He's been standing guard from a cliff high over New Ulm for more than a hundred years.
Commissioned and built by the German-American group called the Sons of Herman Society, Hermann The German is the third-largest bronze statue in the U-S, his raised sword atop a large pedestal reaches 102 feet high.
The tourist attraction draws people from all over, but is just as popular to those born and raised in New Ulm, like Brown County Historical Society executive director Kathleen Backer.
"We were just in awe," Backer said. "We would climb to the top, where the railing is, and I think some of us thought maybe we could hang on the railings, but not I."
She had plenty of other things to do when visiting Hermann.
"We would go play there, we would go through the woods, there are a lot of woods, as well as a great picnic area," she said. "It's a gathering place for visitors as well as local people."
More than twenty years ago, Hermann was taken down from his pedestal for a much-need restoration, which included re-attaching one of his helmet horns and patching up bullet holes created by folks using Herman for target practice.
Now, the focus is on what's been holding Hermann up for all these years
"Unfortunately the base is undermined, and now it looks like it will take millions of dollars to have to rebuild," Backer said. "Water has been coming from the staturary at the top and working its way down through the masonry."
This information is new following a study that was completed in the spring.
Backer laughed that maybe Minnesota's record budget surplus can cover the cost.
"Give us your money!" she said. "I don't know the gameplan at this point, this is pretty new information. There should be a strong lobby, because Minnesota has billions so why not fix Hermann? But everybody is saying something in that nature."
Hermann The German is an achievement in history, provides a nice place for gatherings, and has one heck of a view of the Minnesota River Valley.
But it also begs the question... why is it here?
"Julius Berndt was the designer of that statuary," Backer said. "He's from New Ulm. That was the bottom line."
