at the end of Hermann's sword was donated by a local coppersmith.

Koelpin said the New Ulm monument, which is largely based on an 1875 monument near Detmold, Germany, takes a more Baroque approach to the subject because Hermann's pose is more expressive than in Detmold, which takes a more austere, classical approach.

Both monuments honor Hermann, who was also known as Arminius, who defeated three Roman legions in the Teutoberg Forest in 9 A.D.

"This statue is very photogenic," Koelpin remarked as camera shutters snapped away.